Spout cap, mold and method for manufacturing spout cap

Abstract

To provide: a pouring cap capable of pouring out a content not in an uncontrollable state but in a stable state; a mold used for manufacturing the pouring cap; and a manufacturing method of the pouring cap.SOLUTION: A pouring cap 1 includes a body 2 attachable to a mouth of a container 10. The body 2 has a pouring cylinder 5 communicating with the inside of the container 10. The pouring cylinder 5 has a thin piece 9 extending annularly from an inner periphery f5 of the pouring cylinder in the circumferential direction. The thin piece 9 is disposed at a position corresponding to the mating surface of a mold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pour cap, a mold and a method for manufacturing the pour cap. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that a dispensing cap is formed by injection molding a molten synthetic resin in a molding die (mold) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-154934 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the inner diameter of the dispensing cap's dispensing tube is small, burrs may form inside the dispensing tube over a long period of time. If such burrs are formed unevenly in the circumferential direction along the inner surface of the dispensing tube, the contents may be poured out of control.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a pouring cap that can pour out the contents in a stable state without the contents being poured out in a violent manner, a mold used to manufacture the pouring cap, and a method for manufacturing the pouring cap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The dispensing cap of the present invention includes a main body that can be attached to the mouth of a container, and the main body has a dispensing tube that leads to the inside of the container, and the dispensing tube has a thin-walled piece that extends in a ring shape circumferentially from the inner circumference of the dispensing tube, and the thin-walled piece is positioned at a position corresponding to the mating surface of the mold.

[0007] In the dispensing cap of the present invention, the main body has a top wall that covers the mouth of the container and surrounds the dispensing tube, and the dispensing tube can have a lower protruding portion that protrudes below the top wall.

[0008] In the dispensing cap according to the present invention, the thin piece may be arranged in the region of the lower protruding portion of the dispensing barrel.

[0009] The mold of the present invention includes a lower mold for forming the lower portion of a pouring cap and an upper mold for forming the upper portion of the pouring cap, and is capable of supplying molding material to a cavity formed between the lower mold and the upper mold, wherein the lower mold includes a lower pin that forms the lower inner surface of a pouring tube provided in the pouring cap, and the upper mold includes an upper pin that forms the upper inner surface of the pouring tube, and the lower pin includes a core pin with a smaller diameter than the upper pin and a hollow pin that surrounds the core pin, and further, the tip of the lower pin and the tip of the upper pin can be brought into contact with each other when the lower mold and the upper mold are closed, while the hollow pin can be separated from the upper pin by the material pressure of the molding material.

[0010] In the mold according to the present invention, the hollow pin may be movable along the core pin.

[0011] The method for manufacturing a pouring cap according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a pouring cap for obtaining the pouring cap by using any of the molds described above, and includes a mold closing step of closing the lower mold and the upper mold, and a molding material supply step of supplying the molding material to the cavity after the mold closing step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pouring cap that can pour out the contents in a stable state without the contents being poured out in a violent manner, a mold used to manufacture the pouring cap, and a method for manufacturing the pouring cap. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dispensing cap according to one embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing cap being shown attached to a container body. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an area X in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is an enlarged bottom view showing FIG. 2 from the direction of arrow D. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic, enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a mold according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic enlarged view of a part of a mold as a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, a description will be given of a pouring cap, a mold, and a method for manufacturing the pouring cap according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Here, the upper side refers to the side toward which the pouring outlet A2 of the pouring tube faces, and the lower side refers to the side attached to the mouth of a container.

[0015] (Dispenser cap) In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a dispensing cap according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the dispensing cap 1 is shown in a cross section including a central axis O1 of the dispensing cap 1.

[0016] The dispensing cap 1 includes a main body 2 that can be attached to the opening 10a of a container body 10 (container). In this embodiment, the main body 2 has an attachment tube 3 that can be attached to the opening 10a, a top wall 4 that closes the upper end of the attachment tube 3, and a dispensing tube 5 that communicates with the inside of the container.

