Cork stopper with cap

Abstract

This cork stopper with a cap comprises: a cork stopper body that is inserted into an opening of a container; a cap body that is disposed adjacent to the cork stopper body; a movable component that is fixed to the cork stopper body, disposed in the cap body, and movable with respect to the cap body; and an IC tag that is attached to the cap body in the cap body. The IC tag comprises: a conductor wire part; and an IC chip that is joined to the conductor wire part and detects a disconnection of the conductor wire part. The movable component has a protrusion part for breaking the conductor wire part. The movable component moves with respect to the cap body, from a first position where the cork stopper body is positioned near the cap body, to a second position where the cork stopper body is positioned away from the cap body, whereby the protrusion part breaks the conductor wire part.

Description

Cork stopper with cap

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-096978, filed on June 14, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Generally, containers such as wine bottles have their openings sealed with corks. Counterfeiting of such containers can occur by fraudulently removing the corks and replacing the genuine contents, such as wine, with counterfeits. Patent Document 1 discloses a seal with an IC tag for detecting the opening of a cork-sealed container.

[0003] This IC tag seal is constructed by providing an IC chip, an antenna unit for wireless communication joined to the IC chip, and a wire break detection circuit joined to the IC chip on a sheet-like substrate. The IC tag seal is then affixed to the side of the container and the top surface of the cork attached to the container. In this state, the wire break detection circuit is also installed on the side of the container and the top surface of the cork. Therefore, when the cork is removed from the container, the IC tag seal is broken and the wire break detection circuit is also broken at the same time, making it possible to detect the opening of the container. Furthermore, even if the cork is pierced in an attempt to illicitly replace the contents, the wire break detection circuit installed on the top surface of the cork is broken, making it possible to detect the illicit opening of the container.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 6922896

[0005] However, the IC tag seal of Patent Document 1 is entirely exposed to the outside of the container, so there is a possibility that it may be peeled off from the container and the cork. In this case, there is a problem that it is impossible to detect if the container has been tampered with. Furthermore, because the IC tag seal is exposed to the outside of the container, it may damage the appearance and design of the container, which is undesirable.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a cork stopper with a cap that can more reliably prevent unauthorized opening of a container without impairing the appearance or design of the container.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a capped cork stopper to be attached to the opening of a container, the capped cork stopper comprising: a cork stopper body that is inserted into the opening to close the opening; a cap body having an internal cavity and positioned adjacent to the cork stopper body; a movable part that is fixed to the cork stopper body and positioned in the cavity so as not to fall out of the cavity, and that is movable relative to the cap body in the direction in which the cork stopper body and the cap body are aligned; and an IC tag attached to one of the cap body and the movable part in the cavity. The IC tag comprises an antenna portion, an IC chip that is joined to the antenna portion and functions to communicate via the antenna portion, and a conductor wire portion joined to the IC chip. The IC chip has a function to detect breakage of the conductor wire portion. The other of the cap body and the movable part has a protrusion for breaking the conductor wire portion.

[0008] According to the present invention, unauthorized opening of a container can be prevented more reliably without impairing the appearance or design of the container.

[0009] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a capped cork stopper according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a view showing a process of attaching the capped cork stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 to a container. FIG. 3 is a view showing a process of attaching the capped cork stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 to a container. FIG. 4 is a view showing a process of attaching the capped cork stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 to a container. FIG. 5 is a view showing a process of removing the capped cork stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 from a container. FIG. 6 is a view showing a process of removing the capped cork stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 from a container. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a capped cork stopper according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view showing a process of removing the capped cork stopper of FIG. 5 from a container. FIG. 9 is a view showing a process of removing the capped cork stopper of FIG. 5 from a container. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing modified examples of the protrusion and the insertion hole. FIG. 11 is a plan view of an IC tag used in a capped cork stopper according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view of an IC tag used in a capped cork stopper according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The present invention relates to a cork stopper with a cap, and an IC tag for use in the cork stopper with a cap.

[0010] <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a stopper with an integrated opening detection circuit (capped cork stopper) 1 is attached to an opening 101 of a container 100. The container 100 may be, for example, a wine bottle. As shown in Figure 1, the stopper with an integrated opening detection circuit 1 includes a cork stopper (cork stopper body) 2, a cap (cap body) 3, an IC tag 4, and a movable part 5.

[0011] The cork stopper 2 is made of cork and is inserted into the opening 101 of the container 100 to close the opening 101 .

[0012] The cap 3 has a cavity 30 inside. The cavity 30 is basically filled with air (gas), but may also be filled with a liquid. The cap 3 is a dielectric (for example, a resin (synthetic resin or natural resin), glass, wood, leather, or a composite thereof). The cap 3 is placed adjacent to the cork stopper 2. In other words, the cork stopper 2 is not placed in the cavity 30 of the cap 3.

