Refill cap

Abstract

The challenge is to create a refillable cap that enables stable refilling of the liquid contents. [Solution] A refillable cap 1 is configured to have a nozzle member 20 for dispensing the liquid contents and a cap member 10 for housing the nozzle member 20, wherein the cap member 10 has a cap body 11 and a mounting part 12 that is attached to the mouth portion 31 of the refillable container 30, and the nozzle member 20 has a fitting part 21 that is sandwiched between the mounting part 12 and the mouth portion 31 when attached, a middle cylinder part 22 erected on the fitting part 21, and a nozzle 23 connected to the middle cylinder part 22, wherein the nozzle 23 has a deformable part 23a formed of an expandable and contractible bellows.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is known a refill container 1 in which a nozzle member is attached to the mouth of a refill container 1 which is the source of the content liquid, and the content liquid is poured into a main container (the container to be refilled) 100 through the nozzle member for refilling (for example, Patent Document 1). There is also known a refill container made of a standing pouch provided with a pouring spout (for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the refill container 1 described in Patent Document 1, in order to refill the content liquid from the refill container 1 into the main container 100, as shown in FIG. 5 thereof, the nozzle cylinder 23 of the refill container 1 needs to be gradually tilted so that the refill container 1 is in an inverted posture while approaching the inlet portion 101 of the main container 100. However, in the case of a refill container 1 with an increased capacity, there is a problem that the hand becomes unstable due to its large weight and the refilling operation tends to be difficult.

[0005] Also, in the case of the refill container 1 made of a standing pouch described in Patent Document 1, when the volume of the content liquid in the refill container 1 decreases during the refilling operation, the body portion of the standing pouch folds and the pouring mouth (pouring spout) becomes unstable, so that there is a problem that the content liquid is likely to spill.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art described above by creating a refill cap that is attached to the mouthpiece of a refill container, which is the source of the refill, and that enables stable refilling of the liquid contents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Among the means for solving the above problems, the first means of the present invention is: A refillable cap comprising a nozzle member for dispensing the liquid contents and a cap member for housing the nozzle member, The aforementioned cap member has a cap body and a mounting portion that is attached to the mouth portion of the refill container. The nozzle member has a fitting portion that is sandwiched between the mounting portion and the mouth portion when installed, an intermediate cylindrical portion erected on the fitting portion, and a nozzle connected to the intermediate cylindrical portion. The nozzle is characterized by having a deformable section formed by an expandable and contractible bellows. In the first method of the present invention, the refilling of the liquid can be stably performed by inserting the tip (dispensing cylinder) of an easily deformable nozzle into the mouth of the container to be refilled.

[0008] Furthermore, a second means of the present invention adds to the first means described above, a fitting connecting portion that detachably connects the cap member and the nozzle member is provided between the top wall portion of the cap body and the dispensing cylinder portion provided at the tip of the nozzle. In the above method, the nozzle member can be extended by pulling up the cap member, and the cap member can be easily detached from the nozzle member.

[0009] Furthermore, a third means of the present invention adds to the first or second means described above, a male screw portion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion of the cap member, a plurality of vertical ribs extending in the vertical direction are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the central cylinder portion of the nozzle member with spacing between them in the circumferential direction, and a transfer screw portion that engages with the male screw portion is formed by transferring the outer shape of the male screw portion to the plurality of vertical ribs. In the above method, the outer shape of the male thread portion of the cap portion can be easily transferred to the outer surface of the inner cylinder portion of the nozzle portion simply by fitting the cap portion to the nozzle portion by pressing it into place. Therefore, there is no need to form threads on the inner cylinder portion in advance, which can improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0010] Furthermore, a fourth means of the present invention adds to the third means described above that the cap member is formed from a synthetic resin material that is harder than the nozzle member. The above method makes it possible to suppress deformation of the male screw portion while effectively transferring its outer shape to the outer surface of the inner cylinder portion of the nozzle member when the cap member is fitted onto the nozzle member by pressing it into place.

