cap

Abstract

To provide a cap that is easy to attach and detach, and that makes it easy to determine whether or not the product is unopened. [Solution] A cap 10 comprising a cap body 100 and an outer cap 200, wherein the outer cap 200 is configured to slide between a first position in which the cap body 100 is fitted to the opening and a second position in which the cap body 100 is not fitted to the opening, and is equipped with a tamper evident portion 240, the tamper evident portion 240 engages with a support portion 140 when the outer cap 200 is in the first position, restricting sliding to the second position, and when the tamper evident portion 240 is pushed toward the tip of the support portion 140 and the connecting portion 211 breaks, the engagement between the tamper evident portion 240 and the support portion 140 is released, and sliding to the second position becomes possible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a container equipped with a cap that is detachable from the container body, a screw-type cap has been the mainstream. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of caps with excellent usability, such as hinge-type caps and caps that can be pulled out or pushed in while pushing the side surface of the cap. The applicant of the present application has also provided a technology related to a cap with even better detachable properties (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, even in this technology, it is difficult to determine whether the container is in an unopened state or a state where it has been closed after being once opened, so there is still room for improvement.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a cap that is excellent in detachable properties and is easy to determine whether it is unopened or not.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention has adopted the following means to solve the above problems.

[0007] In other words, the cap of the present invention comprises a cap body having a first top wall, a cylindrical body portion hanging down from the first top wall and attached to the outer peripheral surface of the mouth of the container body, a cylindrical sealing portion configured to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mouth, and a support portion provided inside the cylindrical sealing portion; and an outer cap having a second top wall, an outer cylinder portion hanging down from the second top wall and covering the outer peripheral surface of the body portion, wherein the outer cap has a first position for fitting the cap body to the mouth, and the cap The main body is configured to slide between a second position, which is in a non-fitted state with respect to the opening, and a tamper evident portion connected to the second top wall by a breakable connecting portion. The tamper evident portion engages with the support column when the outer cap is in the first position, restricting its sliding to the second position. When the tamper evident portion is pushed toward the tip of the support column and the connecting portion breaks, the engagement between the tamper evident portion and the support column is released, allowing the cap to slide to the second position.

[0008] According to the present invention, the cap body can be fitted to or unfitted to the opening by sliding the outer cap between a first position and a second position. Furthermore, the presence of a tamper-evident band makes it easy to determine whether the container is unopened or not. Moreover, when opening an unopened container, the operation is simple: the tamper-evident part is pushed toward the support column, and the connecting part is broken. In addition, the amount of downward push of the tamper-evident part is restricted by the tip of the support column.

[0009] The tamper evident portion comprises a pressing surface and an inner cylinder portion hanging down from the pressing surface, and the inner cylinder portion may be provided with an engaging piece that can engage with the support column portion.

[0010] This prevents the tamper evident from coming loose from the cap body after it has been pushed towards the tip of the support column.

[0011] It is preferable that flexible locking pieces that can engage with each other are formed above the support column and below the inner cylinder.

[0012] The lower end of the body portion is provided with an engaging portion having an engaging projection that can engage with a receiving portion provided in the opening portion. The outer surface of the engaging portion is pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion of the outer cap when it is in the first position, causing the engaging projection to engage with the receiving portion and the cap body to fit into the opening portion. In the process of the outer cap moving from the first position to the second position, the engaging portion is no longer pressed by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion, thereby releasing the engagement of the engaging projection with the receiving portion.

[0013] The engagement portion is composed of a plurality of enlarged diameter portions provided at intervals in the circumferential direction at the lower end of the body portion, and the engagement projection is provided on the inner circumferential surface of each of the plurality of enlarged diameter portions.

[0014] By adopting this configuration, the force required to flex the engaging portion (expanded diameter portion) and to return the expanded diameter portion to its original state can be set to be weaker.

