Bottle cap

Abstract

This bottle cap is fitted to a neck section of a bottle. The bottle cap comprises: a disc-shaped bottom wall section that is provided with a pouring hole penetrating therethrough in the thickness direction; a hollow cylinder-shaped outer wall section that extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall section from an outer circumferential edge of the bottom wall section; and a hollow cylinder-shaped inner wall section that extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall section from an inner circumferential edge of the bottom wall section, where the pouring hole is provided. The outer wall section is provided with a cutout that penetrates therethrough in the radial direction so as to form a pull tab section that is pulled outward in the radial direction to tear the outer wall section. A protrusion is provided on an inner cirumferential surface of the pull tab section.

Description

bottle caps

[0001] The present disclosure relates to bottle caps.

[0002] A technology relating to a bottle cap that is fitted onto the neck of a bottle has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2017-128369 A

[0004] Bottle caps are attached to the neck of a bottle, which has a pouring outlet. When the liquid in the bottle is gone, the bottle cap is removed from the bottle for separate disposal. If the bottle cap is difficult to remove from the bottle, the removal process will require increased effort. It is particularly important that the bottle cap be easily removable, even for users with limited strength.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to provide a bottle cap that can reduce the effort required for removal.

[0006] The bottle cap according to the present disclosure is a bottle cap that fits onto the neck of a bottle. The bottle cap includes a disk-shaped bottom wall portion having a pouring hole penetrating through the thickness thereof, a hollow cylindrical outer wall portion extending from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, and a hollow cylindrical inner wall portion extending from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion having the pouring hole in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion. The outer wall portion has a notch penetrating through it in the radial direction to form a pull tab that can be pulled radially outward to tear the outer wall portion. A protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the pull tab.

[0007] The bottle cap described above can reduce the labor required for removal.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bottle with a bottle cap attached in embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the bottle cap in embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the bottle cap in embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the bottle cap shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic side view of the bottle cap shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part of the bottle cap shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region of a part of the outer wall portion including a guide groove.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The bottle cap according to the present disclosure is a bottle cap that fits onto the neck of a bottle. The bottle cap includes a disk-shaped bottom wall portion having a pouring hole penetrating through the thickness direction, a hollow cylindrical outer wall portion extending from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, and a hollow cylindrical inner wall portion extending from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion having the pouring hole in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion. The outer wall portion has a notch penetrating through it in the radial direction to form a pull tab that can be pulled radially outward to tear the outer wall portion. A protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the pull tab.

[0010] In the bottle cap described above, after the liquid inside the attached bottle is depleted, the pull tab is pulled radially outward, tearing and cutting the bottle's outer wall, thereby releasing it from its fitted state on the bottle. The bottle cap is then removed from the bottle's neck. Here, when a user inserts their fingers through the notch to grasp the pull tab and pull radially outward, the protrusions on the inner circumferential surface of the pull tab allow the tearing force to be effectively transmitted to the pull tab, tearing the outer wall. In other words, when holding and tearing the pull tab with their fingers, the risk of their fingers slipping is greatly reduced, allowing for tearing with less force. This allows even users with weak strength to reliably pull the pull tab to tear the outer wall and remove the bottle cap from the bottle. As described above, the bottle cap configured as described above reduces the effort required for removal.

[0011] In the bottle cap, the protrusion may be strip-shaped when viewed from the inside diameter side and extend in the thickness direction of the bottom wall. This increases the area in the thickness direction of the bottom wall where the fingers can catch on the protrusion, more reliably preventing finger slippage and allowing the tearing force to be fully transmitted. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.

[0012] In the bottle cap, the protrusions may be arranged in a circumferentially spaced pattern. This increases the area in the circumferential direction where the fingers can catch on the protrusions, more reliably preventing finger slippage and allowing the tearing force to be transmitted sufficiently. This reduces the effort required for removal.

