Container with cap

Abstract

To provide a capped container that reduces environmental impact. [Solution] A hinge bearing portion 12 is provided protruding from the mouth portion 3 of the container body 2, having a hinge bearing recess 22A and a hinge shaft guide passage 22B connected to the hinge bearing recess 22A and opening upward. The lid 4 is provided with a hinge shaft portion 49 that fits into the hinge bearing recess 22A. The hinge bearing portion 12 has a first support wall portion 21 protruding radially rearward from the mouth portion 3, and an inner guide wall portion 23 and an outer guide wall portion 24 protruding upward at a distance from the first support wall portion 21 in the front-rear direction, defining the hinge bearing recess 22A and the hinge shaft guide passage 22B, with the inner guide wall portion 23 protruding upward above the outer guide wall portion 24.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been proposed a capped container including a container body, and a lid attached to a mouth portion of the container body, wherein the lid includes a mounting cylinder portion attached to the mouth portion of the container body, and an upper lid portion hinge-connected to the mounting cylinder portion so as to be capable of opening and closing the mouth portion of the container body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, reduction of environmental load has been demanded particularly for synthetic resin capped containers.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a capped container with reduced environmental load.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems. Specifically, the capped container of the present invention comprises a container body formed in the shape of a bottomed cylindrical container, and a lid that is undercut-fitted to the mouth of the container body and is rotatably connected to the mouth around a hinge axis to open and close the upper end opening of the mouth, wherein a hinge bearing portion is provided protruding from the mouth of the container body, having a hinge bearing recess and a hinge shaft guide path connected to the hinge bearing recess and opening upward, and the lid is provided with a hinge shaft portion that fits into the hinge bearing recess, and the hinge bearing portion has a support wall portion protruding radially outward from the mouth, and an inner guide wall portion and an outer guide wall portion protruding radially upward from the support wall portion at a distance and defining the hinge bearing recess and the hinge shaft guide path, wherein the inner guide wall portion protrudes upward more than the outer guide wall portion.

[0007] In this invention, since the lid is connected to the mouth of the container body so as to be rotatable around the hinge axis, the components of the lid can be simplified, the amount of material used in the lid can be reduced, and the environmental impact can be reduced. Furthermore, by making the inner guide wall protrude above the outer guide wall, it is possible to prevent the hinge axis from being positioned radially outward from the outer guide wall during the temporary assembly before the lid is sealed to the mouth of the container body, and to ensure that the hinge axis is reliably positioned in the hinge axis guide path.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, one of the inner guide wall portion and the outer guide wall portion may be provided with an elastic wall portion whose upper end is connected to the one of the inner guide wall portion and the outer guide wall portion and extends into the hinge shaft guide path, and which is elastically displaceable in the radial direction. In this invention, when the lid is fitted to the opening by plugging it in, the hinge shaft advances along the hinge shaft guide path while elastically displacing the elastic wall radially, and after fitting into the hinge bearing recess, the elastic wall returns to its original shape, making it difficult for the hinge shaft fitted into the hinge bearing recess, and consequently the hinge shaft guide path, to come out. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the capped container of this invention, the lid is connected to the mouth of the container body so as to be rotatable around the hinge axis, with a structure that receives the hinge axis at the mouth of the container body. This reduces the amount of material used in the lid and thus reduces the environmental impact. Furthermore, when the lid is temporarily assembled onto the mouth of the container body in order to seal it, the hinge axis of the lid is prevented from being positioned radially outward from the outer guide wall, and can be reliably positioned in the hinge axis guide path defined between the inner and outer guide walls of the mouth, thereby streamlining the assembly operation of the container body and the lid. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an axial cross-sectional view showing a capped container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the capped container with the lid open. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a side view showing the lid of the capped container secured to the neck ring of the container body. [Figure 4] This is a side view illustrating how to attach the lid body of Figure 1 to the container body. [Figure 5] Similarly, this is a perspective view illustrating how to attach the lid body shown in Figure 1 to the container body. [Figure 6] This is a partial side view showing a capped container according to another embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. [Figure 7] This is a partial side view illustrating how to attach the lid body of Figure 6 to the container body. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a capped container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The capped container 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 for example, comprises a bottomed cylindrical container body 2 for containing liquids and the like, and a topped cylindrical lid 4 that is undercut-fitted to the cylindrical mouth 3 of the container body 2 and is connected to the mouth 3 so as to be rotatable around a hinge axis P, and opens and closes the upper end opening of the mouth 3.