[0017] In this embodiment, the mounting tube 3 is formed with an attachment portion 3a that is detachable from the mouth portion 10a. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 3a is formed by an internal thread formed on the inside of the mounting tube 3. A male thread formed on the radially outer side of the mouth portion 10a can be screwed onto the internal thread. This allows the main body 2 to be screwed onto the mouth portion 10a. Note that, according to the present invention, the main body 2 can be fitted to the mouth portion 10a by means such as under-fitting instead of by screwing means. Also, according to the present invention, the main body 2 can be made detachable from the mouth portion 10a.

[0018] In this embodiment, the top wall 4 is continuous with the upper peripheral edge of the attachment tube 3. In this embodiment, the top wall 4 covers the upper end of the mouth portion 10a and surrounds the dispensing tube 5. The top wall 4 is continuous with the dispensing tube 5.

[0019] The dispensing tube 5 has a dispensing passage R formed inside the dispensing tube 5, which is in communication with the internal space S of the container body 10. In this embodiment, the dispensing tube 5 has an upper protruding portion 5a that protrudes upward beyond the top wall 4. At the upper end of the upper protruding portion 5a, a dispensing outlet A2 is formed, through which the content is dispensed through the dispensing passage R. In addition, in this embodiment, the dispensing tube 5 has a lower protruding portion 5b that protrudes downward beyond the top wall 4. At the lower end of the lower protruding portion 5b, an inlet A1 is formed, through which the content is introduced into the dispensing passage R. In this embodiment, the inlet A1 is an inlet of the dispensing passage R, and the dispensing outlet A2 is an outlet of the dispensing passage R.

[0020] The pouring cap 1 according to this embodiment also includes a lid 6. In this embodiment, the lid 6 is connected to the main body 2 via a hinge 7. In FIG. 1, the lid 6 is shown in an open state. In this embodiment, the lid 6 has a sealing protrusion 6a on the back surface of the lid 6. When the lid 6 is closed, the sealing protrusion 6a can close the pouring outlet A2 and seal the pouring path R. In this embodiment, the main body 2 is integrally formed from a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). However, according to the present invention, the hinge 7 can be omitted.

[0021] In this embodiment, the container body 10 has an outer layer 11 and an inner layer 12, and is a double container, a so-called delaminated container, in which the inner layer 12 can be peeled from the outer layer 11. The container body 10 is a squeeze container that can be crushed and restored to its original shape. In this embodiment, the dispensing cap 1 has an inner stopper 13 that closes the upper end of the mouth portion 10a. The inner stopper 13 has a dispensing hole A13. The dispensing hole A13 connects the internal space S of the container body 10 with the dispensing path R of the dispensing tube 5. In this embodiment, an elastic valve 14 is disposed between the main body 2 and the inner stopper 13. The elastic valve 14 has an inlet valve 14a. The inlet valve 14a functions as a check valve that allows the contents to flow from the inlet hole A13 into the space between the main body 2 and the inner stopper 13 and prevents backflow. As a result, the dispensing cap 1 according to this embodiment can dispense the contents that have flowed in through the dispensing hole A13 through the dispensing outlet A2. In addition, in this embodiment, the inside stopper 13 has a cylindrical body 13a. The cylindrical body 13a also connects the internal space S of the container body 10 with the dispensing path R of the dispensing tube 5. A ball valve 13b is arranged inside the cylindrical body 13a so that it can move up and down. The ball valve 13b is configured to pull the contents remaining in the dispensing tube 5 back toward the cylindrical body 13a. A gap is provided between the cylindrical body 13a and the ball valve 13b, which allows the ball valve 13b to move in response to changes in the attitude of the container 10, but is large enough to allow almost no (substantially no) passage of the contents. When the container 10 is in an upright position, the ball valve 13b moves toward the internal space S due to its own weight and the negative pressure within the internal space S. This allows the contents remaining in the dispensing cylinder 5 to be drawn into the internal space S (suck back), thereby preventing dripping.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing region X in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the dispensing tube 5 has a thin piece 9 protruding from the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5. The thin piece 9 is located at a position corresponding to the mating surface of the mold. The mating surface of the mold is the contact surface between the tip of a lower pin (described later) and the tip of an upper pin (described later), which form the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5. In this embodiment, the thin piece 9 protrudes a length L from the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5 toward the central axis O5 of the dispensing tube 5. For example, when the minimum diameter of the dispensing path R is 2.5 mm, the length L is set to 0.2 mm. The thin piece 9 is a burr-like thin piece. Here, a "burr" refers to an extra portion not anticipated in the design. In other words, a burr-like thin piece is a thin piece that is thinner than the portion anticipated in the design. In this embodiment, the thin piece 9 has a thickness d. For example, when the diameter of the pouring path R is 2.5 mm, the thickness d is set to 0.05 mm. Also, FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom view of FIG. 2 viewed from the direction of arrow D. Referring to FIG. 3, the thin piece 9 extends annularly along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface f5 of the pouring tube 5. In this embodiment, the opening A3 is formed by the inner circumferential edge of the thin piece 9. In this embodiment, the opening A3 is arranged on the same axis as the inlet A1 (the central axis O5 of the pouring tube 5).