[0013] In each drawing of this embodiment, the direction indicated by the symbol Z corresponds to the direction in which the cork stoppers 2 and the caps 3 are arranged. In the following description, the direction in which the cork stoppers 2 and the caps 3 are arranged may be simply referred to as the arrangement direction Z. Furthermore, the side toward which the arrow of the arrangement direction Z points (the +Z side) may be referred to as the "upper side." Furthermore, the side opposite to the side toward which the arrow of the arrangement direction Z points (the -Z side) may be referred to as the "lower side." Note that the terms "upper side" and "lower side" are simply names used to describe the relative positional relationships of the various parts, and the actual arrangement relationships may be other than those indicated by these names.

[0014] The cap 3 of this embodiment has a cylindrical wall portion 31 extending in the arrangement direction Z, a first end wall portion 32 covering an upper opening of the cylindrical wall portion 31, and a second end wall portion 33 covering a lower opening of the cylindrical wall portion 31. The space surrounded by the cylindrical wall portion 31, the first end wall portion 32, and the second end wall portion 33 is the cavity 30 of the cap 3.

[0015] The cap 3 has a protruding portion 34 that protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 31. The protruding portion 34 is located midway along the cylindrical wall portion 31 in the arrangement direction Z. The protruding portion 34 is elastically deformable downward relative to the cylindrical wall portion 31. Therefore, when the protruding portion 34 elastically deforms downward, the tip of the protruding portion 34, which is located away from the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 31, is displaced downward and also displaced radially outward to approach the inner circumferential surface. The protruding portion 34 may be formed, for example, over the entire circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 31, or multiple protruding portions 34 may be arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 31.

[0016] The protruding portion 34 shown in the illustrated example has an inclined surface 34a and an orthogonal surface 34b. The inclined surface 34a is a surface facing the first end wall portion 32 in the arrangement direction Z, and is inclined downward as it approaches the radially inner side of the cylindrical wall portion 31. The orthogonal surface 34b is a surface facing the second end wall portion 33 in the arrangement direction Z, and is orthogonal to the arrangement direction Z. Note that the orthogonal surface 34b does not have to be strictly orthogonal to the arrangement direction Z, and may be slightly inclined.

[0017] The second end wall portion 33 of the cap 3 has an arrangement surface 33a and an insertion hole 36. The arrangement surface 33a is a surface on which an IC tag 4, described later, is arranged. The arrangement surface 33a forms part of the inner surface of the cap 3 and faces the first end wall portion 32 in the arrangement direction Z. The insertion hole 36 is recessed from the arrangement surface 33a. The second end wall portion 33 has a through hole 37 that penetrates the second end wall portion 33 in the arrangement direction Z. A rod-shaped portion 52 of a movable part 5, described later, is inserted into the through hole 37 in the arrangement direction Z.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, the IC tag 4 includes an antenna portion 41, an IC chip 42, a conductor wire portion 43, and a substrate 40. The antenna portion 41 illustrated in Fig. 2 is a loop antenna with both ends joined to the IC chip 42. Note that the specific configuration of the antenna portion 41 is not limited to this. The IC chip 42 has the function of communicating via the antenna portion 41 by being joined to the antenna portion 41. The IC chip 42 also has the function of detecting a break in the conductor wire portion 43, which will be described later.

[0019] The conductor wire portion 43 is joined to the IC chip 42. Specifically, both ends of the conductor wire portion 43, which is made of a linear conductor, are joined to the IC chip 42. The specific shape of the conductor wire portion 43 is not limited to the shape exemplified in FIG. 2. The conductor wire portion 43, together with the IC chip 42, constitutes a break detection circuit that detects breakage of the conductor wire portion 43. The antenna portion 41, IC chip 42, and conductor wire portion 43 described above are arranged on the substrate 40. Since the substrate 40 is formed in a sheet shape, the entire IC tag 4 is formed in a sheet shape. The substrate 40 has perforations 44 formed across the intended breakage portion of the conductor wire portion 43. The intended breakage portion of the conductor wire portion 43 is the portion of the conductor wire portion 43 that will be broken by a protrusion 55 of the movable part 5, which will be described later.

[0020] 1 and 2, the IC tag 4 is attached to the cap 3. Specifically, the IC tag 4 is placed on the placement surface 33a of the cap 3. In this state, the portion of the conductor wire portion 43 to be broken is located directly above the insertion hole 36 formed in the placement surface 33a. The IC tag 4 may be fixed to the placement surface 33a by, for example, adhesion, vapor deposition, or adhesive. Furthermore, the IC tag 4 may be placed so as not to shift relative to the placement surface 33a by, for example, engaging with a boss protruding from the placement surface 33a.

