Hinge cap

Abstract

Provided is a hinge cap that: is formed of polyethylene terephthalate that does not need to be separated when recycling a container; does not require large force for opening and closing; and exhibits no possibility of being broken by repeated opening and closing.　The hinge cap has a lid body (130) that is connected, through a hinge mechanism (101), to a top surface (111) of a cap body (110) having an ejection hole (113) on the top surface (111). The cap body (110) and the lid body (130) are formed of polyethylene terephthalate. The hinge mechanism (101) has: substantially cylindrical bearing members (112) that are provided to the cap body (110); and shaft support members (131) and elastic guide members (132) that are provided to the lid body (130). The bearing members (112) rotatably support the shaft support members (131) on the end surfaces thereof, and guide sliding surfaces (120) for guiding the elastic guide members (132) are formed on the peripheral surfaces of the bearing members.

Description

Hinge cap

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge cap having a cap body having a pouring hole on the top surface thereof and a lid body connected to the top surface side of the cap body by a hinge mechanism.

[0002] Conventionally, hinge caps have been well known, each having a cap body with a pouring hole on the top surface and a lid body connected to the top surface of the cap body by a hinge mechanism. Various materials are used for containers to which such well-known hinge caps can be attached, and containers made of polyethylene terephthalate, a resin containing polyester as a main component, are also widely used. Meanwhile, hinge caps made of easily deformable resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene are widely used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-053182 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-166022

[0004] Containers made of polyethylene terephthalate, a resin containing polyester as a main component, can be recycled and reused as polyethylene terephthalate material, but hinge caps made of polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. must be separated and removed during this process, which raises the issue of increased recycling costs. Hinge caps that can be easily separated from containers are known, for example in Patent Document 2, but the separation process itself cannot be omitted.

[0005] It is possible to form the hinge cap from a resin containing polyester as its main component, but it is common to use the flexibility of materials such as polyethylene or polypropylene to make the hinge portion open and close by deformation, and to provide a degree of restraint corresponding to the opening and closing angle of the lid body.If a similar structure were made from a highly rigid resin such as a resin containing polyester as its main component, a large force would be required to open and close it, and there was a risk of it breaking due to repeated opening and closing.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a hinge cap that is formed from a resin containing polyester as its main component, which does not need to be separated when recycling containers, does not require a large force to open and close, and is not likely to break when opened and closed repeatedly.

[0007] The present invention provides a hinge cap having a cap body with a pouring hole on the top surface and a lid body connected to the top surface side of the cap body by a hinge mechanism, wherein the cap body and the lid body are formed of a resin containing polyester as a main component, and the hinge mechanism has a bearing member provided on the cap body, a pivot member provided on the lid body, and an elastic guide member provided on the lid body, and the bearing member rotatably supports the pivot member at its end surface and has a guide sliding surface formed on its peripheral surface that guides the elastic guide member, thereby solving the above problem.

[0008] According to the hinge cap of the invention of claim 1, since the hinge cap is formed from a resin containing polyester as its main component, there is no need to separate and remove resins containing polyester as its main component when recycling them. In addition, the bearing member rotatably supports the pivotal support member at its end face, and a guide sliding surface that guides the elastic guide member is formed on its circumferential surface. The pivotal support member is formed so that its distance from the rotation center axis changes so as to change the pressing force of the elastic guide member and stabilize the lid body at a predetermined rotation position. Therefore, depending on the shape of the guide sliding surface, the elastic guide member always slides along the guide sliding surface with an optimal pressing force during opening and closing operations, and the elastic guide member provides a sense of resistance and moderation that corresponds to the opening and closing angle of the lid body, allowing for stable opening and closing.

[0009] According to the configuration of claim 2, the initial guide portion is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member to slide without deformation, so that the lid stabilizes when it starts to open and when it finishes closing, and it can open smoothly with almost no pressing force, and it can also prevent misalignment when closing, allowing it to close accurately. According to the configuration of claim 3, the intermediate guide portion is formed in a shape that allows it to slide so that the elastic guide member increases deformation as the lid opens, so that a force is applied in the closing direction until the lid is opened to a certain extent, encouraging the lid to open widely and preventing the lid from stopping midway and interfering with use.