[0011] Furthermore, the fifth means of the present invention adds to the first, second, third, or fourth means described above that the lower end opening edge of the cap body and the upper inner edge of the mounting portion are connected by a weakening portion consisting of a plurality of breakable connecting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. In the above method, when the cap body is rotated in the opening direction to open it, the weakened portion breaks, separating the cap body from the attachment portion. The cap body detaches upwards, while the attachment portion remains on the mouth of the refill container. As a result, even if the cap body is reattached to the mouth of the refill container, the weakened portion has been broken, making it easy to determine whether or not the refill container has been tampered with (tamper-evident function). [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the present invention, by using a nozzle that can be easily deformed, it is possible to stably refill the content liquid, so that it is possible to suppress the leakage of the content liquid during the refilling operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] [Figure 1] As a first embodiment of the present invention, it is a cross-sectional view showing a refilling cap. [Figure 2] The cap members constituting the refilling cap are shown, (a) is a half cross-sectional view of the cap member, (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow of line II-II in (a), and (c) is a bottom view of the cap member. [Figure 3] The nozzle members constituting the refilling cap are shown, (a) is a front view of the nozzle member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow of line III-III in (a). [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the refilling cap is attached to the refilling container. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the cap body is removed from the state of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the nozzle member is deformed following FIG. 5. [Figure 7] The cap members constituting the refilling cap as a second embodiment of the present invention are shown, (a) is a half cross-sectional view of the cap member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow of line VII-VII in (a). [Figure 8] The nozzle members constituting the refilling cap as a second embodiment of the present invention are shown, (a) is a front view of the nozzle member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow of line VIII-VIII in (a).

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a refill cap as a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a cap member constituting the refill cap, (a) is a half cross-sectional view of the cap member, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrow II-II in (a), (c) is a bottom view of the cap member, FIG. 3 shows a nozzle member constituting the refill cap, (a) is a front view of the nozzle member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrow III-III in (a). In the following description, the direction along the cap axis O will be referred to as the axial direction, the vertical direction, or the height direction, the direction orthogonal to the cap axis O will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction around the cap axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction, the opening direction, or the closing direction for explanation.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the refill cap 1 is configured to include a nozzle member 20 for pouring the content liquid and a cap member 10 for housing the nozzle member 20 inside. The cap member 10 includes a cap body 11, a mounting portion 12 to be mounted on the mouth cylinder portion 31 (see FIG. 4) of the refill container 30, and a weakened portion 13 that connects between the cap body 11 and the mounting portion 12, and is integrally formed by injection molding or the like using a predetermined synthetic resin material.

[0016] The cap body 11 has a top wall portion 11A and an outer wall portion 11B, and a seal cylinder portion 11C that is recessed in a concave shape is provided to hang down at the center of the top wall portion 11A. A circumferential groove-shaped fitting portion 11a is formed on the side surface on the outer side in the radial direction of the seal cylinder portion 11C. Further, plate-like ribs 11b are formed at a plurality of (four locations in this embodiment) positions on the inner surface of the cap body 11 and straddling the top wall portion 11A and the outer wall portion 11B. The lower side of the rib 11b is a pressing portion 11c that gradually widens in an inclined shape as it goes downward, and is capable of pressing down a deformed portion 23a of the nozzle member 20 described later. And a gap S into which a pouring cylinder portion 23b described later is inserted is provided around the seal cylinder portion 11C and facing the rib 11b in the radial direction. Further, a male screw portion 11d is provided to project circumferentially on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end side of the outer wall portion 11B.

[0017] The weakened portion 13 is formed of a plurality of breakable connecting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, connecting the lower end opening edge of the cap body 11 and the upper inner edge of the mounting portion 12. Such a weakened portion 13 functions as an anti-tampering mechanism. The weakened portion 13 may be formed of a thin-walled portion, for example, as long as it is breakable.

[0018] The mounting portion 12 is formed with a larger diameter than the cap body 11, and an undercut-shaped locking projection 12a that protrudes radially inward is provided around the lower part of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 12.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the nozzle member 20 is composed of a fitting portion 21 provided at the bottom, a cylindrical middle section 22 erected on the fitting portion 21, and a nozzle 23 that is extendable and retractable on the middle section 22. It is integrally formed, for example, by blow molding a parison made of a predetermined synthetic resin material in a mold.