[0023] 1, in this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface f5 of the pouring tube 5 has a lower inner circumferential surface f51 that forms the inlet A1, an intermediate inner circumferential surface f52 that is continuous with the lower inner circumferential surface f51, and an upper inner circumferential surface f53 that is continuous with the intermediate inner circumferential surface f52 and forms the pouring outlet A2. In this embodiment, the lower inner circumferential surface f51 is an inner circumferential surface that tapers from the inlet A1 toward the pouring outlet A2. In this embodiment, the intermediate inner circumferential surface f52 is an inner circumferential surface that has a constant diameter along the central axis O5 of the pouring tube 5. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper inner circumferential surface f53 is an inner circumferential surface that gradually widens toward the pouring outlet A2.

[0024] The thin piece 9 can be formed at any position on the inner circumferential surface f5 in the direction of the central axis O5 of the dispensing tube 5. Referring to Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the thin piece 9 is disposed in the position of the region of the lower protruding portion 5b of the dispensing tube 5. Here, this region refers to a region extending along the central axis O5 of the dispensing tube 5. Specifically, in this embodiment, the thin piece 9 is formed between the lower inner circumferential surface f51 and the middle inner circumferential surface f52.

[0025] When injection molding a pouring cap using a mold (molding tool), one method of forming the pouring passage of the pouring tube is, for example, to bring an upper pin formed in the upper mold (described later) into contact with a lower pin formed in the lower mold (described later) when closing the upper mold and the lower mold (described later).

[0026] However, with the above method, burrs may occur on the inner circumferential surface of the dispensing tube at the contact portion between the upper pin and the lower pin (the mating surface of the mold). If such burrs are formed unevenly in the circumferential direction along the inner circumferential surface of the dispensing tube, when the contents pumped from the container body 10 come into contact with the burrs, the flow of the contents may be biased by the burrs. In other words, if such burrs are formed unevenly in the circumferential direction along the inner circumferential surface of the dispensing tube, the contents may be poured out in a rough state when they are poured out.

[0027] In contrast, according to the dispensing cap 1, the dispensing tube 5 has a thin-walled piece 9 extending annularly from the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5 along the circumferential direction. The thin-walled piece 9 is positioned at a position corresponding to the mold mating surface. In other words, the dispensing cap 1 assumes that burrs will form unevenly along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5, and pre-forms a uniform thin-walled piece 9 on the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5 at the position of the mold mating surface where the burrs may occur. In the dispensing cap 1, the length L of the thin-walled piece 9 from the inner circumferential surface f5 of the dispensing tube 5 is constant along the entire circumferential direction. Therefore, the inner peripheral edge of the thin-walled piece 9 forms an opening A3 with a uniform radius (diameter). As a result, even if the contents pumped from the container body 10 come into contact with the thin-walled piece 9, the flow of the contents is less likely to be biased by the thin-walled piece 9. Therefore, according to the dispensing cap 1, the contents can be dispensed in a stable state without being dispensable in a turbulent state. Furthermore, according to the dispensing cap 1, since the thin piece 9 is a thin piece that is uniform in the circumferential direction, it is possible to improve the sealing performance when the sealing protrusion (boss) 6a of the lid body 6 is inserted into the dispensing outlet A2.

[0028] Furthermore, in the dispensing cap 1 according to the present invention, the dispensing tube 5 has a lower protruding portion 5b that protrudes downward from the top wall 4. If the inner diameter of the dispensing tube 5 is small and the lower end portion 5e of the dispensing tube 5 protrudes downward (in a cylindrical shape), burrs are likely to occur over a long period of molding. Therefore, if the thin-walled piece 9 is located in the area of ​​the lower protruding portion 5b of the dispensing tube 5, the contents can be dispensed in a more stable state. In this case, it is also possible to further improve the sealing performance when the sealing protrusion 6a of the lid body 6 is inserted into the dispensing outlet A2.