[0015] Furthermore, the above configurations can be combined and adopted as much as possible. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the product is unopened while improving ease of attachment and detachment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the cap body according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view of the cap body and (b) is a front view of the cap body. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the cap body according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cap body (cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1(a)). [Figure 3]It is a schematic configuration diagram of an outer cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (a) is a plan view of the outer cap, and (b) is a front view of the outer cap. [Figure 4] It is a schematic configuration diagram of an outer cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the outer cap (cross-sectional view BB in FIG. 3(a)). [Figure 5] It is an explanatory diagram of the assembling operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 6] It is an explanatory diagram of the attaching / detaching operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to the container body (attachment process), and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 7] It is an explanatory diagram of the attaching / detaching operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to the container body (attachment process), and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 8] It is an explanatory diagram of the attaching / detaching operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to the container body (removal process), and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 9] It is an explanatory diagram of the attaching / detaching operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to the container body (removal process), and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory diagram of the attaching / detaching operation of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to the container body (re-attachment process), and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining the advantages of the cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and each member is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. [Figure 12] It is a schematic diagram of a cap according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] The embodiments for carrying out this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, based on examples. However, unless otherwise specifically stated, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to those. In the following description, "up" means the vertical direction upward when the cap is attached to the container body and the cap is facing upward relative to the container body, and "down" means the vertical direction downward when the cap is attached to the container body and the cap is facing upward relative to the container body. In each figure, arrows SN (N is 1 or 2) indicate the relative direction of movement between the components constituting the cap, and arrows TN (N is 1 or 2) indicate the relative direction of movement between the components constituting the cap and the container body. The containers according to the following embodiments are applicable to various types of containers, including PET bottles, glass containers, metal containers, and laminate tubes for toothpaste and paste condiments.

[0019] (Example 1) A cap according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11.

[0020] <Container> Container 1 consists of a container body 50 and a cap 10. First, the container body 50 will be described (see Figures 6, 7, etc.). Note that in each figure, only a part of the container body 50 is shown. As is generally known, the container body 50 has a mouth portion 51, a shoulder portion (not shown), and a body portion (not shown). The mouth portion 51 is the part that is narrower than the shoulder portion at the top of the body, and corresponds to the neck portion which has a mouth (opening) at the tip. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface 51a of the mouth portion 51 is made of a cylindrical surface. Note that the inner circumferential surface 51a corresponds to the mouth (opening). The outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 51 is provided with an engaging portion 51b. In this embodiment, the engaging portion is made of an annular projection, but the engaging portion in the present invention is not limited to an annular projection and can also be made of projections provided intermittently in the circumferential direction.

[0021] <Cap> Next, we will describe a cap 10 that is detachably attached to the opening 51 of the container body 50. In this embodiment, the cap 10 is attached to the opening 51 by a pushing motion and removed from the opening 51 by a pulling motion. This cap 10 consists of a cap body 100 and an outer cap 200.

[0022] <Cap body> The cap body 100 will be described in particular with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The cap body 100 comprises a first top wall 110 and a cylindrical body portion 120 that hangs down from the first top wall 110 and is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 51 of the container body 50. The cap body 100 also comprises a cylindrical sealing portion 130 configured to protrude downward from the first top wall 110 and a support portion 140 provided inside the cylindrical sealing portion 130. In this embodiment, the lower end of the cylindrical portion of the cylindrical sealing portion 130 is closed, and the support portion 140 is provided to protrude upward from this closed portion.

[0023] The body portion 120 is provided with an engaging projection 121a that can engage with a receiving portion 51b provided on the mouth portion 51 of the container body 50. In this embodiment, a plurality of engaging portions (enlarged diameter portions) 121 are provided at the lower end of the body portion 120, spaced apart in the circumferential direction. These engaging portions 121 are configured to widen in diameter towards the lower end. Each of these multiple engaging portions 121 is provided with the aforementioned engaging projections 121a on its inner circumferential surface. The cap body 100 is made of a resin material (for example, polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP)) that allows the engaging portions 121 to have appropriate flexibility.