[0020] The outer circumferential surface of the fitting portion 21 is formed to have a shape that allows it to fit into the inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 12 on the cap body 11 side. In addition, the outer circumferential surface of the central cylinder portion 22 has a plurality of vertical ribs 22a that protrude radially outward and extend vertically, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction.

[0021] The nozzle 23 has a deformable portion 23a formed by a bellows and a cylindrical dispensing tube portion 23b connected to the tip of the deformable portion 23a, and the outer circumferential surface of the dispensing tube portion 23b is provided with a fitting portion 23c that is recessed in a groove-like manner toward the radially inward direction.

[0022] Here, the cap member 10 is made of a synthetic resin material that is harder than the nozzle member 20. In this embodiment, the nozzle member 20 is made of polyethylene (PE) and the cap member 10 is made of polypropylene (PP). Other combinations include, for example, when the nozzle member 20 is made of polypropylene (PP), the cap member 10 can be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacetal (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), etc.

[0023] The refillable cap 1, having the above configuration, is formed by assembling the nozzle member 20 inside the cap member 10. Specifically, the cap member 10 is placed over the tip of the nozzle member 20, where the deformable portion 23a is contracted, the sealing cylinder portion 11C is inserted into the dispensing cylinder portion 23b, and the tip of the nozzle 23 is inserted into the gap S between the sealing cylinder portion 11C and the rib 11b. The cap member 10 and the nozzle member 20 are then connected by fitting the fitting portion 23c on the nozzle member 20 side into the fitting portion 11a on the cap member 10 side. The fitting portion 11a and the fitting portion 23c constitute a fitting connection portion that detachably connects the cap member 10 and the nozzle member 20. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the lower end of the outer wall portion 11B of the cap body 11 is fitted against the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 22 of the nozzle member 20 by driving in a plug. At this time, the threads of the male screw portion 11d of the outer wall portion 11B press the multiple vertical ribs 22a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 22 radially inward.

[0024] As described above, the cap member 10 is made of a synthetic resin material that is harder than the nozzle member 20. For this reason, the vertical rib 22a is deformed by the threads of the male thread portion 11d and then pressed into the inside of the cap member 10. As a result, a transferred thread portion 22b is formed on the surface of the vertical rib 22a, with the outer shape of the male thread portion 11d transferred onto it.

[0025] Furthermore, when the nozzle member 20 is in an extended state during capping, the cap member 10 approaches the nozzle member 20 and contracts the deformed portion 23a. In this case, the pressing portion 11c at the lower end of the rib 11b pushes in the uppermost part of the bellows-shaped deformed portion 23a, making it possible to reliably contract and deform the deformed portion 23a.

[0026] Furthermore, when the nozzle member 20 is assembled inside the cap member 10, the locking projection 12a firmly engages with the engagement groove 31a on the refill container 30 side, and the male screw portion 11d and the transfer screw portion 22b engage in the axial direction, thereby restricting the axial movement of the cap member 10 and the nozzle member 20 relative to each other. For this reason, in the refill cap 1, while the cap member 10 is fitted onto the nozzle member 20 and closed, the deformed portion 23a, which is in a contracted state, does not return to its original shape (see Figure 1).

[0027] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the refill cap attached to the refill container, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the cap body being removed from the state in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle member deformed following Figure 5.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the refill cap 1 is attached to the mouth section 31 of the refill container 30. In the first embodiment, the mouth section 31 is composed of a large-diameter cylindrical lower mouth section 31B erected on the upper part of the refill container 30 and a small-diameter cylindrical upper mouth section 31A connected above it via a step, with an engagement groove 31a provided around the outer circumferential surface of the lower mouth section 31B. When the refill cap 1 is pressed against the mouth section 31, the locking projection 12a provided on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting section 12 of the cap body 11 firmly fits into the engagement groove 31a on the refill container 30 side, allowing the refill cap 1 to be attached to the mouth section 31.

