Container lid

Abstract

To provide a novel container lid that allows the contents to be stably discharged when the outer surface of the container 100 is squeezed after the container 100 has been tilted. [Solution] The communication hole 44 formed in the partition wall 6 is positioned radially outward from the discharge pipe 32 of the inner plug body 4.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container lid.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below shows an example of a container lid applied to the neck portion of a container containing a relatively high-viscosity content such as Worcestershire sauce. Such a container lid includes an inner plug body attached to the neck portion of the container and a partition plate attached to the inner plug body. The inner plug body includes a top wall covering the top surface of the neck portion and a cylindrical mounting wall hanging down from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall. The top wall is partitioned into a flat annular outer peripheral portion, a cylindrical intermediate portion extending upward from the inner peripheral edge of the outer peripheral portion, and a central portion radially inward of the intermediate portion. Locking means for supporting the partition wall in the vertical direction is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of the top wall, and a discharge cylinder having an upper and lower intermediate portion of the outer peripheral surface connected to the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate portion is disposed in the central portion. A plurality of communication holes communicating in the vertical direction are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction at the outer peripheral edge portion of the partition wall. When discharging the content, the container with the above container lid is tilted. Then, the content contained in the container passes through a part of the plurality of communication holes formed in the partition wall and is discharged from the discharge cylinder, and at the same time, outside air passes through the remaining part of the plurality of communication holes and enters the container. That is, the remaining communication holes function as so-called air holes.

[0003] On the other hand, recently, when the content is relatively low-viscosity such as soy sauce, there are also containers that discharge the content by squeezing (squeezing) the outer peripheral surface of the container after tilting the container and container lids applied thereto (for example, Patent Document 2 below). When discharging the content by squeezing the outer peripheral surface of the container, since the discharge stops by releasing the squeezing, excessive discharge of the content is prevented.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Incidentally, even with contents like Worcestershire sauce, it is sometimes necessary to squeeze the outer surface of the container to discharge the contents, for example, to prevent excessive discharge. Therefore, the inventor has made improvements to the container lid shown in Patent Document 1 and created a container lid (hereinafter referred to as the "prototype container lid") in which a partition plate with a single communication hole formed on its outer edge is attached to the inner stopper body of the container lid. This is because when the contents are discharged by squeezing the outer surface of the container, the air hole in the partition wall is unnecessary. After attaching the prototype container lid to the neck of the container, the container was tilted to discharge the contents, and then the outer surface of the container was squeezed. The contents were then forcefully discharged in a beam shape from the communication hole formed in the partition wall of the prototype container lid, resulting in a phenomenon where the contents scattered over a wide area from the point of dripping.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical objective is to provide a novel and improved container lid that allows the contents to be stably discharged when the outer surface of the container is squeezed after the container has been tilted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors conducted detailed investigations and experiments on the above phenomenon in a prototype container lid and found that the phenomenon was related to the positional relationship between the communication hole and the discharge pipe. Specifically, in the prototype container lid, the communication hole was located radially inward from the discharge pipe, so the contents that passed through the communication hole under the pressure of the above-mentioned compression were discharged directly without hitting the discharge pipe. In other words, the contents that passed through the communication hole were discharged directly without any reduction in their force. Focusing on this, the inventors conducted further intensive studies and found that the above-mentioned main technical problem could be solved by positioning the communication hole radially outward from the discharge pipe.