[0024] Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130 is formed with a small diameter portion 131, a large diameter portion 132 above the small diameter portion 131, and a large diameter portion 133 below the small diameter portion 131. Hereinafter, the stepped surface between the small diameter portion 131 and the large diameter portion 132 will be referred to as the first stepped surface 134, and the stepped surface between the small diameter portion 131 and the large diameter portion 133 will be referred to as the second stepped surface 135. The sealing function is achieved when the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130, which is configured as described above, and the inner circumferential surface 51a of the opening portion 51 are in close contact.

[0025] Furthermore, a flexible locking piece 141 is formed above the support column 140, and as shown in Figure 2, its tip is angled so as to point radially outward and upward. In this embodiment, the support column 140 is composed of a cylindrical portion, but the support column of the present invention can also be composed of a cylindrical portion.

[0026] <Outer cap> The outer cap 200 will be described in particular with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The outer cap 200 comprises a second top wall 210, an outer cylindrical portion 220 that hangs down from the second top wall 210 and covers the outer circumference of the body portion 120 of the cap body 100, and a cylindrical insertion portion 230 that hangs down from the second top wall 210 and is inserted into the cylinder of the cylindrical seal portion 130. The outer cap 200 also has a tamper evident portion 240 in the center, which is connected to the second top wall 210 by a breakable connecting portion 211. This tamper evident portion 240 consists of a pressing surface 241 and an inner cylindrical portion 242 that hangs down from the pressing surface 241. The inner circumferential surface of the second top wall 210 and the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylindrical portion 242 are connected by the connecting portion 211. Below the inner cylinder portion 242, a flexible locking piece 243 is formed as an engaging piece that can engage with the support column portion 140, and its tip is formed at an angle so as to be radially inward and downward.

[0027] The outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 230 is provided with a small-diameter portion 231 and a large-diameter portion 232 above the small-diameter portion 231. Hereinafter, the stepped surface between the small-diameter portion 231 and the large-diameter portion 232 will be referred to as the third stepped surface 233. In addition, a plurality of flaps 234 are provided at the lower end of the small-diameter portion 231 at intervals in the circumferential direction. These plurality of flaps 234 are formed at an angle so that their tips point radially outward and downward. In this embodiment, a configuration with a plurality of flaps 234 is adopted, but a configuration with an annular projection can also be adopted.

[0028] The outer cap 200, configured as described above, is configured to slide vertically between a first position in which the cap body 100 is fitted into the opening 51 and a second position in which the cap body 100 is not fitted into the opening 51. The tamper evident portion 240 is configured to engage with the support column portion 140 when the outer cap 200 is in the first position (more specifically, the flexible locking piece 243 in the second inner cylinder portion 242 of the tamper evident portion 240 and the flexible locking piece 141 in the support column portion 140 engage vertically), thereby restricting the outer cap 200 from sliding to the second position. When the tamper evident portion 240 is pushed toward the tip of the support column portion 140 and the connecting portion 211 breaks, the engagement between the tamper evident portion 240 and the support column portion 140 is released, and the outer cap 200 becomes able to slide to the second position.

[0029] <Dimensional relationships between parts of the container body, cap body, and outer cap> When no external force is acting, the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 230 in the outer cap 200 Of these, the outer diameters of the large-diameter portion 232 and the flap 234 are larger than the inner diameter of the small-diameter portion 131 in the cylindrical seal portion 130, and the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion 231 is smaller than the inner diameter of the small-diameter portion 131. Also, when no external force is acting, the outer diameter of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 51a of the mouth portion 51. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the second inner cylinder portion 242 of the tamper evident portion 240 in the outer cap 200 is larger than the outer diameter of the support portion 140 of the cap body 100.