[0029] Moreover, in the dispensing cap 1 according to this embodiment, the thin piece 9 is disposed in the region of the lower protruding portion 5b of the dispensing tube 5. In this embodiment, the thin piece 9 is formed at the boundary between the lower inner circumferential surface f51 and the middle inner circumferential surface f52.

[0030] (mold) FIG. 4 shows a schematic, enlarged view of a portion of a mold 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention that can be used to manufacture the dispensing cap 1.

[0031] The mold 100 includes a lower mold 110 for forming the lower portion of the dispensing cap 1, and an upper mold 120 for forming the upper portion of the dispensing cap 1. A molding material M can be supplied to a cavity C formed between the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 120. The lower mold 110 includes a lower pin 111 that forms the lower inner circumferential surface of the dispensing tube 5 provided in the dispensing cap 1. The upper mold 120 includes an upper pin 121 that forms the upper inner circumferential surface of the dispensing tube 5. The lower pin 111 also includes a core pin 112 that has a smaller diameter than the upper pin 121, and a hollow pin 113 that surrounds the core pin 112. Furthermore, the tips (112e and 113e) of the lower pins 111 and the tips 121e of the upper pins 121 can be brought into contact with each other when the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 120 are closed. On the other hand, the hollow pins 113 can be separated from the upper pins 121 by the material pressure of the molding material M.

[0032] 4, in this embodiment, the upper pins 121 of the upper mold 120 form the upper inner circumferential surface f53 and the middle inner circumferential surface f52 of the pouring tube 5. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the lower mold 110 includes a mold that forms the lower protruding portion 5b of the pouring tube 5. The lower pins 111 of the lower mold 110 form the lower inner circumferential surface f51 of the pouring tube 5 and form a part of the lower end portion 5e of the lower protruding portion 5b. Additionally, in this embodiment, the lower mold 110 has an outer mold 114. The outer mold 114 forms the remainder of the lower end portion 5e of the lower protruding portion 5b and also forms the outer circumferential surface of the lower protruding portion 5b and the back surface (lower surface) of the top wall 4.

[0033] 4, in the mold 100, in a closed state in which the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 120 are closed, the tip 112e of the core pin 112 is in contact with the tip 121e of the upper pin 121, and the tip 113e of the hollow pin 113 is also in contact with the tip 121e of the upper pin 121. That is, in this embodiment, the lower pin 111 and the upper pin 121 are in contact with each other in the closed state in which the lower mold 110 and the upper mold 120 are closed. Meanwhile, when molding material M is supplied to the cavity C, in this embodiment, the core pin 112 maintains contact with the upper pin 121, while the hollow pin 113 moves downward by a distance ΔC due to the material pressure (resin pressure) generated when the molding material M flows into the cavity C. For example, the gap ΔC is set to 0.05 mm when the diameter of the pouring path R is 2.5 mm. In this embodiment, the core pin 112 and the upper pin 121 are arranged on the same axis, and the diameter of the core pin 112 is smaller than the diameter of the upper pin 121 by 0.4 mm.

[0034] After the mold closing step, when molding material M is supplied to cavity C, the hollow pin 113 moves downward by a distance ΔC due to the material pressure, thereby forming thin-walled piece 9 in the gap area. Examples of molding material M include synthetic resins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE).

[0035] Mold 100 makes it possible to obtain a pouring cap 1 that can stably pour out the contents without the contents being poured out in a turbulent state. Furthermore, according to pouring cap 1, since thin piece 9 is a thin piece that is uniform in the circumferential direction, it is possible to obtain pouring cap 1 that can improve the sealing performance when sealing protrusion (boss) 6a of pouring body 6 is inserted into pouring outlet A2.

[0036] Additionally, the hollow pin 113 can be made movable along the core pin 112 .

[0037] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic enlargement of a portion of a mold as a comparative example. In this comparative example, molding material M from cavity C flows into the position where tip 111e of lower pin 111 and tip 121e of upper pin 121 come into contact (position of the mating surface), causing lower pin 111 to move downward due to the material pressure, resulting in a gap between tip 111e of lower pin 111 and tip 121e of upper pin 121, which may cause uneven burrs.