[0012] Hereinafter, the central axis of the capped container 1 will be referred to as the container axis O. In Figure 1, the direction from the bottom of the container body 2 toward the mouth 3 along this container axis O will be referred to as the upward direction, and the opposite direction will be referred to as the downward direction. Furthermore, in a plan view from the container axis O, the direction intersecting the container axis O will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction revolving around the container axis O will be referred to as the circumferential direction. In addition, in a plan view, the direction in which the hinge axis P extends will be referred to as the left-right direction, and the direction intersecting the left-right direction in a plan view will be referred to as the front-back direction.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the mouth portion 3 of the container body 2 includes a cylindrical mouth portion 11, a hinge bearing portion 12 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11 for hinge-connecting the lid 4, an annular neck ring portion 13 provided on the outer circumferential surface at the lower end of the mouth portion 11, an annular flange portion (not shown) protruding radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11 at a position equivalent to the neck ring portion 13 in the vertical direction, and a cylindrical dispensing cylinder portion 14 protruding upward from the open end edge of this flange portion.

[0014] On the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the mouth section 11, a mouth-side fitting projection 15 is formed around its entire circumference, projecting radially outward. The hinge bearing portion 12 includes a first support wall portion (support wall portion) 21 projecting rearward from the outer circumferential surface at the rear of the mouth cylinder portion 11, and a pair of guide wall portions 22 projecting upward from the first support wall portion 21. The vertical thickness of the first support wall portion 21 gradually decreases from the base end side, which is close to the outer circumferential surface of the mouth portion 11, towards the rear. The upper surface of the first support wall portion 21 extends horizontally, and the lower surface of the first support wall portion 21 is inclined upward from the front to the rear.

[0015] The pair of guide wall portions 22 are each separately provided protrudingly upward from the left and right end portions of the first support wall portion 21. The guide wall portion 22 is formed with a hinge bearing recess 22A for hinge-connecting the lid 4, and a hinge shaft guide path 22B that is continuous with the hinge bearing recess 22A and extends to the upper end of the guide wall portion 22. Therefore, the guide wall portion 22 that defines the hinge bearing recess 22A and the hinge shaft guide path 22B has a U-shape opening upward in a side view. The hinge bearing recess 22A has a circular shape dimensioned to fit a hinge shaft portion 49 of the lid 4, which will be described later. The hinge shaft guide path 22B has a lower end connected to the hinge bearing recess 22A, and the width of the hinge shaft guide path gradually increases from the lower end upward. The width in the front-rear direction at the lower end of the hinge shaft guide path 22B is smaller than the diameter of the hinge bearing recess 22A. As described above, the guide wall portion 22 has an inner guide wall portion 23 that cooperatively defines the hinge bearing recess 22A and the hinge shaft guide path 22B, and an outer guide wall portion 24 located on the rear side of the inner guide wall portion 23.

[0016] The inner guide wall portion 23 is spaced apart rearward from the outer peripheral surface of the mouth cylinder portion 11. The rear surface of the inner guide wall portion 23 is inclined forward as it goes upward from below to define the hinge shaft guide path 22B. Further, a guide projection 25 protruding rearward is formed at the upper end of the inner guide wall portion 23. An elastic wall portion 26 extends downward at the distal end (rear end) of the guide projection 25. The elastic wall portion 26 is inclined rearward as it goes downward from the upper end connected to the distal end of the guide projection 25, and extends in the hinge shaft guide path 22B. However, the elastic wall portion 26 is configured not to extend into the hinge bearing recess 22A. The elastic wall portion 26 is elastically displaceable in the radial direction with the upper end as a starting point. The upper end of the inner guide wall portion 23 is located lower than the upper end edge of the mouth cylinder portion 11.

[0017] The outer guide wall portion 24 is located on the rear side relative to the inner guide wall portion 23. The front surface of the outer guide wall portion 24 is inclined rearward from bottom to top for defining the hinge shaft guide path 22B. Therefore, the width of the hinge shaft guide path 22B in the front-rear direction gradually increases from bottom to top. In addition, the inclination angle of the front surface of the outer guide wall portion 24 with respect to the container axis O is smaller than the inclination angle of the rear surface of the inner guide wall portion 23. The upper end of the outer guide wall portion 24 is located below the upper end of the inner guide wall portion 23, and is at the same height as the lower surface of the guide projection 25 of the inner guide wall portion 23.