[0029] In this state, the fitting portion 23c at the tip of the nozzle member 20 fits into the fitted portion 11a on the cap member 10 side, and the fitting portion 21 at the base end of the nozzle member 20 (refill container 30 side) is sandwiched between the mounting portion 12 and the mouth portion 31, thereby sealing both and preventing leakage of the liquid contents inside the refill container 30.

[0030] When the cap body 11 is rotated in the opening direction relative to the mounting portion 12, the male thread portion 11d is screwed in (unscrewed) relative to the transfer screw portion 22b and moves upward, and in response the weakening portion 13, which consists of multiple connecting pieces, breaks, so the cap body 11 can be removed. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, the fitting portion 23c is fitted into the fitted portion 11a, so if the cap body 11 is further pulled upward away from the mounting portion 12, the deformable portion 23a of the nozzle 23 can be extended accordingly. Then, if the cap body 11 is pulled up further, beyond the height where the deformable portion 23a can not be extended any further, the fitting between the fitting portion 23c and the fitted portion 11a is released, and the cap body 11 can be detached from the tip of the nozzle 23.

[0031] The nozzle 23, whose deformed portion 23a has been stretched by applying an external force, has plasticity that makes it difficult to return to its original contracted shape even after the force is removed. As shown by the dashed line in Figure 6, it is possible to maintain the stretched state. Furthermore, as shown by the solid line in Figure 6, when a radial external force is applied to the deformed portion 23a, the side to which the external force is applied stretches while the opposite side contracts, allowing the nozzle 23 to be bent and maintain its shape.

[0032] Thus, since the nozzle 23 can be deformed (expanded and folded, and so on) relatively easily, the dispensing cylinder portion 23b provided at the tip of the deformed portion 23a can be easily inserted into the mouth portion of a refillable container (not shown). Therefore, even if the refill container 30 is gradually tilted to an inverted position during the refilling process, the deformable part 23a also deforms gradually in response, making it possible to maintain the state in which the dispensing cylinder part 23b is inserted into the mouth of the container being refilled. This stabilizes the refilling process, especially for large-capacity refill containers 30 that tend to be unstable due to their heavy weight.

[0033] Furthermore, when the refill cap 1 having the above configuration is attached to a bag-shaped refill container 30 such as a pouch container, even if the volume of liquid inside the refill container 30 decreases during the refilling process and the body of the pouch container breaks, the deformable part 23a can deform in accordance with the deformation of the body. As a result, it is possible to suppress the dispensing tube part 23b from coming off the mouth of the container being refilled, and as a result the refilling process becomes more stable and spillage of the liquid can be prevented.

[0034] Furthermore, after the refilling process is complete, the male screw portion 11d and the transfer screw portion 22b function as a normal screw mechanism. Therefore, when the cap body 11 is placed over the nozzle 23 and rotated in the closing direction, the cap body 11 can be screwed onto the inner cylinder portion 22. At this time, the retaining portion 11c presses down on the deformable portion 23a, returning it to its original contracted shape, so that the nozzle 23 can be easily stored inside the cap member 10.

[0035] Figure 7 shows a cap member constituting a refillable cap as a second embodiment, where (a) is a half cross-sectional view of the cap member and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of line VII-VII in (a). Figure 8 also shows a nozzle member constituting a refillable cap as a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view of the nozzle member and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the direction of line VIII-VIII in (a).

[0036] The refillable cap 1 shown in the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the configuration of the mounting portion 12 that constitutes the cap member 10 and the fitting portion 21 that constitutes the nozzle member 20. The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description, the differences from the first embodiment will be the focus, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0037] As shown in Figure 7(a), a threaded portion 12b is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting portion 12 that constitutes the cap member 10. Also, as shown in Figure 8(a), a threaded portion 21a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the fitting portion 21 that constitutes the nozzle member 20. When the cap member 10 is placed over the nozzle member 20 and rotated in the closing direction, the threaded portion 12b and the threaded portion 21a screw into each other, making it possible to attach the cap member 10 to the outside of the nozzle member 20. Furthermore, a stopper mechanism (not shown) consisting of convex ribs or the like is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting portion 12 and the inner circumferential surface of the fitting portion 21, so that the mounting portion 12 cannot rotate around the fitting portion 21 after mounting is complete.

