JP7522544B2 - Container cap and nozzle replacement set for container cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container cap and a nozzle replacement set for the container cap.

Containers that contain contents such as facial cleanser are generally fitted with a container cap having a discharge hole at the neck of the mouth through which the contents are discharged. From the viewpoint of container operability, etc., a container cap consisting of multiple parts such as a part for fixing the container cap to the container and a part having a discharge hole has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a container mouth structure that includes a thin-walled cap made of an elastic member and a frame that fixes the cap to the mouth of the container body. Patent Document 2 discloses a cap that has a cylindrical part formed inside that communicates with the mouth of the container, a pouring base that is fixed to the mouth, and a partition that seals the internal opening of the cylindrical part and has multiple holes.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-315407 JP 2006-206160 A

Container caps are generally manufactured by a manufacturing method such as injection molding using a mold. The dimensions and shape of the discharge hole of a container cap are designed according to the discharge form such as the viscosity of the contents and the amount of the contents used. In order to accommodate a variety of specifications, multiple types of molds and nesting parts to be inserted into the molds are required, resulting in problems such as reduced productivity and increased costs. In addition, with regard to containers equipped with the above-mentioned caps, it has been desired that the user himself be able to change the mode of use of the container cap according to the user's preferences. The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are unable to solve these problems.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cap for a container that is highly productive. In addition, the object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle replacement set that allows the user to change the nozzle part according to the mode of use desired by the user.

The present invention provides a container cap that has a cap body that is attached to the neck of a container that contains the contents, a discharge part that is detachably attached to a predetermined position of the cap body and forms a nozzle that protrudes in the direction of discharging the contents, and a lid that can open and close the tip opening of the nozzle.

The present invention also provides a nozzle replacement set for a container cap, the set including a cap body to be attached to a neck of a container in which contents are stored, a plurality of discharge parts to be detachably attached to predetermined positions of the cap body and to form a nozzle protruding in a discharge direction of the contents, and a lid body capable of opening and closing a tip opening of the nozzle,
The plurality of ejection parts are mutually interchangeable, differing from one another in at least one of the opening area and the planar shape of the tip opening of the nozzle portion, and provide a nozzle replacement set for a container cap.

The container cap of the present invention has excellent productivity. Furthermore, the nozzle replacement set for the container cap of the present invention allows the user to easily change the nozzle part according to the desired mode of use.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a container equipped with an embodiment of a container cap of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the neck portion of the container containing the contents shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cap body shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cap shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above with the lid body open. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ejection part shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a view equivalent to FIG. 5, showing another embodiment of the discharge part. 7(a) to (d) are plan views showing variations of the tip opening of the nozzle portion. 8A to 8E are diagrams showing still another embodiment of the ejection part, and are plan views showing variations in the shape of the top surface portion in plan view. FIG. 9(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the discharge part fixed between the neck portion and the cap body. 10A and 10B are enlarged cross-sectional views showing an example of an embodiment in which a cap body and a discharge part are configured to be engageable with each other.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
1 shows a container cap 1 which is one embodiment of the container cap of the present invention, and a container 3 equipped with the container cap 1. Hereinafter, the container cap 1 will also be referred to simply as the cap 1.
The container 3 of this embodiment is a tube container in which contents (not shown) are accommodated, as shown in Fig. 1, and includes a container body 30 having a body 37 consisting of a cylindrical tube body made of synthetic resin, and an end seal part 38 formed between the inner surfaces at one longitudinal end of the tube body by a known method such as heat fusion or ultrasonic waves. As shown in Fig. 2, the container body 30 includes a neck part 31 formed by fixing a neck part forming member 34 to the other longitudinal end of the tube body. The neck part forming member 34 has a truncated cone-shaped shoulder part 33 formed between the body part 37 and the neck part 31.

The body 37 of the container 3, which is made of a tube body, can be deformed by pressing. The user can press and deform the body 37 of the container 3 with his/her hands to eject the contents contained in the container 3 from the nozzle 26 of the cap 1 through the neck 31. From the viewpoint of improving deformability, the body 37 is preferably made of a flexible resin such as polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The body 37 may be made of a laminate or composite body using one or more of these resin layers, and barrier layers made of aluminum foil, barrier resin, adsorbent, etc. The tube body constituting the body 37, etc. is preferably manufactured by extrusion molding of a synthetic resin, but may also be manufactured by fusing the side edges of a sheet-shaped molded body rolled into a cylindrical shape and stacked.
Furthermore, the container 3 is not limited in its material and shape, and may be made of non-squeezable glass or metal, or may be a film laminate such as a pouch, or may be in the form of a squeezable tube, but is preferably a blown molded product such as a squeezable blown bottle or blown tube.

The container 3 is provided with a cap 1 on the neck portion 31 of the container body 30. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the cap 1 of this embodiment is provided with a cap body 10 attached to the neck portion 31 and a discharge part 2 attached to the cap body 10. The discharge part 2 forms a nozzle portion 26 that protrudes in the discharge direction of the contents. The nozzle portion 26 is provided with a discharge hole 27 that is continuous with the inside of the neck portion 31 of the container 3, and a tip opening 27a at the tip in the discharge direction of the contents that communicates with the inside and outside of the discharge hole 27. The contents contained in the container 3 are discharged through this discharge hole 27. The cap 1 has a lid body 17 that can open and close the tip opening 27a of the nozzle portion 26. For convenience of explanation, the lid body 17 is omitted from Fig. 3.