[0008] In other words, according to the present invention, a container lid that solves the above-mentioned main technical problems comprises an inner stopper body that is attached to the neck of the container and a partition plate that is attached to the inner stopper body, The inner stopper body comprises a top wall that covers the top surface of the neck of the opening and a cylindrical mounting wall that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall. The top wall is divided into a flat annular outer portion, a cylindrical intermediate portion extending upward from the inner edge of the outer portion, and a central portion radially inward from the intermediate portion. A locking means for supporting the partition wall in the vertical direction is provided at the lower part of the inner surface of the intermediate portion, and a discharge pipe is provided in the central portion, the vertical intermediate portion of the outer portion connected to the inner surface of the intermediate portion. In a container lid having a communication hole formed in the partition wall that communicates in the vertical direction, A container lid is provided, characterized in that the communication hole is located radially outward from the discharge pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the intermediate portion of the top wall has, in a longitudinal cross-section, an inclined portion extending radially inward upward from the inner edge of the outer periphery and a flat portion extending substantially horizontally radially inward from the upper end of the inclined portion. The locking means is preferably composed of an annular groove formed in the lower part of the inner surface of the intermediate portion and a locking projection extending circumferentially along the lower edge of the groove. Preferably, a single communication hole is formed in the partition wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the container lid of the present invention, the communication hole formed in the partition wall is located radially outward from the discharge pipe provided on the top wall of the inner stopper body. Therefore, when the contents pass through the communication hole in the partition wall during discharge, they collide with the lower part of the outer surface of the discharge pipe provided in the center of the top wall, or with the inner surface of the middle part of the top wall. Consequently, even if the contents pass through the communication hole under pressurized conditions due to the compression of the outer surface of the container, the momentum of the contents passing through the communication hole is sufficiently reduced by the above-mentioned collision. As a result, the contents that have passed through the communication hole are gently discharged along the inner surface of the discharge pipe after the collision, preventing excessive scattering at the point of dispensing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a container lid constructed according to the present invention attached to the neck of a container. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inner stopper body of the container lid. [Figure 3] A plan view of the partition wall of the container lid shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] A vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of discharging contents from a container with a lid attached, as shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The following will be a more detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments of the container lid constructed according to the present invention.

[0013] Referring to Figure 1, the container lid, shown as number 2 overall, comprises an inner stopper body 4 and a partition wall 6 fitted to the inner stopper body 4. Referring to Figure 2 in conjunction with Figure 1, the inner stopper body 4, made of a relatively hard synthetic resin such as polyethylene, comprises a top wall 8 and a cylindrical mounting wall 10 hanging down from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the top wall 8 is circular in plan view, and therefore the mounting wall 10 is cylindrical. The top wall 8 is further divided into a flat, substantially horizontally extending annular outer peripheral portion 12, a cylindrical intermediate portion 14 extending upward from the inner peripheral edge of the outer peripheral portion 12, and a central portion 16 radially inward from the intermediate portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 12 is annular in shape, and a cylindrical sealing wall 18 hanging downward is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion 12, and an annular notch 20 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion 12. Due to the presence of the notch 20, a cylindrical upright surface 21 facing radially outward is defined in the radially intermediate portion of the upper surface of the outer periphery 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the intermediate portion 14 is frustoconical in shape. Therefore, in a longitudinal cross-section, the intermediate portion 14 includes an inclined portion 22 that extends radially inward from the inner edge of the outer periphery 12 upward and a flat portion 24 that extends substantially horizontally radially inward from the upper end of the inclined portion 22. If desired, the inclined portion 22 may be replaced with a vertical portion that extends vertically upward without inclining radially inward, and the flat portion 24 may be omitted. A locking means 26 is formed on the lower part of the inner surface of the intermediate portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking means 26 consists of an annular groove 28 formed at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the inclined portion 22 and having a U-shaped longitudinal cross-section, and an annular locking projection 30 that extends continuously in the circumferential direction along the lower end edge of the groove 28. Multiple locking projections 30 may be arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. A discharge cylinder 32 is provided in the central portion 16, the upper and lower intermediate portion of the outer circumferential surface of which is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the discharge cylinder 32 is cylindrical in shape, and the annular lower surface of the discharge cylinder 32 is located below the flat portion 24 of the intermediate portion 14 and above the locking means 26.Therefore, a closed space 36 is defined between the lower part 34, which is defined below the flat portion 24 of the intermediate portion 14 on the outer surface of the discharge cylinder 32, and the upper end of the inner surface of the intermediate portion 14 of the top wall 8. The upper end of the discharge cylinder 32 is curled radially outward.