[0030] <Assembling the cap> Referring to Figure 5, the assembly operation of the cap 10 will be described. As shown in Figure 5(a), first, the flap 234 of the outer cap 200 is bent, and with the central axis of the cap body 100 and the central axis of the outer cap 200 aligned, the outer cap 200 is pushed toward the cap body 100 (see arrow S1). During the process of pushing the outer cap 200, the flap 234 abuts against the first stepped surface 134 (see Figure 5(b)), and then the flap 234 goes over the small diameter portion 131 (see Figure 5(c)). As a result, the flap 234 and the second stepped surface 135 become engaged, so the cap body 100 does not come off the outer cap 200. In this state, a part of the body portion 120 enters the outer cylinder portion 220, and the flexible locking piece 141 and the flexible locking piece 243 come into contact.

[0031] <Sealing> The process of attaching the cap 10 to the container body 50 (the capping process) will be explained with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 shows the state in which the outer cap 200 is in the second position relative to the cap body 100, and Figure 7 shows the state in which the outer cap 200 is in the first position relative to the cap body 100.

[0032] With the central axis of the container body 50 and the central axis of the cap 10 aligned, the cap 10 is pushed toward the container body 50 (see arrow T1 in Figures 6(a) and 6(b)). As described above, the outer diameter of the outer surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner surface 51a of the mouth portion 51, so the cap 10 moves with almost no resistance from the container body 50 until the first top wall 110 of the cap body 100 abuts against the tip of the mouth portion 51 (see Figure 6(b)).

[0033] As the cap 10 is pushed further in, the cap body 100 remains stationary relative to the container body 50, while only the outer cap 200 moves downward (see arrows S1 and T1 in Figure 7(a)), and the cap 10 is attached to the container body 50 (see Figure 7(b)). During this process, the large-diameter portion 232 of the insertion portion 230 of the outer cap 200 fits inside the small-diameter portion 131 of the cylindrical seal portion 130. Also, the flexible locking piece 141 of the support portion 140 and the flexible locking piece 243 of the inner cylinder portion 242 push against each other, causing the flexible locking piece 141 to bend so that its tip is radially outward and downward, and the flexible locking piece 243 to bend so that its tip is radially inward and upward.

[0034] In the state shown in Figure 7, the outer surface of the engaging portion 121 is pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220 of the outer cap 200, causing the engaging projection 121a to engage with the engaged portion 51b, and the cap body 100 is fitted into the mouth portion 51. In addition, the cylindrical sealing portion 130 is pressed radially outward by the insertion portion 230, expanding its diameter, and its outer surface and the inner surface 51a of the mouth portion 51 are tightly fitted together around the entire circumference. As a result, the inside of the container body 50 is sealed.

[0035] Furthermore, the tip of the flexible locking piece 243 of the inner cylinder portion 242 passes over the tip of the flexible locking piece 141 of the support column portion 140, causing the flexible locking piece 141 and the flexible locking piece 243 to engage with each other in the vertical direction (see Figure 7(c), which is an enlarged view of the area enclosed by the ellipse in Figure 7(b)). As a result, the cap 10 cannot be pulled off the container body 50.

[0036] <The process of attaching and detaching the cap from the container body> Referring to Figures 8 to 10, the attachment and detachment operations (removal process, reattachment process) of the cap 10 to the container body 50 will be explained. When opening the cap 10 in an unopened container 1, the pressing surface 241 of the tamper evident portion 240 on the outer cap 200 is pressed toward the tip of the support portion 140 (see arrow P in Figure 8(a)). As a result, the connecting portion 211 breaks, the tamper evident portion 240 is dropped downward and becomes fitted onto the tip of the support portion 140, preventing it from being pushed any further downward (see arrow U in Figure 8(b)). In addition, the engagement between the flexible locking piece 141 and the flexible locking piece 243 is released, making it possible to pull the cap 10 away from the container body 50.

[0037] In this state, if the cap 10 is pulled out from the container body 50, only the outer cap 200 moves upward (see arrows S2 and T2 in Figure 9(a)). However, as long as the outer surface of the engaging portion 121 is pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220, the engaging projection 121a remains engaged with the engaged portion 51b, and the cap body 100 remains stationary relative to the container body 50 (not shown).