[0013] In the bottle cap, the notch may extend to the end of the outer wall in the thickness direction of the bottom wall. This makes it easier to lift the pull tab by grasping the notch and the end of the outer wall. This makes it easier to remove the bottle cap more efficiently.

[0014] The bottle cap may further include a hollow cylindrical middle wall portion disposed radially between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion, extending from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, and into which the neck portion is fitted radially between the outer wall portion and the middle wall portion; and a protrusion portion protruding radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall portion and continuing circumferentially. In the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the protrusion portion may be longer than the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the terminal end of the middle wall portion. This allows the neck portion of the bottle to be properly fitted into the radial space between the outer wall portion and the middle wall portion. Furthermore, because the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the protrusion portion is longer than the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the terminal end of the middle wall portion, the risk of interference between the neck portion of the bottle and the terminal end of the middle wall portion during removal of the bottle cap can be reduced. This facilitates smoother removal of the bottle cap.

[0015] In the bottle cap, the inner wall portion may be provided with an annular protruding portion that protrudes toward the inner diameter in a region including the terminal end. By doing so, when attaching a cover to cover the spout hole, the protruding portion can be used to properly fit and attach the cover. Therefore, the cover can be properly attached.

[0016] In the bottle cap, the inner peripheral surface of the outer wall portion may be provided with a guide groove that guides the tearing direction of the pull tab. In a cross section including the guide groove and cut in the thickness direction of the outer wall portion, the guide groove may be composed of a bottom surface and a pair of inclined surfaces that incline from the bottom surface so that the guide groove opens. The width of the bottom surface may be 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less. By doing so, when pulling the pull tab to tear the outer wall portion, stress is concentrated on the bottom surface of the guide groove, making it easier to tear with less force. Therefore, the effort required for removal can be further reduced.

[0017] [Details of the embodiment of the present invention] Next, an embodiment of the bottle cap of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0018] (Embodiment 1) The configuration of a bottle cap according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bottle to which a bottle cap according to embodiment 1 is attached. FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views of the bottle cap according to embodiment 1. FIGS. 2 and 3 are views of the bottle cap from different angles. Specifically, FIG. 2 is a view of the bottle cap from the outside, and FIG. 3 is a view from which the inside of the bottle cap can be seen. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow IV in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a view of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow V in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the bottle cap shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cross section indicated by arrows VI-VI in FIG. 4. Note that in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, the direction indicated by arrow Z is the thickness direction of a bottom wall portion 21a (described later), and the directions indicated by arrows X and Y are radial directions. The direction indicated by the arrow X and the direction indicated by the arrow Y are perpendicular to each other. Also, a cover 14a, which will be described later, is not shown in FIG.

[0019] 1 to 6, the bottle cap 11a in the first embodiment of the present disclosure is made of resin. Specifically, the bottle cap 11a is made of polyethylene, except for the cover 14a described below. The bottle cap 11a is attached to the neck 12a of the bottle 10a by fitting it thereon. The bottle 10a with the bottle cap 11a attached is set in a predetermined device, for example, with the side with the bottle cap 11a attached facing downward. Then, the liquid in the bottle 10a is poured out in appropriate amounts from the spout 13a of the bottle cap 11a. Note that a cover 14a is attached to the spout 13a of the bottle cap 11a to prevent leakage of the liquid from the spout 13a before use.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the bottle cap 11a will be described. The bottle cap 11a includes a bottom wall portion 21a, an outer wall portion 22a, an inner wall portion 23a, and a middle wall portion 24a. The bottom wall portion 21a is disk-shaped. A pouring outlet 13a is provided at the center of the bottom wall portion 21a, penetrating the thickness direction. Liquid in the bottle 10a is poured from the pouring outlet 13a.

[0021] The outer wall portion 22a is hollow and cylindrical. The outer wall portion 22a extends from an outer peripheral edge 25a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a. The boundary between the bottom wall portion 21a and the outer wall portion 22a is configured to be continuous in an arc shape. In other words, the outer peripheral edge 25a is not sharp, but is rounded.