[0021] 1, the movable part 5 is fixed to the cork stopper 2 and is mainly disposed in the cavity 30 of the cap 3 so as not to fall out of the cavity 30. The movable part 5 is movable (slidable) in the arrangement direction Z relative to the cap 3 together with the cork stopper 2. Specifically, the movable part 5 is movable downward (toward the -Z side) relative to the cap 3 together with the cork stopper 2 from a first position P1 where the cork stopper 2 is located close to the cap 3 to a second position P2 where the cork stopper 2 is located away from the cap 3.

[0022] The movable part 5 also has a protrusion 55 for breaking the conductor line portion 43 (see FIG. 2 ) of the IC tag 4. The protrusion 55 breaks the conductor line portion 43 when the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0023] The movable part 5 of this embodiment has a main body 51 disposed in the cavity 30 of the cap 3, and a rod-shaped part 52 formed integrally with the main body 51 and inserted into the through-hole 37 of the cap 3. The cork stopper 2 located outside the cap 3 is fixed to the tip of the rod-shaped part 52 extending from the main body 51.

[0024] The main body 51 is positioned between the first end wall 32 and the second end wall 33 of the cap 3 in the arrangement direction Z. The aforementioned protrusion 55 is provided on an opposing surface 51b of the main body 51 that faces the placement surface 33a of the second end wall 33. The protrusion 55 protrudes from the opposing surface 51b of the main body 51 toward the second end wall 33. In FIG. 1 , the thickness of the protrusion 55 is constant along its protrusion direction; however, it may become thinner toward the protrusion direction (tip side). That is, the protrusion 55 may be formed, for example, in a tapered shape. The protrusion 55 is also made of an insulating material. For example, the protrusion 55 may be made of a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass, wood, or super engineering plastic.

[0025] When the movable part 5 is positioned at the first position P1, the main body 51 contacts the underside of the first end wall 32. Therefore, the movable part 5 including the main body 51 does not move upward from the first position P1. Furthermore, when the movable part 5 is positioned at the second position P2, the main body 51 contacts the upper side of the second end wall 33. Therefore, the movable part 5 including the main body 51 does not move downward from the second position P2. When the main body 51 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the protrusion 55 penetrates the IC tag 4 and is inserted into the insertion hole 36 opening in the placement surface 33a of the second end wall 33. In this embodiment, the protrusion 55 penetrates the IC tag 4, thereby breaking the conductor wire portion 43. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the protrusion 55 penetrates the IC tag 4, the protrusion 55 breaks the base material 40 of the IC tag 4 at the perforations 44 formed in the base material 40, thereby breaking the conductor wire portion 43.

[0026] Furthermore, when the main body portion 51 is disposed at the first position P1, the main body portion 51 is sandwiched between the first end wall portion 32 and the overhang portion 34 in the arrangement direction Z. In this state, the overhang portion 34 functions as a restricting portion that restricts movement of the movable component 5 from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Furthermore, in this state, the edge portion of the main body portion 51 contacts the inclined surface 34a of the overhang portion 34. As described above, the overhang portion 34 is configured to be elastically deformable downward relative to the cylindrical wall portion 31. The elastic downward bending of the overhang portion 34 allows the main body portion 51 to move from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Therefore, when a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value acting from the first position P1 toward the second position P2 acts on the movable component 5 including the main body portion 51, the overhang portion 34 elastically bends downward, thereby allowing the movable component 5 to move from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0027] The magnitude of the force (predetermined force) with which the movable part 5 presses the protrusion 34 downward so that the protrusion 34 elastically flexes downward and the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, i.e., the magnitude of the force with which the regulating part allows the movable part 5 to move from the first position P1 to the second position P2, should be smaller than the force (pulling force) required to pull the cork stopper 2 out of the opening 101 of the container 100, and the difference from the pulling force should be as small as possible.

[0028] Furthermore, when the main body portion 51 is disposed at the second position P2, it is sandwiched between the second end wall portion 33 and the overhang portion 34. Furthermore, an edge portion of the main body portion 51 contacts the orthogonal surface 34b of the overhang portion 34. Here, the overhang portion 34 does not elastically bend and deform upward relative to the cylindrical wall portion 31. Therefore, the overhang portion 34 prevents the main body portion 51 from moving from the second position P2 toward the first position P1. In other words, the overhang portion 34 functions as a holding portion that holds the movable part 5 at the second position P2.

