JP7489093B2 - Cap and how to open the cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hinged cap that is attached to a container and a method for opening the cap that can determine whether or not the cap has been tampered with.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 11, this type of cap has a cap body 102 attached to a container 101, and a lid 104 attached to the cap body 102 via a hinge 103 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lid 104 is provided with a flange 105 for hooking a finger onto to open the cap. In addition, a guard member 106 for preventing a finger from being hooked onto the flange 105 is provided on the cap body 102 via a breakable weakened portion 107.

According to this, when opening an unopened cap 100, the guard member 106 is first pulled outward and downward, thereby breaking the weakened portion 107 and tearing off the guard member 106. This exposes the entire flange portion 105 as shown in FIG. 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the thumb 108 is hooked on the flange portion 105 from below and the flange portion 105 is pushed up, thereby lifting the lid 104 and opening it.

As a result, if the cap 100 is tampered with and the lid 104 is closed after opening, the guard member 106 will be detached from the cap 100, making it possible to determine that tampering has occurred.

The above-mentioned cap is described, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.

Published Japanese Patent Application No. 62-191652

However, in the conventional method described above, when opening an unopened cap 100, the guard member 106 must first be pulled downward and outward to be torn off as shown in FIG. 12, and then the thumb 108 must be placed on the flange 105 from below to push it up as shown in FIG. 13. This requires two different steps, and the opening operation is problematic in that it is time-consuming.

The present invention aims to provide a cap and a method for opening a cap that can reduce the effort required for opening the cap.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides a cap having a cap body to be attached to a container and a lid provided on the cap body via a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed,
The lid is provided with a flange for hooking a finger to open the bottle,
The flange portion protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the lid,
A guard member for preventing a finger from being hooked on the flange is provided on the cap body via a breakable weakened portion,
In an unopened state, the guard member protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cap body and is located immediately below the flange portion,
the guard member has an outer plate portion located radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the cap body, and a pair of end plate portions provided at both ends of the outer plate portion in the circumferential direction of the cap body, and has a pressing portion capable of pushing up the flange portion in the opening direction after the weakened portion breaks ,
A gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cap body and the outer plate portion of the guard member and between both end plate portions,
the pressing portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the outer plate portion, protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the outer plate portion into the gap inside the outer plate portion, and is located above a lower end portion of the outer plate portion,
The guard member is not fixed to the flange portion when the bottle is opened .

According to this, when opening an unopened cap, for example, by pushing up the lower end of the guard member with a thumb or the like, the weakened portion breaks, and the guard member separates from the cap body and is pushed up, while the pressing portion pushes up the flange portion in the opening direction to open the lid. In this way, the guard member can be separated and the lid can be opened with just one action of pushing up the lower end of the guard member with a thumb or the like, reducing the effort required for the opening operation.

In the cap of the second invention, when unopened, the upper part of the guard member surrounds the lower outer periphery of the flange from the outside.

This reliably prevents fingers from being placed directly on the brim from the outside when the guard member is not separated from the cap body and is still in an unopened state. This reliably prevents unauthorized opening by opening only the lid without separating the guard member from the cap body.

In the cap of the third invention, when unopened, the outer circumferential surface of the guard member protrudes radially outward beyond the outer circumferential surface of the flange.

When opening an unopened cap, the lower end of the guard member is pushed up with, for example, a thumb, etc., to break the weakened portion. At this time, since the outer peripheral surface of the guard member protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the flange, the thumb, etc., can easily catch on the lower end of the guard member, and the thumb, etc. can reliably push up the lower end of the guard member.

The cap in this fourth invention has a weakened portion that has a long linear shape in the same direction as the axis of the cap.

According to this, when opening an unopened cap, the lower end of the guard member is pushed up with, for example, a thumb, causing the weakened portion to break. At this time, the breaking of the weakened portion starts from the lower end of the weakened portion and ends at the upper end, so the direction in which the guard member is pushed up and the direction in which the weakened portion breaks are the same, and the weakened portion breaks smoothly.

In the cap according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in an unopened state, the end plate portion of the guard member is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cap body via the weakened portion.