[0022] The inner wall portion 23a is hollow and cylindrical. The inner wall portion 23a extends from an inner peripheral edge 26a of the bottom wall portion 21a, where the spout 13a is provided, in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. The height of the inner wall portion 23a, i.e., the length L from an inner surface 27a located on the inner side of the bottom wall portion 21a to a terminal end 29a of the inner wall portion 23a, is ２ is the length L from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a １ The boundary between the bottom wall portion 21a and the inner wall portion 23a is also configured to be continuous in an arc shape, similar to the boundary with the outer wall portion 22a. That is, the inner peripheral edge 26a is not sharp, but is rounded.

[0023] The inner wall 23a is provided with a protruding portion 31a. The protruding portion 31a protrudes toward the inner diameter side in a region including the terminal end 29a of the inner wall 23a. That is, in the Z direction, the inner diameter of the inner wall 23a in the region where the protruding portion 31a is provided is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall 23a in the region where the protruding portion 31a is not provided. The protruding portion 31a is continuous in a ring shape.

[0024] The middle wall portion 24a is disposed between the outer wall portion 22a and the inner wall portion 23a in the radial direction. The middle wall portion 24a extends from an inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. The height of the middle wall portion 24a, i.e., the length L from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall portion 24a, is ３is the length L from the inner surface 27a to the end portion 29a of the inner wall portion 23a ２ The neck 12a of the bottle 10a is fitted into the radial space between the middle wall 24a and the outer wall 22a. That is, the radial space between the middle wall 24a and the outer wall 22a is long enough to fit the neck 12a of the bottle 10a.

[0025] The bottle cap 11a includes a protrusion 34a. The protrusion 34a protrudes radially inward from an inner peripheral surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a. The protrusion 34a is continuous in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the protrusion 34a is not continuous in an annular shape, but is partially discontinued in the circumferential direction. A guide groove extending in the inclined direction, which will be described later, is provided in the region where the protrusion 34a is discontinued. The position at which the protrusion 34a is provided is as follows. That is, in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a, the length L from the inner surface 27a to the protrusion 34a is ４ is the length L from the inner surface 27a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall portion 24a ３ longer than.

[0026] The outer wall portion 22a has a cutout 36a. The cutout 36a penetrates in the radial direction. The cutout 36a extends to the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the bottom wall portion 21a. In this embodiment, the cutout 36a has a shape including a first region 37a extending in the Z direction from the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a and a second region 38a extending in the circumferential direction from the tip of the first region 37a. The cutout 36a forms a pull tab 39a in the outer wall portion 22a. The pull tab 39a serves as a pull tab and is used to tear the outer wall portion 22a when removing the bottle cap 11a from the bottle 10a.

[0027] A guide groove 41a is provided on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a. The guide groove 41a guides the tearing direction of the pull tab portion 39a. Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the outer wall portion, including the guide groove 41a. Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the cross section indicated by arrow VII-VII in Figure 6. Figure 7 corresponds to a cross section including the guide groove 41a and cut in the thickness direction of the outer wall portion 22a.

[0028] Referring also to FIG. 7 , the guide groove 41a is connected to a circumferential terminal end 42a of the second region 38a of the cutout 36a. The guide groove 41a extends circumferentially from the terminal end 42a of the second region 38a and then extends at an angle toward the bottom wall 21a. That is, the guide groove 41a has an inclined region 43a that extends circumferentially at an angle relative to the thickness direction of the bottom wall 21a. The guide groove 41a is provided in the inclined region 43a so as to pass through a circumferentially interrupted region of the protrusion 34a. The guide groove 41a is provided so as to extend circumferentially after reaching a region between the protrusion 34a and the inner surface 27a in the Z direction.