[0014] The mounting wall 10 is cylindrical in shape. An engaging projection 38 projecting radially inward is formed at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting wall 10. An annular flange 40 extending radially outward is formed at the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the mounting wall 10. An annular auxiliary locking piece 42 extending radially outward and circumferentially is also formed at the lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the flange 40.

[0015] Referring to Figure 3 along with Figure 1, the partition wall 6 is disc-shaped and made of a relatively soft synthetic resin such as polypropylene. A communication hole 44 is formed in the partition wall 6 that communicates in the vertical direction. The communication hole 44 is formed on the outer edge of the partition wall 6, but its detailed position will be mentioned later. In the illustrated embodiment, only one circular communication hole 44 is formed. When a single circular communication hole 44 is formed in the partition wall 6, the diameter of the communication hole 44 is preferably 3.0 mm to 5.0 mm, and in the illustrated embodiment, it is 4.2 mm. As will be described later, since the contents contained in the container are discharged to the outside after passing through the communication hole 44, the communication hole 44 needs to have a diameter that allows the contents to pass through sufficiently. Furthermore, if the contents are Worcestershire sauce, since Worcestershire sauce contains fine powder particles that make up the spices, the contents may be stirred by vigorously shaking the container and the container lid 2 attached thereto up and down before discharging the contents, and the contents can also pass through the communication holes 44. When the container is made upright after the above stirring, the contents remaining on the upper surface of the partition wall 6 must pass through the communication holes 44 and return to the container. For reference, in the container lid shown in Patent Document 1, eight round holes (35) corresponding to the communication holes 44 are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. The opening area of ​​one round hole (35) is 7 mm². 2In other words, the diameter is approximately 1.49 mm, which is relatively small. Therefore, in the case of the container lid shown in Patent Document 1, even if the contents pass through the round hole (35) due to the stirring, when the container is upright after stirring, the contents are less likely to pass through the round hole (35) and return to the container, and are more likely to remain on the upper surface of the flow straightening wall (30). If desired, multiple communication holes 44 may be arranged locally in close proximity to each other.

[0016] The partition wall 6 is first inserted into the inside of the sealing wall 18 from below the inner plug body 4 with its upper surface facing the lower surface of the top wall 8 of the inner plug body 4, and positioned so that the outer peripheral edge of its upper surface abuts against the lower surface of the locking projection 30. Next, the partition wall 6 is forced upward relative to the inner plug body 4, so that the outer peripheral edge of the partition wall 6 elastically overcomes the locking projection 30 of the inner plug body 4 and fits into the groove 28. Thus, the partition wall 6 is supported vertically by the locking means 26 and attached to the inner plug body 4. Here, in the container lid 2 constructed according to the present invention, it is important that the communication hole 44 formed in the partition wall 6 is located radially outward from the discharge pipe 32 disposed on the top wall 8 of the inner plug body 4. The reason for this will be explained later.

[0017] Continuing the description with reference to Fig. 1, the container lid 2 also includes an outer lid 46 that is combined with the inner plug body 4. The outer lid 46 is formed of a relatively hard synthetic resin such as high-density polyethylene, and includes a circular top wall 48 and a cylindrical skirt wall 50 that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of this top wall 48. A cylindrical seal wall 52 is formed at the center of the lower surface of the top wall 48. On the outside of the seal wall 52 on the lower surface of the top wall 48, a cylindrical surrounding wall 54 that surrounds the base end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the seal wall 52 is formed. The vertical length of the surrounding wall 54 is shorter than the vertical length of the seal wall 52. On the outside of the surrounding wall 54 on the lower surface of the top wall 48, a cylindrical support wall 56 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the surrounding wall 54 is formed. The vertical length of the support wall 56 is longer than the vertical length of the seal wall 52. On the outside of the support wall 56 on the lower surface of the top wall 48, a cylindrical auxiliary wall 58 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the support wall 56 is formed, and an auxiliary locking projection 60 that projects radially inward is formed at the lower end portion of the auxiliary wall 58. The vertical length of the auxiliary wall 58 is longer than the vertical length of the support wall 56. Such a seal wall 52, surrounding wall 54, support wall 56, and auxiliary wall 58 have a common central axis with the top wall 48. A female thread 62 is formed at the lower end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall 50.