[0029] Next, referring primarily to FIG. 3 , the operation of the stopper 1 incorporating an opening detection circuit according to this embodiment when the stopper 1 is first attached to the container 100 will be described. In the following description, the opening 101 of the container 100 faces upward (+Z direction), but the actual orientation of the opening 101 is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 3A , before the stopper 1 incorporating an opening detection circuit faces upward (+Z direction), the cork stopper 2 and the movable part 5 are located at a first position P1. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C , when attaching the stopper 1 incorporating an opening detection circuit to the container 100, the cork stopper 2 is inserted into the opening 101 of the container 100 by gripping the cap 3 and moving the cork stopper 2 downward (-Z direction). At this time, as the cork stopper 2 fits into the opening 101, the force of inserting the cork stopper 2 presses the movable part 5 fixed to the cork stopper 2 against the first end wall portion 32 of the cap 3. Therefore, the movable part 5 does not move from the first position P1 toward the second position P2 (see FIG. 1) and remains at the first position P1.

[0030] Next, referring mainly to FIG. 4 , the operation of the stopper 1 with the built-in opening detection circuit when the stopper 1 with the built-in opening detection circuit is removed from the container 100 will be described. When removing the stopper 1 with the built-in opening detection circuit attached to the container 100 as shown in FIG. 4A , the cap 3 is grasped and moved upward (toward the +Z direction; in the direction in which the cork stopper 2 is removed from the opening 101). At this time, in the cavity 30 of the cap 3, the protruding portion 34 of the cap 3 is pushed downward (toward the -Z direction) by the main body 51 of the movable part 5, causing it to elastically bend downward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B , the movable part 5 moves together with the cork stopper 2 from a first position P1 to a second position P2 relative to the cap 3. In reality, the cap 3 moves upward (toward the +Z direction) relative to the cork stopper 2, the movable part 5, and the container 100. As the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in this manner, the protrusion 55 of the movable part 5 breaks the conductor wire portion 43 (see FIG. 2 ) of the IC tag 4 attached to the cap 3. The IC chip 42 (see FIG. 2 ) of the IC tag 4 then detects the break in the conductor wire portion 43, thereby detecting the opening of the container 100. The IC tag 4 is a tag that performs contactless communication with a contactless external device (hereinafter referred to as the external device), such as a smartphone or reader / writer compatible with UHF or NFC, and is capable of detecting tampering with the container 100. The procedure for detecting the break in the conductor wire portion 43 and transmitting the information to the external device is, for example, as follows: First, the external device makes an inquiry, and the inquiry signal is received by the antenna unit 41. The external device checks the continuity of the conductor wire portion 43, and the data of the check result (whether or not the container has been tampered with) is transmitted to the external device as a signal from the antenna unit 41.

[0031] 4C , when the cap 3 is moved further upward (toward the +Z side), the movable part 5 and cork 2 move upward together with the cap 3 while remaining at the second position P2. This causes the cork 2 to come out of the opening 101 of the container 100, and the stopper 1 with the built-in opening detection circuit is removed from the container 100. In the stopper 1 with the built-in opening detection circuit removed from the container 100, the movable part 5 and cork 2 are held at the second position P2 by the protruding part 34, which functions as a holding part. Therefore, even if the capped cork is reattached to the container 100, the movable part 5 and cork 2 will not move from the second position P2 to the first position P1.

[0032] As described above, in the stopper 1 with an integrated opening detection circuit according to the first embodiment, when the cap 3 is gripped to pull the cork stopper 2 from the opening 101 in order to open the container 100, the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 relative to the cap 3, causing the protrusion 55 on the movable part 5 to break the conductor wire portion 43 of the IC tag 4 provided on the cap 3. The IC chip 42 of the IC tag 4 then detects the break in the conductor wire portion 43, thereby detecting the opening of the container 100. The IC tag 4 for detecting the opening of the container 100 is disposed in the cavity 30 of the cap 3. This prevents the IC tag 4 from being tampered with. This also prevents the IC tag 4 from damaging the appearance or design of the container 100. Therefore, tampering of the container 100 can be more reliably prevented without damaging the appearance or design of the container 100. In addition, since the act of fraudulently replacing the contents of container 100 is often carried out with high-end liquor that has a highly designed container 100, it is important to maintain the appearance and design of container 100 while being able to detect tampering with container 100.

[0033] Furthermore, in the plug 1 with an integrated tamper-evident circuit according to the first embodiment, the cap 3 has a retaining portion (projecting portion 34) that holds the movable part 5 at the second position P2. Therefore, the movable part 5 is held at the second position P2 by the retaining portion after moving from the first position P1 to the second position P2. This allows the protrusion 55 to be maintained in a position corresponding to the broken portion of the conductor wire 43. Therefore, the conductor wire 43 can be maintained in a broken state. In other words, this reliably prevents the IC chip 42 from properly detecting the break in the conductor wire 43 due to the broken portions of the conductor wire 43 accidentally coming into contact with each other. Furthermore, this also prevents the movable part 5 from moving relative to the cap 3 and generating a rattling noise when the plug 1 with an integrated tamper-evident circuit is removed from the container 100 and when the plug 1 with an integrated tamper-evident circuit is reattached to the container 100.