As a result, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cap body and the outer plate portion of the guard member, and between both end plate portions, making it possible to reduce the weight of the cap.

The cap in the sixth aspect of the present invention is a method for opening a cap according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, comprising the steps of:
By pushing up the lower end of the guard member of an unopened cap and breaking the weakened portion, the guard member is separated from the cap body and the pressing portion pushes up the flange portion in the opening direction to open the lid.

This allows the guard member to be separated and the lid to be opened with just one action, pushing up the bottom end of the guard member, reducing the effort required for opening the container.

As described above, the present invention can reduce the hassle of opening the package.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an unopened state. 2 is a view taken along the line XX in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cap in the completed state prior to attachment to the container. 4 is a view taken along the line XX in FIG. 3. 4 is a view taken along the line YY in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the cap in the same manner as above, showing the cap in an unopened state. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operation when the cap is opened from an unopened state. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing the operation when the cap is opened from an unopened state. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operation when the cap is opened from an unopened state. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the operation of opening the cap from an unopened state. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional cap in an unopened state. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of opening the cap from an unopened state. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of opening the cap from an unopened state.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a synthetic resin cap that is attached to the mouth 3 of a container 2 such as a plastic bottle. The cap 1 has a cap body 5 and a lid 7 that is attached to the cap body 5 via a hinge 6 so as to be able to be opened and closed freely. The configuration of the cap 1 will be explained below with the direction of the axis 8 that passes through the center of the unopened cap 1 as the up-down direction.

The cap body 5 has a circular base plate 11, an outer tube 12 and an inner tube 13 that face downward from the base plate 11, and a dispensing tube 14 that is attached to the base plate 11.

A mounting groove 16 that is open downward is formed around the entire circumference between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 13. The cap body 5 is attached to the container 2 by fitting the mouth 3 of the container 2 into the mounting groove 16 from below. The pouring tube 14 is a cylindrical member and has a pouring outlet 17 that communicates with the inside and outside of the container 2. In addition, a circular body side engagement part 19 is provided on the upper surface of the base plate 11.

The lid 7 has a circular top plate 25, a peripheral wall 26 hanging down from the outer periphery of the top plate 25, and a plug portion 27 provided on the top plate 25. A lid-side engagement portion 29 that engages with the main body-side engagement portion 19 in the closed state is formed around the entire periphery on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the closed state, the stopper portion 27 is inserted into the spout 17 of the spout tube 14 to close the spout 17. The peripheral wall 26 is provided with a flange portion 30 for hooking a finger to open the stopper. The flange portion 30 is located 180° opposite the hinge 6 with respect to the axis 8 of the cap 1, and protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 26.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, a guard member 35 for preventing a finger from being hooked on the flange 30 is attached to the cap body 5 via a breakable weakened portion 36. The guard member 35 is a U-shaped member having an outer plate portion 37 located radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 12, and a pair of end plate portions 38 provided on both ends of the outer plate portion 37 in the circumferential direction A of the cap body 5, and in an unopened state, the end plate portions 38 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 12 via the weakened portion 36.

A gap 39 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 12 and the outer plate portion 37 of the guard member 35 and between both end plate portions 38, penetrating in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the weakened portion 36 has a long linear shape in the same direction as the axis 8 of the cap 1, and as shown in FIG. 5, the thickness of the weakened portion 36 is made thinner than the thickness of the surrounding materials so that it is easier to break.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in an unopened state, the guard member 35 protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 12 and is located directly below the flange portion 30. Also, in an unopened state, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the outer peripheral surface 35a of the guard member 35 protrudes radially outward beyond the outer peripheral surface 30a of the flange portion 30, and the upper portion of the guard member 35 (i.e., the upper portion of the outer plate portion 37 and the upper portions of both end plate portions 38) surrounds the lower outer periphery of the flange portion 30 from the outside.

The guard member 35 also has a pressing portion 40 that can abut against the underside of the flange portion 30 and push the flange portion 30 up in the opening direction O after the weakened portion 36 breaks. The pressing portion 40 protrudes inward from the upper inner peripheral surface of the guard member 35. The upper end of the guard member 35 protrudes upward beyond the pressing portion 40.