[0018] Fig. 1 further shows the upper end portion of the container 100 to which the container lid 2 is applied by a two-dot chain line. In the illustrated embodiment, the container 100 is formed of an appropriate synthetic resin and has flexibility. The upper end portion of the container 100 includes a neck portion 102 that is generally cylindrical with an open top surface, a conical shoulder portion 104 that extends radially outward and downward from the lower end of the neck portion 102, and a mounting portion 106 that is generally cylindrical and hangs down from the lower end of the shoulder portion 104. A body portion (not shown) of the container 100 is connected to the lower end of the mounting portion 106. An annular engaged protrusion 108 is disposed at the upper end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 102, and a well-known support ring 110 is disposed at the middle portion in the vertical direction. A male thread 112 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting portion 106.

[0019] When applying the container lid 2 described above to the container 100, first, the inner stopper body 4 with the partition wall 6 attached is fitted onto the neck portion 102 of the container 100. When fitting the inner stopper body 4 onto the neck portion 102, the top wall 8 of the inner stopper body 4 is fitted onto the top surface of the neck portion 102, forcing the inner stopper body 4 downward relative to the container 100. In this way, the sealing wall 18 enters the inside of the neck portion 102, and the outer surface of the sealing wall 18 comes into close contact with the inner surface of the neck portion 102. At the same time, the engaging projection 38 formed on the inner surface of the fitting wall 10 elastically overcomes the engaging ridge 108 formed on the outer surface of the neck portion 102 and is positioned below it, thereby engaging the engaging projection 38 with the engaging ridge 108. Thus, the inner stopper body 4 is fitted onto the neck portion 102. Next, the outer lid 46 is fitted onto the container 100. When attaching the outer lid 46 to the container 100, the top wall 48 of the outer lid 46 is fitted onto the upper surface of the inner stopper body 4, and the outer lid 46 is rotated clockwise when viewed from above relative to the container 100. In this way, the female threads 62 formed on the inner surface of the skirt wall 50 of the outer lid 46 and the male threads 112 formed on the outer surface of the mounting portion 106 of the container 100 engage, causing the outer lid 46 to gradually descend relative to the container 100 and the inner stopper body 4 while rotating. As a result of this descent, the seal wall 52 formed on the lower surface of the top wall 48 enters the inside of the discharge pipe 32 formed on the top wall 8 of the inner stopper body 4, and the outer surface of the seal wall 52 comes into close contact with the inner surface of the discharge pipe 32. As a result, the container 100 is sealed. Furthermore, the auxiliary locking projection 60 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary wall 58 elastically overcomes the auxiliary locking piece 42 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting wall 10 of the inner plug body 4 and is positioned below it, thereby locking the auxiliary locking projection 60 onto the auxiliary locking piece 42. This locking prevents the outer lid 46 from unintentionally falling off the inner plug body 4. Moreover, the lower end surface of the support wall 56 faces and approaches or abuts against the upper surface of the top wall 8 of the inner plug body 4 at the notch 20 in the outer circumferential portion 12 of the top wall 8, and the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the support wall 56 faces and approaches or abuts against the upright surface 21 defined on the upper surface of the top wall 8. As a result, even if the container lid 2 is subjected to impact in the vertical or horizontal direction due to dropping or collision, damage to the container lid 2 is prevented as much as possible. Finally, the surrounding wall 54 formed on the lower surface of the outer lid 46 surrounds the upper end of the outer circumferential surface of the discharge pipe 32 of the inner plug body 4.

