PET bottle cap and opener

Abstract

This invention provides a cap structure and an opener structure that facilitate the opening of PET bottle caps. [Solution] The PET bottle cap has a hexagonal bolt shape with a height of 2-3 mm at the top, and the opener is made from a business card-sized plastic card that can be carried at all times, with a structure that is compatible with the cap's design. This makes it easy to open bottles even when out and about, and allows for easy opening of beverages after purchase using an opener that can be attached to the front of a vending machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the shape of a cap for facilitating the opening of a PET bottle widely used as a container for beverages and the like, and a jig for opening the same.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a polypropylene material is used for the cap of a PET bottle, and it has a sealing structure (Patent: JP2009249009A) in which a bridge connecting the cap part and the ring part breaks when the cap is opened. Therefore, when opening the cap, a rotational force is required to break the bridge by the thrust-direction stress generated by the spiral of the screw part of the cap.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The rotational force required for the cap to break the bridge constituting the sealing structure of the PET bottle cap is relatively large depending on its specifications, and since the outer shape of the cap is also as small as 28 mm, for those with a small grip strength or disabled persons, etc., opening the PET bottle is often a difficult task.

[0004] For this reason, although jigs (openers) for facilitating the opening operation of PET bottles are in circulation, most of them are not suitable for always carrying when going out or using outdoors where there are many opportunities to drink beverages. Also, regarding the PET bottle cap itself, many structures for facilitating the opening operation have been proposed in patents and utility models, but most of them are not suitable for actual commercialization in terms of complexity and effectiveness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This invention involves creating a hexagonal bolt shape with a height of 2-3 mm at the top of the PET bottle cap. The opener that fits this is a business card-sized card (for example, a transportation IC card that is carried at all times) with a thickness of about 1 mm and a hole shape identical to the hexagonal bolt portion of the cap. Additionally, a plate with the same hole shape as the hexagonal bolt portion of the cap is attached to the front of the vending machine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] This invention makes it possible to use a suitable opener by making the top of the PET bottle cap a hexagonal bolt shape with a height of 2-3 mm. By making a part of a business card-sized card (for example, a transportation IC card that is always carried) with a thickness of about 1 mm and making the hole shape the same as the hexagonal bolt part of the cap, a PET bottle opener that can be carried at all times can be realized. Furthermore, by attaching a plate with the same hole shape as the hexagonal bolt part of the cap to the front of a vending machine, it becomes possible to easily open the bottle immediately after purchasing the beverage without an opener. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a projection view showing the external appearance of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The PET bottle cap of this invention has a hexagonal bolt structure at the top, approximately 25 mm wide and 2-3 mm high. The opener is a business card-sized plastic card with a hole that fits the hexagonal bolt portion of the cap. The opener for vending machine installation is a metal plate structure with a similar hole that fits the hexagonal bolt portion of the cap. [Examples]

[0009] The following describes an embodiment with reference to the attached drawings. The mold for the cap is designed so that the top of the PET bottle cap shown in Figure 1, 1, has a hexagonal bolt structure with a height of 2-3 mm and a width of approximately 25 mm. The edge portion has a rounded (R) structure.

[0010] The card-type opener shown in Figure 1-2 can be realized by creating a hole in a portion of a business card-sized plastic card that fits the hexagonal bolt portion of the cap. A push-out mechanism, similar to that used for SIM cards in mobile phones, can be incorporated into the portion of a transit IC card or other card without an IC chip.

[0011] The vending machine mounting plate shown in Figure 1, section 3, can be constructed by pressing a metal plate to create a hexagonal hole and a structure angled approximately 45 degrees downwards, allowing it to be easily retrofitted to the front of a vending machine using rivets or the like. [Industrial applicability]

[0012] The structure of the PET bottle cap proposed in this invention is extremely simple, minimizing its impact on the production process and costs. Furthermore, the opener is not limited to a card type; it can be applied to various portable items such as keychains and household goods. In addition, the simple structure and retrofittable design of the opener for vending machines allow for application at minimal cost. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0013] 1. PET bottle cap body 2. Card-type PET bottle opener 3. Vending machine-mounted PET bottle opener

Claims

[Claim 1] This product features a cap structure designed to facilitate the opening of PET bottle caps, along with an opener that matches that cap structure. The simple cap structure minimizes its impact on the production process and product costs. Furthermore, the opener can be implemented as a card-shaped device approximately 1 mm thick, allowing for easy portability and convenient attachment to the front of beverage vending machines.

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