[0018] The neck ring portion 13 is annular in plan view, and a lid locking projection 27 is provided projecting rearward at the rear portion of the neck ring portion 13. The position of the radially outer end of the lid locking projection 27 in the radial direction is the same as the position of the radially outer end of the first support wall portion 21. A first lid locking portion 28 projecting upward is formed at the radially outer end of the lid locking projection 27. The height of the pouring cylinder portion 14 gradually increases from the rear to the front. The upper end of the pouring cylinder portion 14 projects upward beyond the upper edge of the mouth cylinder portion 11.

[0019] The lid body 4 comprises a disc-shaped top wall portion 31 in plan view, and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 32 extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall portion 31. The top wall portion 31 comprises a disc-shaped upper wall portion 41 in plan view, an annular annular wall portion 42 extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 41, and an annular lower wall portion 43 in plan view projecting radially outward from the lower end edge of the annular wall portion 42. The upper wall portion 41 is located inside the upper end opening edge of the mouth cylinder portion 11 in plan view. The inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the annular wall portion 42 are slightly inclined radially outward from the top downward.

[0020] The lower wall portion 43 abuts against or is close to the upper edge of the mouth portion 11 when the lid 4 is attached to the container body 2. A sealing wall portion 43A is projected downward from the inner peripheral edge of the lower wall portion 43, together with the peripheral wall portion 32, to sandwich the mouth portion 11 radially. The sealing wall portion 43A is formed around the entire circumference of the lower wall portion 43. Furthermore, a lid locking groove 43B is formed at the rear of the lower wall portion 43, which accommodates the first lid locking portion 28. The lid locking groove 43B extends linearly in the left-right direction. Additionally, a second lid locking portion 44, which engages with the first lid locking portion 28, is projected upward from the radially outward side of the lower wall portion 43 beyond the lid locking groove 43B. The second lid locking portion 44 extends parallel to the lid locking groove 43B.

[0021] The outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the front portion of the peripheral wall 32 has a knob portion 45 that protrudes forward and a thinned groove portion 32A that is located above the knob portion 45 and recessed toward the rear. As a result, the portion of the peripheral wall 32 in which the thinned groove portion 32A is formed is thinner than other portions, and starting from this point, the portion of the front portion of the peripheral wall 32 below the thinned groove portion 32A is more susceptible to elastic displacement in the radial direction (front-rear direction). Furthermore, a lid-side fitting projection 46 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the front portion of the peripheral wall 32, projecting toward the rear. The lid-side fitting projection 46 is fitted from below (undercut fitting) to the mouth-side fitting projection 15 of the mouth cylinder portion 11. The lid-side fitting projection 46 may be formed around the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 32.

[0022] Furthermore, a hinge shaft projection 47 that protrudes toward the rear is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the rear portion of the peripheral wall 32. The hinge shaft projection 47 has a second support wall portion 48 that protrudes rearward from the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 32, and hinge shaft portions 49 that protrude separately to the left and right from both sides of the second support wall portion 48.

[0023] The vertical thickness of the second support wall 48, like that of the first support wall 21, gradually decreases from the base end, which is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 32, towards the rear. The upper surface of the second support wall 48 is inclined downward from the base end towards the rear, and the lower surface of the second support wall 48 extends horizontally. The vertical position of the lower surface of the second support wall 48 is equivalent to the vertical position of the lower edge of the peripheral wall 32. The horizontal width of the second support wall 48 is equivalent to the distance between the pair of guide wall sections 22, and the second support wall 48 is positioned between the pair of guide wall sections 22. The hinge shaft portion 49 is a cylindrical projection that protrudes from the rear end of the second support wall portion 48 in the left-right direction. The diameter of the hinge shaft portion 49 is equal to the diameter of the hinge bearing recess 22A, and it is fitted into the hinge bearing recess 22A.

[0024] Next, we will explain how to assemble the capped container 1 with the above configuration. The lid 4 of the capped container 1 according to the present invention is attached to the opening 3 of the container body 2 by pressing it into place. First, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the lid 4 is placed on the mouth 3 of the container body 2, and the hinge shaft portion 49 and the inner guide wall portion 23 are aligned (temporarily assembled). In this state, the lid-side fitting projection 46 abuts against the mouth-side fitting projection 15, and the hinge shaft portion 49 of the lid 4 abuts against the tip of the guide projection 25 of the inner guide wall portion 23 of the container body 2, particularly the upper end of the elastic wall portion 26. When a downward force is applied to the upper wall portion 41 of the lid 4 in this state, the hinge shaft portion 49 pushes the elastic wall portion 26 radially inward and engages with the hinge bearing recess 22A through the hinge shaft guide path 22B. When the hinge shaft portion 49 engages with the hinge bearing recess 22A, the elastic wall portion 26 returns to its original position radially outward.