[0020] When discharging the contents of the container, first, remove the outer lid 46 of the container lid 2 from the container 100. When removing the outer lid 46 from the container 100, rotate the outer lid 46 counterclockwise as viewed from above the container 100. By doing so, due to the screw engagement between the female screw threads 62 of the outer lid 46 and the male screw threads 112 of the container 100, the outer lid 46 gradually rises while rotating with respect to the container 100, and the auxiliary locking protrusion 60 elastically rides over the auxiliary locking piece 42 upward. Then, when the screw engagement between the female screw threads 62 and the male screw threads 112 is released, the outer lid 46 detaches from the container 100 and the middle plug body 4. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, with the container 100 tilted so that the middle plug body 4 faces downward, the outer peripheral surface of the container 100 is squeezed. By doing so, the contents pressurized by such squeezing pass through the communication hole 44 of the partition wall 6 from the inside to the outside of the container 100. In FIG. 4, the flow of the contents is indicated by arrows. Here, in the container lid of the present invention, since the communication hole 44 formed in the partition wall 6 is located radially outward of the discharge cylinder 32 disposed on the top wall 8 of the middle plug body 4, the contents that have passed through the communication hole 44 of the partition wall during discharge collide with the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder 32 disposed at the central portion 16 of the top wall 8 or the inner surface of the middle portion 14 of the top wall 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the contents that have passed through the communication hole 44 collide with the lower part 34 of the outer peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder 32 at the central portion 16 of the top wall 8 of the middle plug body 4 and the upper end portion of the inner surface of the middle portion 14 in the closed space 36 defined by the lower surface of the top wall 8. Therefore, even if the contents are pressurized and pass through the communication hole 44 when the outer peripheral surface of the container 100 is squeezed, the momentum of the contents that have passed through the communication hole 44 is sufficiently reduced by the above collision. Thus, the contents that have passed through the communication hole 44 are gently discharged along the inner peripheral surface of the discharge cylinder 32 after the above collision, and are prevented from scattering excessively at the dropping point. When stopping the discharge of the contents, release the above squeezing and upright the container. By doing so, the contents remaining between the upper surface of the partition wall 6 and the lower surface of the top wall 8 of the middle plug body 4 return to the inside of the container 100 through the communication hole 44.

[0021] Although the container lid constructed according to the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and appropriate modifications and changes are possible without departing from the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the central part 16 of the top wall 8 of the inner stopper body 4, that is, the inside of the discharge pipe 32, was in vertical communication, but a suitable stopper may be provided inside the discharge pipe 32 via a breakable thin-walled line, and such a stopper may form a so-called initial seal. Furthermore, the contents contained in the container to which the container lid constructed according to the present invention is applied are not limited to relatively low-viscosity liquids such as Worcestershire sauce, but may be any liquid. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0022] 2: Container lid 4: Inner stopper body 6: Partition wall 8: Top Wall 10: Mounting wall 12: Outer perimeter 14: Middle section 16: Central part 26:Latching means 32: Discharge tube 44:Communication hole

Claims

1. It comprises an inner stopper body that is attached to the neck of the container and a partition plate that is attached to the inner stopper body, The inner stopper body comprises a top wall that covers the top surface of the neck of the opening and a cylindrical mounting wall that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall. The top wall is divided into a flat annular outer portion, a cylindrical intermediate portion extending upward from the inner edge of the outer portion, and a central portion radially inward from the intermediate portion. A locking means for supporting the partition wall in the vertical direction is provided at the lower part of the inner surface of the intermediate portion, and a discharge pipe is provided in the central portion, the vertical intermediate portion of the outer portion connected to the inner surface of the intermediate portion. In a container lid having a communication hole formed in the partition wall that communicates in the vertical direction, A container lid characterized in that the communication hole is located radially outward from the discharge pipe.

2. The container lid according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion of the top wall comprises, in a longitudinal cross-section, an inclined portion extending radially inward upward from the inner edge of the outer periphery and a flat portion extending substantially horizontally radially inward from the upper end of the inclined portion.

3. The container lid according to claim 1, wherein the locking means comprises an annular groove formed on the lower part of the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate portion and a locking projection extending circumferentially along the lower end edge of the groove.

4. The container lid according to claim 1, wherein a single communication hole is formed in the partition wall.

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