[0034] Furthermore, in the stopper 1 with built-in opening detection circuit of the first embodiment, the cap 3 has a restricting portion that restricts movement of the movable part 5 from the first position P1 to the second position P2. This inhibits or prevents the movable part 5 from unintentionally moving from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Furthermore, the restricting portion allows the movable part 5 to move from the first position P1 to the second position P2 when a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value acting on the movable part 5 in a direction from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Therefore, when the cork stopper 2 is pulled out of the opening 101 of the container 100, the movable part 5 can be moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2, thereby breaking the conductor wire portion 43 of the IC tag 4.

[0035] Furthermore, in the plug 1 with built-in opening detection circuit of the first embodiment, the cap 3 has an arrangement surface 33a on which the IC tag 4 is arranged, and an insertion hole 36 recessed from the arrangement surface 33a and into which the protrusion 55 is inserted when the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. This allows the protrusion 55 to pierce the IC tag 4 arranged on the arrangement surface 33a when the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. This makes it possible to more reliably break the conductor wire portion 43.

[0036] Furthermore, in the plug 1 with an integrated opening detection circuit of the first embodiment, the base material 40 of the IC tag 4 has a perforation 44 formed therein that straddles the portion of the conductor wire portion 43 that is to be broken by the protrusion 55. Therefore, when the protrusion 55 is pressed against the base material 40, the base material 40 is more likely to break at the perforation 44. This makes it possible to more reliably break the conductor wire portion 43 at the position where the perforation 44 is formed.

[0037] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. In the following description, components common to those already described will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5 , the plug 1C with an integrated tamper detection circuit of the second embodiment is the same as the plug 1C with an integrated tamper detection circuit of the first embodiment, except that the cap 3 has a protrusion 35, the IC tag 4 is attached to the movable part 5, and the movable part 5 has an arrangement surface 51a and an insertion hole 56. The protrusion 35 of the cap 3 is provided on the opposing surface 33b of the second end wall 33 that faces the main body 51 of the movable part 5. The protrusion 35 protrudes from the opposing surface 33b of the second end wall 33 toward the main body 51 of the movable part 5. Like the protrusion 55 of the first embodiment, the protrusion 35 is made of an insulating material. For example, the protrusion 35 may be made of a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass, wood, or super engineering plastic.

[0039] The placement surface 51a of the movable part 5 is a surface facing the opposing surface 33b of the second end wall portion 33 in the arrangement direction Z. The IC tag 4 is placed on the placement surface 51a. The manner in which the IC tag 4 is attached to the placement surface 51a of the movable part 5 may be the same as the manner in which the IC tag 4 is attached to the placement surface 51a of the cap 3 described in the first embodiment. The insertion hole 56 of the movable part 5 is recessed from the placement surface 51a. A planned breakage portion of the conductor line portion 43 (see FIG. 2 ) of the IC tag 4 placed on the placement surface 51a is located directly below the insertion hole 56. Furthermore, the protrusion 35 of the cap 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 56 when the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0040] The operation of the plug 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit of the second embodiment when it is attached to the container 100 for the first time is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0041] Hereinafter, referring primarily to FIG. 6 , the operation of the stopper 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit when the stopper 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit is removed from the container 100 will be described. When removing the stopper 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit from the container 100 as shown in FIG. 6A , the cap 3 is grasped and moved upward (toward the +Z direction; in the direction in which the cork stopper 2 is removed from the opening 101). At this time, in the cavity 30 of the cap 3, the protruding portion 34 of the cap 3 is pushed downward (toward the -Z direction) by the movable part 5 (main body 51), causing it to elastically bend downward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B , the movable part 5 moves together with the cork stopper 2 from a first position P1 to a second position P2 relative to the cap 3. In reality, the cap 3 moves upward (toward the +Z direction) relative to the cork stopper 2, the movable part 5, and the container 100. As the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in this manner, the protrusion 35 of the cap 3 breaks the conductor wire portion 43 (see FIG. 2) of the IC tag 4 attached to the movable part 5. Then, the IC chip 42 (see FIG. 2) of the IC tag 4 detects the break in the conductor wire portion 43, thereby making it possible to detect that the container 100 has been opened.

[0042] 6C , when the cap 3 is moved further upward (toward the +Z side), the movable part 5 and the cork 2 move upward together with the cap 3 while remaining at the second position P2. As a result, the cork 2 is removed from the opening 101 of the container 100, and the stopper 1C with the built-in opening detection circuit is removed from the container 100. Note that in the stopper 1C with the built-in opening detection circuit removed from the container 100, the movable part 5 and the cork 2 are held at the second position P2 by the protruding part 34, which functions as a holding part. Therefore, even if the capped cork is reattached to the container 100, the movable part 5 and the cork 2 will not move from the second position P2 to the first position P1.