The operation of the above configuration is explained below.

When opening an unopened cap 1, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the thumb 43 pushes up the lower end of the guard member 35, breaking the weakened portion 36. As shown in FIG. 8, the guard member 35 is separated from the cap body 5 and pushed up, and as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the pressing portion 40 pushes up the flange portion 30 in the opening direction O to open the lid 7, and the lid side engaging portion 29 disengages from the body side engaging portion 19 in the opening direction O.

In this way, the guard member 35 can be severed and the lid 7 can be opened with just one action of pushing up the bottom end of the guard member 35 with the thumb 43, reducing the effort required for opening the container.

When opening the unopened cap 1 in the manner described above, as shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface 35a of the guard member 35 protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 30a of the flange portion 30, so that the thumb 43 can easily catch on the lower end of the guard member 35, and as shown in FIG. 7, the thumb 43 can reliably push up the lower end of the guard member 35.

In addition, the breaking of the weakened portion 36 as described above starts from the lower end of the weakened portion 36 and ends at the upper end, so the direction in which the guard member 35 is pushed up and the direction in which the weakened portion 36 breaks are the same, and the weakened portion 36 breaks smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 9, after opening the unopened cap 1, the lid 7 is subsequently opened in the opening direction O, and the plug portion 27 is removed from the pouring tube 14, opening the pouring outlet 17, allowing the contents (fluid) in the container 2 to be poured out from the pouring outlet 17.

In addition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, when the container is unopened, the upper part of the guard member 35 surrounds the lower outer periphery of the flange 30 from the outside, so that it is impossible to directly hook a finger or the like on the flange 30 from the outside. This makes it possible to reliably prevent unauthorized opening by opening only the lid 7 without separating the guard member 35 from the cap body 5.

In addition, when the cap is unopened, a gap 39 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 12 and the outer plate portion 37 of the guard member 35, and between both end plate portions 38, making it possible to reduce the weight of the cap 1.

In the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 to 10, the unopened cap 1 is opened with the thumb 43, but it may be opened with a finger other than the thumb 43.

Reference Signs List 1 Cap 2 Container 5 Cap body 6 Hinge 7 Lid 8 Axis 30 Flange 35 Guard member 36 Weakened portion 37 Outer plate 38 End plate 39 Gap 40 Pressing portion 43 Thumb A Circumferential direction of the cap body O Opening direction

Claims (6)

A cap having a cap body attached to a container and a lid provided on the cap body via a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed,
The lid is provided with a flange for hooking a finger to open the bottle,
The flange portion protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the lid,
A guard member for preventing a finger from being hooked on the flange is provided on the cap body via a breakable weakened portion,
In an unopened state, the guard member protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cap body and is located immediately below the flange portion,
the guard member has an outer plate portion located radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the cap body, and a pair of end plate portions provided at both ends of the outer plate portion in the circumferential direction of the cap body, and has a pressing portion capable of pushing up the flange portion in the opening direction after the weakened portion breaks ,
A gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cap body and the outer plate portion of the guard member and between both end plate portions,
the pressing portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the outer plate portion, protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the outer plate portion into the gap inside the outer plate portion, and is located above a lower end portion of the outer plate portion,
A cap characterized in that the guard member is not fixed to the flange portion when the cap is opened . The cap described in claim 1, characterized in that, when unopened, the upper part of the guard member surrounds the outer periphery of the lower part of the flange from the outside. The cap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when unopened, the outer peripheral surface of the guard member protrudes radially outward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the flange. A cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the weakened portion has a long linear shape in the same direction as the axis of the cap. 5. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein, in an unopened state, the end plate portion of the guard member is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cap body via a weakened portion. A method for opening a cap according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
This method of opening a cap is characterized in that the lower end of the guard member of an unopened cap is pushed up to break the weakened portion, thereby separating the guard member from the cap body, and the pressing portion pushes up the flange portion in the opening direction to open the lid.

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