[0038] When the cap member 10 is attached to the nozzle member 20, the pressing portion 11c of the rib 11b provided on the cap member 10 pushes in the deformable portion 23a, similar to the first embodiment, so that the deformable portion 23a can be stored inside the cap member 10 in a deformed shape that is contracted, similar to the first embodiment.

[0039] The configuration of the present invention and its effects have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples. For example, in the above embodiment, when a fitting connection portion that detachably connects the cap member 10 and the nozzle member 20 is provided between the top wall portion 11A of the cap body 11 and the dispensing cylinder portion 23b at the tip of the nozzle 23, more specifically, the case described is that it is composed of a circumferential groove-shaped fitting portion 11a formed on the outer circumferential surface of a sealing cylinder portion 11C suspended from the top wall portion 11A of the cap body 11 and a fitting portion 23c formed on the inner circumferential surface of the dispensing cylinder portion 23b of the nozzle 23 into which the sealing cylinder portion 11C is inserted. However, the connection may also be made by fitting a fitting portion that protrudes radially inward in a convex shape from the vertical side portion 11e of the rib 11b (see Figures 2(a) and 2(c)) and fitting into the fitting portion 23c of the dispensing cylinder portion 23b. In other words, the fitting connection portion may be configured to fit inside the dispensing cylinder portion 23b or to fit outside it.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the configuration of the transfer screw portion 22b was described as having a male screw portion 11d protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 11B of the cap body 11, and having a plurality of vertical ribs 22a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 22 opposite to it for transfer. However, it is also possible to have a configuration in which a plurality of vertical ribs are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 11B of the cap body 11, and a male screw portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 22 opposite to it for transfer. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] This invention can expand the range of applications in the field of refillable caps to an even broader area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1: Refill cap 10: Cap component 11: Cap body 11A: Ceiling wall section 11B: External wall part 11C: Seal cylinder 11a: Mated part 11b: Rib 11c: Holding part 11d: Male threaded part 11e: Vertical side 12: Mounting part 12a: Locking protrusion 12b: Screw part 13:Weakened part 20: Nozzle component 21: Fitting part 21a: Screw part 22: Middle cylinder part 22a: Longitudinal ribs 22b: Transfer screw part 23: Nozzle 23a: Deformed part 23b: Pour cylinder part 23c: Fitting part 30: Refillable container 31: Mouth tube part 31A: Upper tube part 31B: Lower tube part 31a: Engagement groove O: Cap shaft S: Gap

Claims

1. A refillable cap (1) comprising a nozzle member (20) for dispensing the liquid contents and a cap member (10) for housing the nozzle member (20), The cap member (10) has a cap body (11) and a mounting portion (12) that is attached to the mouth portion (31) of the refill container (30). The nozzle member (20) has a fitting portion (21) that is sandwiched between the mounting portion (12) and the mouth tube portion (31) when installed, a middle tube portion (22) erected on the fitting portion (21), and a nozzle (23) connected to the middle tube portion (22). A refillable cap characterized in that the nozzle (23) has a deformable portion (23a) formed of a retractable bellows.

2. The refillable cap according to claim 1, wherein a fitting connection portion for detachably connecting the cap member (10) and the nozzle member (20) is provided between the top wall portion (11A) of the cap body (11) and the dispensing cylinder portion (23b) provided at the tip of the nozzle (23).

3. The refillable cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a male screw portion (11d) is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion (11B) of the cap member (10), and a plurality of vertical ribs (22a) extending in the vertical direction are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the central cylinder portion (22) of the nozzle member (20) with spacing between them in the circumferential direction, and the outer shape of the male screw portion (11d) is transferred to the plurality of vertical ribs (22a) to form a transfer screw portion (22b) that engages with the male screw portion (11d).

4. The refillable cap according to claim 3, wherein the cap member (10) is formed of a synthetic resin material that is harder than the nozzle member (20).

5. The refillable cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower end opening edge of the cap body (11) and the upper inner edge of the mounting portion (12) are connected by a weakening portion (13) consisting of a plurality of breakable connecting pieces arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction.

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