[0038] Furthermore, when the cap 10 is pulled out, the outer surface of the engaging portion 121 is no longer pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220, and the engaging portion 121 returns to its original shape (expanded diameter state) by its own elastic restoring force (see Figure 9(a)). Figure 9(a) shows the outer cap 200 in the second position. In this way, as the outer cap 200 moves from the first position to the second position, the engaging portion 121 is no longer pressed outward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220, and the engagement of the engaging projection 121a with the engaged portion 51b is released. Subsequently, when the cap 10 is pulled out again, the tip of the flap 234 of the insertion portion 230 engages with the second stepped surface 135 of the cylindrical seal portion 130, and the cap body 100 and the outer cap 200 move together (see arrow T2 in Figure 9(b)).

[0039] The cap can be opened by the above operation. When the outer cap 200 is in the second position, the small diameter portion 231 of the insertion portion 230 faces the small diameter portion 131 of the cylindrical seal portion 130, so the small diameter portion 131 is not pressed radially outward, and a gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130 and the inner circumferential surface 51a of the opening portion 51.

[0040] To reattach the cap 10, which has been removed from the container body 50, to the container body 50 and close it, simply push the cap 10 into the container body 50. This is the same as the capping operation, except that the connecting portion 211 has already been broken and the tamper evident portion 240 is fitted onto the tip of the support portion 140. That is, by pushing the cap 10 toward the container body 50 (see arrow T1 in Figures 10(a) and (b)), the cap 10 moves with almost no resistance from the container body 50 until the first top wall 110 of the cap body 100 abuts against the tip of the opening portion 51. Then, as the cap 10 is pushed further, the cap body 100 remains stationary relative to the container body 50, while only the outer cap 200 moves downward (see arrows S1 and T1 in Figure 10(c)), and the cap 10 is attached to the container body 50. The operation for opening the container after that is the same as the opening operation described above, so the explanation is omitted.

[0041] As can be understood from the above explanation, in this embodiment, in order to configure the outer cap 200 and the cap body 100 to move integrally, a restricting structure is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion 130 and the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 230 to restrict the sliding range of the outer cap 200 relative to the cap body 100. That is, when opening, the tip of the flap 234 of the insertion portion 230 engages with the second stepped surface 135 of the cylindrical seal portion 130, and when closing, the third stepped surface 233 engages with the first stepped surface 134, thereby providing a restricting structure that allows the cap body 100 and the outer cap 200 to move integrally.

[0042] <Advantages of the cap according to this embodiment> According to the cap 10 of this embodiment, the engaging projection 121a provided on the cap body 100 can be engaged with or disengaged from the engaged portion 51b provided on the mouth portion 51 of the container body 50 by sliding the outer cap 200 up and down between a first position and a second position. As a result, the ease of attaching and detaching the cap 10 is improved compared to a screw-type cap.

[0043] Furthermore, the presence of the tamper-evident section 240 allows for easy identification of whether the container is unopened or not by visually checking the position of its pressing surface 241. Upon opening, the connecting section 211 is broken, and the tamper-evident section 240 becomes fitted onto the tip of the support column 140. Because the tamper-evident section 240 is equipped with flexible locking pieces 141 and 243, it does not easily detach from the tip of the support column 140, thus preventing it from becoming separate waste from the cap 10. Moreover, once opened, the tamper-evident section 240 does not get in the way. Additionally, when opening an unopened container 1, the operation is simple, requiring only the initial pressing of the pressing surface 241 of the tamper-evident section 240. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the connecting portion 211 is located recessed from the upper surface of the second top wall 210, it is possible to prevent fingers from touching the broken portion 211X (see Figure 8(b)) of the connecting portion 211.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when plugging and closing the cap, the cap 10 moves with almost no resistance from the container body 50 until the first top wall 110 of the cap body 100 abuts against the tip of the mouth 51. Then, when the cap 10 is pushed in further, the outer cap 200 moves to the first position, and the cylindrical seal portion 130 is pressed radially outward by the insertion portion 230, expanding in diameter, and its outer surface and the inner surface 51a of the mouth 51 come into close contact around the entire circumference. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outer cap 200 from moving relative to the cap body 100 before the cylindrical seal portion 130 is inserted into the mouth 51. This prevents the occurrence of problems such as the outer surface of the engaging portion 121 being pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220, making it impossible to close the cap before the cylindrical seal portion 130 is inserted into the mouth 51. Furthermore, the cylindrical sealing portion 130 expands in diameter, and its outer surface and the inner surface 51a of the opening 51 come into close contact around the entire circumference, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the outer surface of the engagement portion 121, which has a pre-expanded diameter, is flexed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220 of the outer cap 200 sliding against the outer surface of the engagement portion 121. Therefore, the force required to slide the outer cap 200 when closing the cap 10 can be set to be weaker. Also, by sliding the outer cap 200 upward, the engagement portion 121 returns to its original state due to its elastic restoring force, so the force required to slide the outer cap 200 when opening the cap 10 can be set to be weaker.