[0025] Here, since the inner guide wall portion 23 is taller in the vertical direction than the outer guide wall portion 24, it is possible to prevent the hinge shaft portion 49 from being positioned behind the outer guide wall portion 24 during temporary assembly, and to guide the hinge shaft portion 49 into the hinge shaft guide path 22B. For example, if the vertical heights of the inner guide wall portion 23 and the outer guide wall portion 24 are the same, the hinge shaft portion 49 may be positioned on or behind the outer guide wall portion 24 during temporary assembly, and the hinge shaft portion 49 may shift from the hinge shaft guide path 22B when plugging. Furthermore, when the relative positions of the hinge shaft portion 49 and the inner guide wall portion 23 are misaligned during temporary assembly, and the positions are finely adjusted by rotating them relative to each other, the outer guide wall portion 24 is lower in height in the vertical direction than the inner guide wall portion 23, so the hinge shaft portion 49 does not get caught. In addition, when the impact of a plug is applied to the temporarily assembled lid 4, a thinned groove portion 32A is formed on the front part of the peripheral wall portion 32 of the lid 4, and the portion of the front part of the peripheral wall portion 32 below the thinned groove portion 32A is easily elastically displaced radially starting from this point, so the front part of the peripheral wall portion 32 elastically displaces forward and overcomes the mouth-side fitting projection 15 formed on the upper end of the mouth cylinder portion 11 from above, and the mouth portion 3 is undercut fitted to the mouth-side fitting projection 15 of the mouth cylinder portion 11 from below. In this way, the lid 4 is assembled to the container body 2.

[0026] Next, we will explain how to use the capped container 1, which has the configuration described above. First, an upward force is applied to the knob portion 45 from below. As described above, a thinned groove portion 32A is formed on the front of the peripheral wall portion 32 of the lid 4, and the portion of the front of the peripheral wall portion 32 below the thinned groove portion 32A is easily elastically displaced radially starting from this portion, so the front of the peripheral wall portion 32 elastically displaces forward and overcomes the mouth-side fitting projection 15 formed on the upper end of the mouth portion 11 from above. As a result, the fitted state between the lid 4 and the mouth portion 11 of the container body 2 is released. If an upward force is continued to be applied to the knob portion 45 in this state, the lid 4 rotates around the hinge axis P because the hinge shaft portion 49 is fitted into the hinge bearing recess 22A, and opens the upper end opening of the mouth portion 11 as shown in Figure 2.

[0027] Furthermore, when the lid 4 is rotated around the hinge axis P, as shown in Figure 3, the second lid locking portion 44 of the lid 4 moves over the first lid locking portion 28 formed on the neck ring portion 13 of the lid 4 from rear to front, enters the lid locking groove portion 43B, and locks against the first lid locking portion 28 from the front. This makes the lid 4 less likely to wobble relative to the container body 2. Next, the contents of the container body 2 are poured out through the pouring tube 14 by tilting the container body 2. Once pouring is complete, the lid 4 is rotated around the hinge axis P in the opposite direction relative to the container body 2, and the lid 4 is attached to the opening 3 of the container body 2. Use container 1 with a cap as described above.

[0028] As described above, with the capped container 1 according to this embodiment, the lid 4 is connected to the mouth 3 of the container body 2 so as to be rotatable around the hinge axis P, thus reducing the amount of material used in the lid 4 and reducing the environmental impact. Furthermore, since the inner guide wall portion 23 protrudes above the outer guide wall portion 24, when the lid 4 is temporarily placed on the mouth 3, the hinge axis portion 49 of the lid 4 is prevented from being positioned behind the outer guide wall portion 24, thereby reliably guiding the hinge axis portion 49 into the hinge axis guide path 22B, and making the assembly operation of the container body 2 and the lid 4 more efficient. Here, when the cap is pressed in, the hinge axis portion 49 fits into the hinge bearing recess 22A while elastically displacing the elastic wall portion 26 forward, and then the elastic wall portion 26 returns to its original shape, making it difficult for the hinge axis portion 49 to come out of the hinge bearing recess 22A and, consequently, the hinge axis guide path 22B. Furthermore, by disengaging the hinge shaft portion 49 of the lid 4 from the hinge bearing recess 22A and hinge shaft guide path 22B of the opening 3, the lid 4 can be easily separated from the container body 2 and disposed of.