[0010] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the final guide portion is shaped to slide so as to reduce deformation of the elastic guide member during the lid opening operation. Therefore, when the lid is opened to a certain extent, a force is applied in the opening direction, allowing the lid to open widely without the user having to apply force, preventing the lid from stopping midway and interfering with use. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the bearing member has a recess formed at the end of the guide sliding surface that releases deformation of the elastic guide member, providing the user with a click feeling when closing the lid from a widely open state. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the bearing member has a protrusion formed at the connection point between the guide sliding surface and the recess that increases deformation of the elastic guide member, providing the user with a more reliable click feeling when closing the lid from a widely open state. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the bearing member is divided into multiple axial sections, and the pivot support members are provided at both end faces of each of the divided bearing members, further stabilizing the opening and closing operation.

[0011] 1 is a perspective view of a hinge cap according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view of the lid of the hinge cap of FIG. 1 as seen from below; 3 is a top view of the lid of FIG. 2; 4 is a bottom view of the lid of FIG. 2; 5 is a rear view of the lid of FIG. 2; 6 is a perspective view of the cap body of the hinge cap of FIG. 1; 7 is a top view of the cap body of FIG. 6; 8 is a side view of the cap body of FIG. 6; 9 is a rear view of the cap body of FIG. 6; 10 is an enlarged explanatory view of the hinge mechanism when the lid is closed; 11 is an enlarged explanatory view of the hinge mechanism when the lid is fully open; 12 is an explanatory view of a guide sliding surface; 13 is a top view of the lid and cap body of a modified example; 14 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the fitting structure of the lid and cap body of a modified example.

[0012] 1 to 9 , a hinge cap 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a cap body 110 having a spout hole 113 on a top surface 111, and a lid body 130 connected to the top surface 111 side of the cap body 110 by a hinge mechanism 101, and the cap body 110 and the lid body 130 are made of polyethylene terephthalate. The lid body 130 has a pivot support member 131 and an elastic guide member 132 that constitute the hinge mechanism 101, and the cap body 110 has a bearing member 112 that constitutes the hinge mechanism 101.

[0013] The bearing member 112 rotatably supports the pivot support member 131 at its end surface, and has a guide sliding surface 120 formed on its circumferential surface to guide the elastic guide member 132. The guide sliding surface 120 is formed so that its distance from the rotation center axis of the pivot support member 131 varies to vary the pressing force of the elastic guide member 132 and stabilize the cover body 130 at a predetermined rotation position. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 , the guide sliding surface 120 has an initial guide portion 121, an intermediate guide portion 122, and a final guide portion 123, which are arranged in this order in the circumferential direction, starting from the position where the elastic guide member 132 faces the guide sliding surface 120 when the cover body 130 is closed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bearing member 112 has a recess 124 formed at the end of the guide sliding surface 120 to release deformation of the elastic guide member 132, and a protrusion 125 formed at the connection point between the guide sliding surface 120 and the recess 124, which increases deformation of the elastic guide member 132.

[0014] The initial guide section 121 is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member 132 to slide without deformation, the intermediate guide section 122 is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member 132 to slide so that deformation increases when the lid body 130 is opened, and the final guide section 123 is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member 132 to slide so that deformation decreases when the lid body 130 is opened. In addition, the bearing member 112 is provided divided into two in the axial direction, and three shaft support members 131 are provided corresponding to both end faces of the divided bearing member 112. 10 , hanging portion 133, which is the portion of elastic guide member 132 extending downward, has inner wall surface 134 that tapers gently outward in the radial direction relative to hinge axis center X as it extends downward, and outer wall surface 135 that tapers more steeply than the gentle taper as it extends downward in the radial direction, and contact point 136 with guide sliding surface 120 at the lower end is located at a position biased toward inner wall surface 134 of hanging portion 133. As a result, the force that contact point 136 receives from the unevenness of guide sliding surface 120 is efficiently transmitted as a force that bends the entire elastic guide member 132 about the connection portion with top surface 130, and the user can be given the same appropriate sense of click or resistance in both the opening and closing directions of lid 130.