[0046] As described above, under normal opening and closing conditions, it is possible to prevent the outer cap 200 from moving from the second position to the first position relative to the cap body 100 before the cylindrical seal portion 130 is inserted into the mouth portion 51. However, as shown in Figure 9(b), when the cap 10 is removed from the container body 50, a part of the cap body 100 protrudes from the outer cap 200. Therefore, if, for example, a user accidentally applies force to pinch both of them from above and below, the outer cap 200 will move to the first position relative to the cap body 100 (the cap body 100 will enter the outer cap 200). As a result, the outer surface of the engaging portion 121 is pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion 220, causing the engaging portion 121 to bend inward. In this state, if one tries to close the cap, the tip of the engaging portion 121 will abut against the tip of the mouth portion 51 of the container body 50, making it impossible to close the cap unless an unexpectedly large force is applied. In contrast, in this embodiment, such problems are resolved by providing a support column 140 on the cap body 100. This point will be explained with reference to Figure 11.

[0047] The cap 10C shown in Figure 11(a) differs from the cap 10 in this embodiment only in that the cap body 100 does not have a support column 140. In the case of the cap 10C configured in this way, the tamper evident portion 240, whose connecting portion 211 has been broken, is dropped down to the closed portion at the lower end of the cylindrical part of the cylindrical seal portion 130. If the outer cap 200 is accidentally moved to the first position relative to the cap body 100 after it has been opened, even if one tries to press the tamper evident portion 240 with a finger F, the finger F may not be able to reach the pressing surface 241 of the tamper evident portion 240, and it may not be possible to return it to its original state (the second position with the engagement portion 121 expanded in diameter).

[0048] In contrast, in this embodiment, after the cap 10 has been opened, the tamper evident portion 240 is fitted onto the tip of the support portion 140. In other words, in this embodiment, when the connecting portion 211 is broken, the range of movement of the tamper evident portion 240, which is pushed in by the tip of the support portion 140, is restricted to a position where a finger can always reach it. Furthermore, even if the outer cap 200 is accidentally moved to the first position relative to the cap body 100, in this embodiment, the tamper evident portion 240 can be pressed with a finger F. This makes it possible to press only the cap body 100 without applying pressure to the outer cap 200, and to push down only the cap body 100 (see Figure 11(c)). Therefore, the outer cap 200 can be moved to the second position relative to the cap body 100, and thereafter the normal closing operation described above can be performed.