[0029] The guide groove 41a is composed of a bottom surface 44a and a pair of inclined surfaces 45a and 46a that are inclined from the bottom surface 44a so as to widen the opening of the guide groove 41a. The angle θ of the inclined surface 45a with respect to the bottom surface 44a １ and the angle θ of the inclined surface 46a with respect to the bottom surface 44a. ２ Specifically, the angle θ of the inclined surface 45a with respect to the bottom surface 44a is different from that １ The angle θ of the inclined surface 46a relative to the bottom surface 44a is ２ The width W of the bottom surface 44a is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm and less than or equal to 0.4 mm. In this embodiment, the width W of the bottom surface 44a is 0.3 mm.

[0030] Here, a protrusion 47a is provided on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the pull-tab portion 39a. The protrusion 47a is strip-shaped when viewed from the inner diameter side and extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a. A plurality of the protrusions 47a are provided in a line spaced apart arrangement in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the number of the protrusions 47a is four. The protrusion 47a is provided in the center in the Z direction on the inner peripheral surface 35a of the pull-tab portion 39a, but does not reach the terminal end 28a of the outer wall portion 22a or the second region 38a of the cutout 36a.

[0031] With the bottle cap 11a, after the liquid inside the attached bottle 10a is drained, the pull tab 39a is pulled radially outward, tearing and cutting the outer wall 22a of the bottle 10a, thereby releasing the bottle cap 11a from its fitted state on the bottle 10a. The bottle cap 11a is then removed from the neck 12a of the bottle 10a. Here, a user inserts their fingers through the cutout 36a to grasp the pull tab 39a with their fingers, and when they pull radially outward, the protrusion 47a on the inner circumferential surface 35a of the pull tab 39a effectively transmits the tearing force to the pull tab 39a, tearing the outer wall 22a. In other words, when holding and tearing the pull tab 39a with their fingers, the risk of their fingers slipping is greatly reduced, allowing for a tear with less force. This allows even a user with weak strength to reliably pull the pull tab 39a to tear the outer wall 22a and remove the bottle cap 11a from the bottle 10a. As described above, the bottle cap 11a having the above configuration can reduce the labor required for removal.

[0032] In this embodiment, the protrusion 47a is strip-shaped when viewed from the inner diameter side and extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 21a. This increases the area in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 21a where the fingers can catch on the protrusion 47a, more reliably preventing the fingers from slipping and more reliably transmitting the tearing force. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.

[0033] In this embodiment, the protrusions 47a are arranged in a row at intervals in the circumferential direction. This increases the area in the circumferential direction where the fingers can catch on the protrusions 47a, more reliably preventing the fingers from slipping and more reliably transmitting the tearing force. This more reliably reduces the effort required for removal.

[0034] In this embodiment, the notch 36a extends to the terminal end 28a of the outer wall 22a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 21a. This makes it easy to grasp the notch 36a and the terminal end 28a of the outer wall 22a and lift the pull tab 39a. This makes it easy to improve the efficiency of the removal work.

[0035] In this embodiment, the bottle cap 11a is disposed radially between the outer wall portion 22a and the inner wall portion 23a. The bottle cap 11a includes a hollow cylindrical middle wall portion 24a extending from an inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a and into which the neck portion 12a is fitted radially between the inner wall portion 22a and the outer wall portion 22a. The bottle cap 11a also includes a protrusion 34a extending radially inward from an inner circumferential surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a and extending circumferentially. In the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion 21a, the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a to the protrusion 34a is longer than the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall portion 21a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall portion 24a. This allows the neck portion 12a of the bottle 10a to be properly fitted into the radial space between the outer wall portion 22a and the middle wall portion 24a. Furthermore, the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall 21a to the protrusion 34a is longer than the length from the inner surface 27a of the bottom wall 21a to the terminal end 33a of the middle wall 24a, which reduces the risk of interference between the neck 12a of the bottle 10a and the terminal end 33a of the middle wall 24a when removing the bottle cap 11a, thereby facilitating a smoother removal process.