[0015] The opening and closing operation of the hinge cap 100 configured as described above will now be described. When the lid 130 is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 10, the lid 130 blocks the spout hole 113 of the cap body 110, and the elastic guide member 132 is in contact with the guide sliding surface 120 at position A shown in FIG. 12 without deformation. When the lid 130 is rotated from the closed state in the opening direction, the elastic guide member 132 slides on the initial guide portion 121, which corresponds to the section A-B in FIG. 12, without deforming, so no force resisting opening is generated during this period. When the lid 130 is further rotated in the opening direction from the state in which the elastic guide member 132 is in contact with position B, the elastic guide member 132 slides on the intermediate guide portion 122, which corresponds to the section B-C in FIG. 12, while increasing its deformation, so a slight force resisting opening is generated during this period. When the lid 130 is further rotated in the opening direction from the state where the elastic guide member 132 is in contact with position C, the elastic guide member 132 slides along the final guide section 123, which is the section C-D in Fig. 12, while reducing deformation, and a slight force that encourages opening is generated in this section. Also, section C in Fig. 12, which is the connection point between the intermediate guide section 122 and the final guide section 123, is the position where the elastic guide member 132 is most deformed, and at this position the deformation switches from increasing to decreasing, giving the user a change in the sense of resistance that makes them feel as if they have overcome this point.

[0016] When the lid 130 is further rotated in the opening direction from the state where the elastic guide member 132 is in contact with position D, the elastic guide member 132 slides on the convex portion 125 provided in the section after D in Fig. 12 while increasing its deformation, and thus passes the position E in Fig. 12, which is the apex of the convex portion 125, generating a force resisting opening and giving the user a sense of moderation (click). When the lid 130 is further rotated in the opening direction from the state where the elastic guide member 132 is in contact with position E, the elastic guide member 132 reaches a position facing the concave portion 124 provided at the end of the guide sliding surface 120, as shown in Fig. 11, and the lid 130 is rotated 180° to the fully open state.

[0017] When lid 130 is rotated in the closing direction from its fully open state, elastic guide member 132 first contacts convex portion 125 from concave portion 124 provided at the end of guide sliding surface 120, and then, up to position E in Fig. 12, which is the apex of convex portion 125, elastic guide member 132 passes over convex portion 125, generating a force that resists closing, and once it passes position E in Fig. 12, a force that urges closing is generated up to position D in Fig. 12, giving the user a sense of moderation (click). When lid 130 is further rotated in the closing direction from the state in which elastic guide member 132 contacts position D, elastic guide member 132 slides over final guide portion 123, which is the section D-C in Fig. 12, while increasing its deformation, and a slight force that resists closing is generated in this section. When the lid 130 is further rotated in the closing direction from the state where the elastic guide member 132 contacts position C, the elastic guide member 132 slides on the intermediate guide portion 122, which is the section C-B in Figure 12, while reducing deformation, and a slight force urging the lid to open is generated in this section. Also, as with the opening operation of the lid 130, the deformation switches from increasing to decreasing at position C in Figure 12, giving the user a change in the sense of resistance and allowing them to feel that they have overcome this point. When the lid 130 is further rotated in the closing direction from the state where the elastic guide member 132 contacts position B, the elastic guide member 132 slides on the initial guide portion 121, which is the section B-A in Figure 12, without deforming, and no force resisting opening is generated during this period.

[0018] The above-described opening and closing operation allows the user to smoothly open and close the lid with a light force while preventing the lid from stopping at positions other than the fully open position. Furthermore, a moderate click feeling is provided just before the lid is fully opened and when the lid starts to close from the fully open position. The change in resistance between the intermediate guide portion 122 and the final guide portion 123 allows the user to intuitively grasp the state of the lid. The shape of the guide sliding surface 120 can be arbitrarily designed depending on the resistance, change in resistance, and click feeling that should be provided with respect to the rotational position of the lid 130. In this embodiment, the bearing member 112 is divided into two axial portions, and three support members 131 are provided corresponding to both end faces of the divided bearing member 112. However, the bearing member 112 may be divided into one, three, or more. Furthermore, at least two support members 131 are required, and the number may be four or more depending on the number of divisions of the bearing member 112. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bearing member 112 has a recess, which fits into the protrusion of the support member 131, thereby functioning as a rotating shaft, but the support member 131 may have a recess and the bearing member 112 may have a protrusion, or the convex-concave relationship may be reversed.