[0038] (Method of manufacturing the pouring cap) Next, a method for manufacturing a pouring cap according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0039] The method for manufacturing a pour-out cap according to this embodiment is a method for obtaining a pour-out cap 1 by using the above-described mold 100. In this embodiment, the method includes a mold closing step of closing lower mold 110 and upper mold 120 together, and a molding material supply step of supplying molding material M to cavity C after the mold closing step.

[0040] According to the manufacturing method of the dispensing cap of this embodiment, it is possible to obtain a dispensing cap 1 that can stably dispense the contents without dispensing the contents in a turbulent state. Furthermore, according to the dispensing cap 1, since the thin piece 9 is a thin piece that is uniform in the circumferential direction, it is possible to obtain a dispensing cap 1 that can improve the sealing performance when the sealing protrusion (boss) 6a of the dispensing body 6 is inserted into the dispensing outlet A2.

[0041] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pouring cap that can pour out the contents in a stable state without the contents being poured out in a violent manner, a mold used to manufacture the pouring cap, and a method for manufacturing the pouring cap.

[0042] The above merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the movement of the hollow pin 113 can be controlled by hydraulic pressure. Also, the core pin 112 may be elastically supported on any part of the lower mold 110, thereby applying a biasing force to maintain contact with the upper pin 121. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: dispensing cap, 2: main body, 3: mounting tube, 4: top wall, 5: dispensing tube, 5a: upper protrusion of dispensing tube, 5b: lower protrusion of dispensing tube, 6: lid, 6a: sealing protrusion, 7: hinge, 8a: suction valve, 8b: discharge valve, 8c: air adjustment valve, 9: thin piece, 10: container, 11: outer layer, 12: inner layer, 13: inner stopper, 13a: tube, 13b: ball valve, 14: elastic valve, 100: mold, 110: lower mold, 111: lower pin, 112: core pin, 112e: tip of core pin, 113: hollow pin, 113e: tip of hollow pin, 114: outer mold, 120: upper mold 121: upper pin, 121e: tip of upper pin, A1: inlet, A2: outlet, A3: opening, A13: outlet hole, C: cavity, f5: inner surface of pouring tube 5, f51: lower inner surface, f52: middle inner surface, f53: upper inner surface, O1: central axis of pouring cap 1, O5: central axis of pouring tube 5, R: pouring path

Claims

1. A dispensing cap including a body attachable to a mouth of a container, the body having a dispensing barrel communicating with an interior of the container, The pouring tube has a thin-walled piece that extends annularly from an inner periphery of the pouring tube along a circumferential direction and is thinner than a portion assumed in design, and the thin-walled piece is disposed at a position corresponding to a mating surface of a mold, The main body has a top wall that covers the mouth of the container and surrounds the pouring tube, The pouring tube has a lower protruding portion that protrudes downward from the top wall.

2. The dispensing cap according to claim 1 , wherein the thin piece is disposed in the region of the lower protrusion of the dispensing barrel.

3. A mold including a lower mold for forming a lower portion of a pouring cap and an upper mold for forming an upper portion of the pouring cap, the mold being capable of supplying a molding material to a cavity formed between the lower mold and the upper mold; the lower mold includes a lower pin that forms a lower inner peripheral surface of a pouring tube provided in the pouring cap, The upper mold includes an upper pin that forms an upper inner peripheral surface of the pouring cylinder, and The lower pin includes a core pin having a smaller diameter than the upper pin and a hollow pin surrounding the core pin, Furthermore, the tips of the lower pins and the upper pins can be brought into contact with each other when the lower mold and the upper mold are closed, while The mold may be configured such that the hollow pin can be separated from the upper pin by material pressure of the molding material.

4. The mold of claim 3 , wherein the hollow pin is movable along the core pin.

5. 5. A method for producing a pour-out cap, for obtaining said pour-out cap by using a mould according to claim 3 or 4, comprising the steps of: a mold closing step of closing the lower mold and the upper mold; a molding material supply step of supplying the molding material to the cavity after the mold closing step; A method for manufacturing a dispensing cap, comprising:

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