[0043] The stopper 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit of the second embodiment achieves the same effects as the first embodiment. That is, with the stopper 1C with an integrated opening detection circuit of the second embodiment, when a user grasps the cap 3 and pulls the cork stopper 2 from the opening 101 to open the container 100, the movable part 5 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 relative to the cap 3, causing the protrusion 55 on the cap 3 to break the conductor wire portion 43 of the IC tag 4 on the movable part 5. The IC chip 42 of the IC tag 4 then detects the break in the conductor wire portion 43, thereby detecting the opening of the container 100. This more reliably prevents tampering of the container 100 without compromising the appearance or design of the container 100.

[0044] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 9. In the following description, components common to those already described will be assigned the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

[0045] As shown in Figure 7, the plug with an integrated opening detection circuit of the third embodiment differs from the IC tag 4 used in the plug with an integrated opening detection circuit of the first embodiment in the configuration of the IC tag 4A. The IC tag 4A includes a circular substrate 40A, an antenna portion 41A, an IC chip 42A, and a conductor wire portion 43A. The substrate 40A, antenna portion 41A, IC chip 42A, and conductor wire portion 43A of this embodiment have the same main functions as the substrate 40, antenna portion 41, IC chip 42, and conductor wire portion 43 of the first embodiment, but have different shapes, so the following description will focus on the differences.

[0046] 7 is a circular loop antenna with both ends joined to an IC chip 42A. By being joined to the antenna 41A, the IC chip 42A has the function of communicating via the antenna 41A. The IC chip 42A also has the function of detecting breaks in the conductor wire 43A, which will be described later.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the antenna unit 41A includes a first antenna unit 41A1 formed on the surface of the substrate 40A, a second antenna unit 41A2 formed on the back surface of the substrate 40A, a third antenna unit 41A3 formed on the surface of the substrate 40A, and a stub circuit 46A. The stub circuit 46A is not included in the bypass circuit, which is a conductor for disconnection detection (described later), but is included in the antenna unit 41A. In the illustrated example, the first antenna unit 41A1 is formed in an arc shape shorter than one turn, and the second and third antenna units 41A2 and 41A3 are formed in a coil shape longer than one turn. However, the specific shapes of the first to third antenna units 41A1 to 41A3 are not limited thereto. Because the first antenna unit 41A1 is connected to the through electrode 45A, if it were extended too long, it would come into contact with the outer conductor line portion 43A. For this reason, it is preferable that the first antenna unit 41A1 be formed in an arc shape shorter than one turn. A first end of the first antenna portion 41A1 is connected to the IC chip 42A, and a second end of the first antenna portion 41A1 is connected to a through electrode 45A that penetrates the substrate 40A in the thickness direction. A first end of the second antenna portion 41A2 is connected to the through electrode 45A, and a second end of the second antenna portion 41A2 is connected to a through electrode 45B that penetrates the substrate 40A in the thickness direction. A first end of the third antenna portion 41A3 is connected to the through electrode 45B, and a second end of the third antenna portion 41A3 is connected to the IC chip 42A. That is, the first antenna portion 41A1 and the second antenna portion 41A2 are connected by the through electrode 45A, and the second antenna portion 41A2 and the third antenna portion 41A3 are connected by the through electrode 45B. The through electrodes 45A and 45B may be, for example, crimps or through holes. When the through electrodes 45A and 45B are formed by caulking, the thickness of the base material is preferably about 30 to 40 μm.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 8 , the stub circuit 46A includes multiple conductors 46a. Each of the multiple conductors 46a protrudes outward from the outermost periphery of the second antenna unit 41A2 on the back surface of the substrate 40A. The multiple conductors 46a are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The size and number of the conductors 46a are determined according to the desired resonant frequency. By providing the stub circuits 46A in the antenna unit 41A, it is possible to change the impedance of the antenna unit 41A and thereby change the resonant frequency. Since the stub circuits 46A affect each other if they are too close to each other, they are arranged at a predetermined interval. For example, the interval between the stub circuits 46A is approximately 3 mm, taking into account manufacturing tolerances. The stub circuits 46A are formed, for example, by etching. In the example shown in FIG. 8 , five conductors 46a are provided, but the number and shape of the conductors 46a are not particularly limited.

[0049] The conductor wire portion 43A is made of a linear conductor and is joined to the IC chip 42A. Specifically, the conductor wire portion 43A has an inner arc-shaped wire portion 43B and an outer arc-shaped wire portion 43C. A first end of the inner arc-shaped wire portion 43B is electrically connected to a first end of the outer arc-shaped wire portion 43C, and a second end of the inner arc-shaped wire portion 43B is joined to the IC chip 42A. The conductor wire portion 43A is formed by etching or punching a metal foil, such as aluminum or copper, into a pattern, by applying a conductive ink into a pattern using a known method such as screen printing, flexographic printing, gravure printing, or an inkjet printing, or by wire-wound welding.