[0049] (Example 2) Figure 12 shows Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Embodiment 1 described above shows a configuration in which an engaging portion as an enlarged diameter portion is provided at the lower part of the body of the cap, and an engaging projection is provided on its inner circumferential surface. In this embodiment, a configuration is shown in which an enlarged diameter portion is not provided at the lower part of the body, and an engaging projection is provided on its inner circumferential surface. The other configurations and operations are the same as in Embodiment 1, so the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0050] In Figure 12, cross-sections of the cap body and outer cap are shown, and depth lines are omitted except in some cases. The cap 10X according to this embodiment also comprises a cap body 100X and an outer cap 200, similar to Embodiment 1. The structure of the outer cap 200 is the same as in Embodiment 1. Below the body portion 120 of the cap body 100X, there is an engaging portion 121X that is configured not to expand in diameter when no external force is acting on it. Although not specifically shown in the figures, multiple slits are provided at circumferential intervals on the lower end of the body portion so that the engaging portion 121X can be easily deformed inward, and each engaging portion 121X is formed by the portions between the slits. Engaging projections 121Xa are provided on the inner circumferential surface of each of these multiple engaging portions 121X. Furthermore, pressing projections 121Xb are provided on the outer circumferential surface of each of these engaging portions 121X.

[0051] With the above configuration, by sliding the outer cap 200 downward relative to the cap body 100X, the pressing projection 121Xb is pressed by the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylindrical portion 220 of the outer cap 200, causing the engaging portion 121X to deform inward. As a result, similar to Embodiment 1, the engaging projection 121Xa can be engaged with the engaging portion 51b provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 51 of the container body 50.

[0052] The other components are the same as in Example 1. Therefore, the same effects and advantages as in Example 1 can be obtained with respect to these components. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1: Container 10, 10C, 10X: Cap 100,100X: Cap body 110: 1st top wall 120: Torso 121,121X: Engagement part 121a, 121Xa: Engagement protrusion 121Xb: Pressed projection 130: Cylindrical seal section 131: Small diameter section 132,133: Large diameter section 134: 1st step surface 135: 2nd step surface 140: Strut part 141: Flexible locking piece 200: Outer cap 210:Second top wall 211: Connection part 220: Outer cylinder part 230: Insertion part 231: Small diameter section 232: Large diameter section 233: 3rd step surface 234: Flap 240: Tamper Evident Section 241: Pressing surface 242: Inner cylinder 243: Flexible locking piece 50: Container body 51: Mouth 51a: Inner surface 51b: Engaged part F:Finger

Claims

1. A cap body having a first top wall, a cylindrical body portion hanging down from the first top wall and attached to the outer circumferential surface of the mouth of the container body, a cylindrical sealing portion configured to be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the mouth, and a support portion provided inside the cylindrical sealing portion, An outer cap having a second top wall and an outer cylindrical portion that hangs down from the second top wall and covers the outer circumference of the body portion, A cap equipped with, The aforementioned outer cap is The cap body is configured to slide between a first position in which the cap body is fitted to the opening and a second position in which the cap body is not fitted to the opening. It is equipped with a tamper-evident section connected to the second top wall by a breakable connecting section, The cap is characterized in that the tamper evident portion engages with the support column when the outer cap is in the first position, restricting its sliding to the second position, and when the connecting portion is broken by being pushed toward the tip of the support column, the engagement between the tamper evident portion and the support column is released, allowing the cap to slide to the second position.

2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the tamper evident portion comprises a pressing surface and an inner cylindrical portion hanging down from the pressing surface, and the inner cylindrical portion is provided with an engaging piece that can engage with the support column portion.

3. The cap according to claim 2, characterized in that flexible locking pieces that can engage with each other are formed above the support column and below the inner cylinder.

4. The lower end of the body portion is provided with an engaging portion having an engaging projection that can engage with the engaging portion provided in the mouth portion. The cap according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that the outer surface of the engaging portion is pressed inward by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion of the outer cap when it is in the first position, causing the engaging projection to engage with the engaged portion and the cap body to fit into the opening, and as the outer cap moves from the first position to the second position, the engaging portion is no longer pressed by the inner surface of the outer cylinder portion, thereby releasing the engagement of the engaging projection with the engaged portion.

5. The cap according to claim 4, characterized in that the engaging portion is composed of a plurality of enlarged diameter portions provided at intervals in the circumferential direction at the lower end of the body portion, and the engaging projection is provided on the inner circumferential surface of each of the plurality of enlarged diameter portions.

Images