[0029] Next, other embodiments to which the present invention can be applied will be described. Since this embodiment has the same basic configuration as the capped container 1 according to the above-described embodiment, only the differences will be described. In the capped container 100 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the shape of the pair of guide walls 103 at the mouth 102 of the container body 101 is different from the shape of the pair of guide walls 22 according to one embodiment. The guide wall portion 103 has an inner guide wall portion 104 and an outer guide wall portion 105. The radial outer surface of the inner guide wall portion 104 extends substantially parallel to the vertical direction in order to define the hinge shaft guide path 103A. The outer guide wall portion 105 is lower than the inner guide wall portion 104.

[0030] When assembling the capped container 100 having the above-described configuration, the lid 4 is attached to the opening 102 of the container body 101 by pressing it into place, similar to the capped container 1 according to the above-described embodiment. First, as shown in Figure 7, the lid 4 is placed on the opening 102 and the hinge shaft 49 and the inner guide wall 104 are aligned (temporarily assembled). In this state, the lid-side fitting projection 46 abuts against the opening-side fitting projection 15, and at this time, the hinge shaft 49 is located between the inner guide wall 104 and the outer guide wall 105 in a plan view, and is located below the upper end of the inner guide wall 104. When a downward force is applied to the upper wall 41 of the lid 4 in this state, the hinge shaft 49 fits into the hinge bearing recess 103B through the hinge shaft guide path 103A. Here, as described above, since the inner guide wall 104 is taller in the vertical direction than the outer guide wall 105, it is possible to prevent the hinge shaft 49 from being positioned behind the outer guide wall 105 during temporary assembly for plugging, and to guide the hinge shaft 49 into the hinge shaft guide path 103A. Furthermore, when making fine adjustments by rotating the hinge shaft portion 49 and the inner guide wall portion 23 relative to each other during trial assembly, the outer guide wall portion 24 is lower in height in the vertical direction than the inner guide wall portion 23, so the hinge shaft portion 49 will not get caught. In this way, the lid 4 is assembled to the container body 2. The method of using the capped container 100 with the above configuration is the same as the method of using the capped container 100 described above. A capped container 100 with this configuration also achieves the same effects as the capped container 100 described above.

[0031] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although the elastic wall portion is provided on the inner guide wall portion, the elastic wall portion may also be provided on the outer guide wall portion. The container body does not necessarily need to have a dispensing tube. The guide wall section is provided in pairs, but it may also be provided in three or more units, or just one unit. The shape of the container body and lid is not limited to a cylindrical shape; other shapes such as polygonal cylinders are also acceptable. [Industrial applicability]

[0032] According to this invention, there is industrial applicability for a capped container that reduces environmental impact. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1,100 Container, 2,101 Container body, 3,102 Mouth, 4 Lid, 12 Hinge bearing section, 21 First support wall section (support wall section), 22 Guide wall section, 22A,103B Hinge bearing recess, 22B,103A Hinge shaft guide path, 23,104 Inner guide wall section, 24,105 Outer guide wall section, 26 Elastic wall section, 49 Hinge shaft section, O Container shaft, P Hinge shaft

Claims

1. A container with a cap comprising a container body formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder, and a lid that is fitted with an undercut to the mouth of the container body and is rotatably connected to the mouth around a hinge axis, and opens and closes the upper end opening of the mouth, The opening of the container body is provided with a hinge bearing portion that protrudes from it, having a hinge bearing recess and a hinge shaft guide path that is connected to the hinge bearing recess and opens upward. The cover is provided with a hinge shaft portion that fits into the hinge bearing recess. The hinge bearing portion includes a support wall portion projecting radially outward from the opening, and an inner guide wall portion and an outer guide wall portion projecting radially upward from the support wall portion, defining the hinge bearing recess and the hinge shaft guide path. A capped container characterized in that the inner guide wall portion protrudes upward more than the outer guide wall portion.

2. The container with a cap according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the inner guide wall portion and the outer guide wall portion is provided with an elastic wall portion whose upper end is connected to the one of the inner guide wall portion and the outer guide wall portion and extends into the hinge shaft guide path, and which is elastically displaceable in the radial direction.

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