[0050] The inner arc line portion 43B also includes a first detour portion 43B1, a second detour portion 43B2, and a third detour portion 43B3, which are spaced apart and form a C-shape. The shapes of the first detour portion 43B1, the second detour portion 43B2, and the third detour portion 43B3 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 7 , as long as they protrude from the inner arc line portion 43B toward the antenna portion 41A. These detour portions 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3 function as conductors for detecting disconnection. These detour portions 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3 and the antenna portion 41A are connected to different pads of the IC chip 42A and are connected to different terminals of the IC chip 42A. A through-hole 37A, through which the rod portion 52 of the movable part 5 is inserted, is formed in the center of the substrate 40A. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the substrate 40A is about 30 mm, and the outer diameter of the through-hole 37A is about 16 mm.

[0051] The base material 40 has perforations 44A formed across the intended breakage portions of the first detour portion 43B1, the second detour portion 43B2, and the third detour portion 43B3. Each of the intended breakage portions of the first detour portion 43B1, the second detour portion 43B2, and the third detour portion 43B3 is a portion of the conductor line portion 43A that will be broken by the protrusion 55A of the movable part 5A. It is sufficient that at least one of the first detour portion 43B1, the second detour portion 43B2, and the third detour portion 43B3 is broken.

[0052] In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the inner arcuate wire portion 43B includes three detours 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3. However, the number of detours is not limited to one, and may be four or more. Furthermore, while protrusions 55A are provided corresponding to the three detours 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3, a single protrusion may be used to break the three detours 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3. Since it is sufficient to break the conductor wire portion 43A, the detours 43B1, 43B2, and 43B3 may not be provided. Similar to the first embodiment, the protrusions 55A are made of an insulating material. For example, the protrusions 55A may be made of a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass, wood, or super engineering plastic.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 9, the cap 3A includes a first guide 38A and a second guide 38B that protrude in the Z direction from the placement surface 33a. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a first cutout 4a and a second cutout 4b are formed in the IC tag 4A. The first cutout 4a is engaged by the first guide 38A, and the second cutout 4b is engaged by the second guide 38B. With this configuration, the IC tag 4A is positioned relative to the cap 3A so as not to shift in position along the placement surface 33a. In this embodiment, the IC tag 4A is adhered to the placement surface 33a with an adhesive 47, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0054] In this embodiment, the IC tag 4A is provided with the notches 4a and 4b, but at least one of the notches 4a and 4b may be replaced with a through-hole that penetrates the base material 40A of the IC tag 4A. In this case, the through-hole is formed in a position on the base material 40A where the antenna portion 41A, the IC chip 42A, and the conductor line portion 43A are not provided. By passing a guide through this through-hole, it is possible to further prevent the IC tag 4A from being misaligned with the cap 3A.

[0055] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the above embodiments can be combined.

[0056] The substrate 40 may be made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), or a paper substrate. The thickness of the substrate 40A is preferably about 30 μm, for example, because if the thickness is greater than 30 μm, the conductor line portions 43, 43A may not break. The spacing between the perforations 44, 44A is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 mm when the thickness of the substrate 40 is about 30 μm.

[0057] The antenna portions 41, 41A are formed by etching or punching a metal foil, typically made of aluminum or copper, into a pattern, by applying conductive ink in a pattern by known means such as screen printing, flexographic printing, gravure printing, or inkjet printing, or by winding and welding. The adhesive 47 may be double-sided tape, or may be an adhesive layer that uses hot melt instead of adhesive.

[0058] In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10 , for example, the movable part 5 may have a plurality of protrusions 55, and the cap 3 may have a plurality of insertion holes 36 into which the plurality of protrusions 55 are individually inserted. With this configuration, even if the substrate 40 of the IC tag 4 placed on the placement surface 33 a of the cap 3 is flexible, the protrusions 55 can reliably break the conductor wire portion 43 (see FIG. 2 ). Specifically, when the plurality of protrusions 55 are pressed against the substrate 40, tension is generated in the portions of the substrate 40 between adjacent protrusions 55. This allows the protrusions 55 to reliably break the conductor wire portion 43 placed on the substrate 40. In other words, this can suppress or prevent the problem of "pressing the protrusions 55 against the substrate 40 deforms the flexible substrate 40, preventing breakage of the conductor wire portion 43."

[0059] Note that the above-described effects can be achieved even if, for example, the cap 3 has a plurality of protrusions 35 and the movable part 5 has a plurality of insertion holes 56 into which the plurality of protrusions 35 are individually inserted.