[0036] In this embodiment, the inner wall portion 23a is provided with an annular protruding portion 31a that protrudes toward the inner diameter side in a region including the terminal end portion 29a. Therefore, when attaching the cover 14a that covers the spout 13a, the protruding portion 31a can be used to properly fit and attach the cover 14a. Therefore, the cover 14a can be properly attached.

[0037] In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface 35a of the outer wall portion 22a is provided with a guide groove 41a that guides the tearing direction of the pull tab 39a. In a cross section of the outer wall portion 22a, including the guide groove 41a, cut in the thickness direction, the guide groove 41a is composed of a bottom surface 44a and a pair of inclined surfaces 45a, 46a that incline from the bottom surface 44a so that the guide groove 41a opens. The width of the bottom surface 44a is 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less. Therefore, when pulling the pull tab 39a to tear the outer wall portion 22a, stress is concentrated on the bottom surface 44a of the guide groove 41a, making it easier to tear with less force. This further reduces the effort required during removal.

[0038] While the above embodiment has been described with respect to a case where a plurality of protrusions are provided, the present invention is not limited to this and a single protrusion may be provided. Furthermore, the shape of the protrusion may be, for example, a lattice shape, a cone shape, or a pyramid shape, instead of a strip shape.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the notch is extended to the end of the outer wall portion, but this is not limited thereto, and the notch may not extend to the end of the outer wall portion as long as it is configured to form a handle portion.

[0040] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting in any respect. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above meaning but by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0041] 10a Bottle, 11a Bottle cap, 12a Neck portion, 13a Spout, 14a Cover, 21a Bottom wall portion, 22a Outer wall portion, 23a Inner wall portion, 24a Middle wall portion, 25a Outer peripheral edge, 26a Inner peripheral edge, 27a Inner surface, 28a, 29a, 33a, 42a End portion, 31a Protruding portion, 34a Protruding portion, 35a Inner peripheral surface, 36a Notch, 37a First region, 38a Second region, 39a Pull portion, 41a Guide groove, 43a Sloped region, 44a Bottom surface, 45a, 46a Sloped surface, 47a Protrusion.

Claims

1. A resin bottle cap that fits onto the neck of the bottle, A disc-shaped bottom wall portion having a pouring hole that penetrates in the thickness direction, A hollow cylindrical outer wall portion extending from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, The bottom wall portion comprises a hollow cylindrical inner wall portion extending in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion where the dispensing hole is provided, The outer wall portion extends from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, The outer wall portion is provided with a notch that penetrates radially to form a pull tab that can be pulled radially outward to tear the outer wall portion. A bottle cap having a projection on the inner surface of the pull tab.

2. The bottle cap according to claim 1, wherein the projection is band-shaped when viewed from the inner diameter side and extends in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion.

3. The bottle cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the protrusions are arranged in a plurality at intervals in the circumferential direction.

4. The bottle cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the notch extends to the end of the outer wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion.

5. A hollow cylindrical middle wall portion is positioned radially between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion, extending from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, and into which the neck portion is fitted radially between the outer wall portion and the middle wall portion. The outer wall portion further comprises a projection that protrudes inward from the inner circumferential surface and is continuous in the circumferential direction, The bottle cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, in the thickness direction of the bottom wall portion, the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the protruding portion is longer than the length from the inner surface of the bottom wall portion to the end portion of the middle wall portion.

6. The bottle cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the inner wall portion is provided with an annular protrusion that extends inward in the region including the terminal portion.

7. The inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion is provided with a guide groove that guides the tearing direction in the pull tab portion. In a cross-section including the guide groove and cut in the thickness direction of the outer wall portion, the guide groove is composed of a bottom surface and a pair of inclined surfaces that are inclined from the bottom surface so as to widen the opening of the guide groove. The bottle cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the width of the bottom surface is 0.2 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.