[0019] Furthermore, the bearing member and the fitting structure of the bearing member may be other than the concave and convex portions of this embodiment, in order to prevent disengagement during opening and closing. As an example, a modified bearing member and a modified bearing member are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 . In this modified example, only the configuration of the pivot support member 131B of the lid body 130B and the bearing member 112B of the cap body 110B differs, and the other configurations are the same as those of the previously described embodiment. The central pivot support member 131B of the lid body 130B is provided with shaft-shaped portions 137 on both sides, and the bearing member 112B of the cap body 110B is provided with bearing holes 114 into which the shaft-shaped portions 137 can be inserted. Furthermore, a notch 115 is provided above the bearing hole 114, forming an opening slightly smaller in diameter than the shaft-shaped portion 137. This allows the bearing hole 114 and the shaft-shaped portion 137 to fit together axially rotatably when the lid body 130B is plugged during manufacturing, and prevents the shaft-shaped portion 137 from coming off the bearing hole 114 when the lid body 130B is rotated during use.

[0020] In the above embodiment, the hinge cap is described as being made of polyethylene terephthalate, but any resin containing polyester as a main component may be used, and from the viewpoint of reducing the environmental impact, the hinge cap may be made of recycled materials or biomass-derived materials. Furthermore, the container in which the hinge cap of the above embodiment is used may be any container, such as a tube container, a bottle container, or a packaging bag (pouch).

[0021] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Hinge cap 101: Hinge mechanism 110: Cap body 111: Top surface 112: Bearing member 113: Discharge hole 114: Bearing hole 115: Notch 120: Guide sliding surface 121: Initial guide portion 122: Intermediate guide portion 123: Final guide portion 124: Recessed portion 125: Protruding portion 130: Lid body 131: Shaft support member 132: Elastic guide member 133: Hanging portion 134: Inner wall surface 135: Outer wall surface 136: Contact point 137: Shaft-shaped portion X: Hinge axis center

Claims

1. A hinge cap having a cap body with a pouring hole on the top surface and a lid body connected to the top surface side of the cap body by a hinge mechanism, wherein the cap body and the lid body are formed of a resin containing polyester as a main component, the hinge mechanism includes a bearing member provided on the cap body, a shaft support member provided on the lid body, and an elastic guide member provided on the lid body, the bearing member rotatably supports the shaft support member at its end face and has a guide sliding surface formed on its peripheral surface for guiding the elastic guide member, and the guide sliding surface is formed such that the distance from the rotation center axis of the shaft support member changes so as to change the pressing force of the elastic guide member and stabilize the lid body at a predetermined rotation position.

2. The guide sliding surface has, in the circumferential direction in order from the position where the elastic guide member faces when the lid body is in the closed state, an initial guide portion, an intermediate guide portion, and a final guide portion. The hinge cap according to claim 1, wherein the initial guide portion is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member to slide without being deformed.

3. The hinge cap according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate guide portion is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member to slide so as to increase the deformation during the opening operation of the lid body.

4. The hinge cap according to claim 2, wherein the final guide portion is formed in a shape that allows the elastic guide member to slide so as to decrease the deformation during the opening operation of the lid body.

5. The hinge cap according to claim 1, wherein the bearing member has a recess formed at the tip of the guide sliding surface for releasing the deformation of the elastic guide member.

6. The hinge cap according to claim 5, wherein the bearing member has a convex portion formed at the connection portion between the guide sliding surface and the recess for increasing the deformation of the elastic guide member.

7. The bearing member is provided in a plurality of divided parts in the axial direction, the shaft support member is provided corresponding to both end faces of each of the divided bearing members, and the guide sliding portion is provided on at least one of the divided bearing members. The hinge cap according to claim 1.

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