[0060] Furthermore, when there are multiple protrusions, the lengths of the multiple protrusions protruding from the movable part may be the same as each other, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , or may be different, for example. For example, the length of the two protrusions located at both ends may be longer than the length of another protrusion located between these two protrusions. In this case, when the two protrusions located at both ends are pressed against the substrate, tension is generated in the portion of the substrate located between these two protrusions. Then, by pressing another protrusion against the portion where tension is generated, the other protrusion can reliably break the conductor wire portion arranged on the substrate.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11 , the movable part 5, 5A may have multiple protrusions 55a, and the cap 3, 3A may have a single insertion hole 36a into which the multiple protrusions 55a are inserted. The insertion hole 36a is provided with a protrusion 39 that protrudes toward the movable part 5, 5A. With this configuration, when the multiple protrusions 55a are pressed against the substrate 40, 40A, tension is generated in the region between adjacent protrusions 55a on the substrate 40, 40A. This allows the protrusions 39 to reliably break the conductor line portions 43, 43A (see FIGS. 2 and 7 ) arranged on the substrate 40, 40A. Furthermore, the tip of the protrusion 39 may be tapered toward the movable part 5, 5A.

[0062] 12, the protrusion 55b of the movable part 5 may be tapered toward the cap 3, 3A. Specifically, the opening width L1 of the insertion hole 36a is greater than the outer size L2 of the tip end surface of the protrusion 55b. With this configuration, even if there are manufacturing errors in the protrusion 55b or the insertion hole 36a, the protrusion 55b can be reliably inserted into the insertion hole 36a.

[0063] In the present invention, for example, an insertion hole opening into the placement surface may not be formed. Even in such a configuration, the IC tag including the conductor wire portion is supported by the placement surface, and the conductor wire portion can be broken by the protrusion portion by abutting the IC tag so as to sandwich the IC tag between the placement surface and the IC tag.

[0064] According to the present invention, unauthorized opening of a container can be prevented more reliably without impairing the appearance or design of the container.

[0065] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1C Stopper with built-in opening detection circuit 2 Cork stopper 3 Cap 4, 4A IC tag 5 Movable part 30 Cavity 33a Arrangement surface 34 Protruding portion (holding portion, restricting portion) 35 Projection portion 36 Insertion hole 37 Through hole 40, 40A Base material 41, 41A Antenna portion 42, 42A IC chip 43, 43A Conductor line portion 44, 44A Perforation 51a Arrangement surface 55, 55a Projection portion 56 Insertion hole 100 Container 101 Opening P1 First position P2 Second position Z Arrangement direction

Claims

1. A capped cork stopper to be attached to the opening of a container, comprising: a cork stopper body that is inserted into the opening to close the opening; a cap body that has an internal cavity and is positioned adjacent to the cork stopper body; a movable part that is fixed to the cork stopper body and is positioned in the cavity so as not to fall out of the cavity, and is movable relative to the cap body in the direction in which the cork stopper body and the cap body are aligned; and an IC tag attached to one of the cap body and the movable part in the cavity, wherein the IC tag comprises an antenna part, an IC chip that is joined to the antenna part and has the function of communicating via the antenna part, and a conductor wire part joined to the IC chip, the IC chip has the function of detecting breaks in the conductor wire part, and the other of the cap body and the movable part has a protrusion for breaking the conductor wire part.

2. A capped cork stopper as described in claim 1, wherein the protrusion breaks the conductor wire portion when the cork stopper body and the movable part move relative to the cap body from a first position where the cork stopper body is located near the cap body to a second position where the cork stopper body is located away from the cap body.

3. The capped cork stopper according to claim 2, wherein the cap body has a retaining portion for retaining the movable part in the second position.

4. A capped cork stopper as described in claim 2, wherein the cap body has a regulating portion that regulates movement of the movable part from the first position to the second position, and the regulating portion allows movement of the movable part from the first position to the second position when a force equal to or greater than a predetermined value acts on the movable part in the direction from the first position to the second position.

5. A capped cork stopper as described in claim 2, wherein the IC tag is formed in a sheet-like shape by further comprising a sheet-like substrate on which the antenna portion, the IC chip, and the conductor wire portion are arranged, and one of the cap body and the movable part has an arrangement surface on which the IC tag is arranged and an insertion hole recessed from the arrangement surface and into which the protrusion portion is inserted when the movable part moves from the first position to the second position.

6. A capped cork stopper as described in claim 5, wherein the other of the cap body and the movable part has a plurality of protrusions, and one of the cap body and the movable part has a plurality of insertion holes into which the plurality of protrusions are individually inserted.

7. A capped cork stopper as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the IC tag is formed in a sheet-like form by further comprising a sheet-like substrate on which the antenna portion, the IC chip, and the conductor wire portion are arranged, and the substrate has perforations formed therein that span the intended breaking portion of the conductor wire portion due to the protrusion portion.

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