Here, with respect to the cap 1, the terms "upper side" and "upper", as well as "lower side" and "lower" refer to the directions when the cap 1 is in the state described below. As shown in FIG. 2, when the discharge part 2 is attached to the cap body 10 at a predetermined position and the tip side of the nozzle part 26 faces the upper side in the vertical direction and the central axis of the discharge hole 27 of the nozzle part 26 is parallel to the vertical direction, the "upper side" and "upper" refer to the upper side and the upper side, and the "lower side" and "lower" refer to the lower side and the lower side. When the cap 1 is attached to the container body 30, the "lower side" and "lower" refer to the container body 30 side, and the "upper side" and "upper" refer to the opposite side of the container body 30. In this embodiment, the height direction of the nozzle part 26 coincides with the vertical direction and the discharge direction of the contents when the tip side of the nozzle part 26 faces the upper side in the vertical direction and the central axis of the discharge hole 27 of the nozzle part 26 is parallel to the vertical direction. In Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6, the discharge direction is indicated by the symbol V. In addition, in the discharge direction V, the tip opening 27a located on the tip side of the nozzle part 26 and the base opening 27b located on the base side of the nozzle part 26 are the vertically upper opening and the vertically lower opening in the above-mentioned state.

The discharge part 2 of this embodiment has a circular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. 4, and includes a plate-shaped part-side top surface portion 21 with a smooth surface in the center as shown in FIG. 5, a nozzle portion 26 formed on the part-side top surface portion 21 and protruding upward from the part-side top surface portion 21, and a mounting portion 22 formed on the outer periphery of the part-side top surface portion 21 and having a ring shape in plan view. As described below, the mounting portion 22 is a portion that mounts the discharge part 2 to the cap body 10, and is arranged concentrically with the part-side top surface portion 21. The mounting portion 22 has a smooth surface, and is convex upward from the smooth surface, and has a pair of steps 23 that face each other in the circumferential direction of the mounting portion 22.

The cap body 10 of this embodiment has a circular planar shape as shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. 3, the cap body 10 has a circular body opening 13 in the center, and a plate-shaped body-side top surface 12 formed on the outer periphery of the body opening 13 and having a smooth surface on the upper side. As shown in FIG. 3, the cap body 10 has a cylindrical inner tube 11a and an outer tube 11b that protrude downward on the back surface of the body-side top surface 12. The "back surface" refers to the part-side top surface 21 of the container 3 or the surface of the body-side top surface 12 on the container body 30 side. The outer tube 11b is arranged concentrically with the inner tube 11a at a distance. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner tube 11a is screwed into the neck portion 31 of the container body 30 and is arranged on the outer periphery of the neck portion 31. The inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 11a and the outer peripheral surface of the neck portion 31 each have unevenness that allows them to screw into each other. The cap body 10 is fixed to the neck portion 31 by screwing the inner tube portion 11a and the neck portion 31. The outer tube portion 11b forms the outer peripheral surface of the cap body 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the cap body 10 has an annular attachment portion 12a that is continuous with the body-side top surface portion 12 and forms the outer peripheral edge of the body opening 13. The attachment portion 12a is the portion to which the attachment portion 22 of the discharge part 2 is attached, and is an annular recess when viewed from the back side of the body-side top surface portion 12. The attachment portion 12a has a pair of step-corresponding portions 12b that are positioned with the pair of step portions 23 (see FIG. 4).

Materials for the cap 1 include, but are not limited to, polyolefins such as PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene), polyesters such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polyamides, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid, and other synthetic resins. The cap 1 comprises a discharge part 2 and a cap body 10, and these two components 2, 10 may be made of the same material or different materials.

The discharge part 2 is detachably attached to a predetermined position of the cap body 10. In the cap 1 of this embodiment, the attachment part 22 is detachably attached to the attachment part 12a. Specifically, the discharge part 2 is attached from the back side of the body side top surface 12 of the cap body 10, and the part side top surface 21 is exposed from the body opening 13. The attachment part 22, which is a thin part of the discharge part 2, is inserted into the attachment part 12a, which is a thin part of the cap body 10, and the outer peripheral surface of the plate-shaped part side top surface 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the cap body 10 that forms the body opening 13 are brought into sliding contact, thereby attaching the discharge part to the cap body 10 (see FIG. 3). In the cap 1 of this embodiment, when the discharge part 2 is attached to the cap body 10, a smooth surface is formed in which the part side top surface 21 and the body side top surface 12 are continuous. When the discharge part 2 attached in this manner is pressed from above, the sliding contact between the outer peripheral surface of the part-side top surface 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the main body opening 13 is easily released, and the discharge part 2 can be easily removed from the cap body 10. In this way, the cap 1 of this embodiment allows the discharge part 2 to be easily attached and detached to and from the cap body 10, i.e., mounted and removed, by the sliding contact and release between the outer peripheral surface of the plate-shaped part-side top surface 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the main body opening 13.

The cap 1 of this embodiment comprises a cap body 10 and a discharge part 2 that can be attached and detached to the cap body 10, so that when specifications such as the dimensions and shape of the discharge hole in the nozzle portion 26 need to be changed, it is possible to accommodate this change simply by changing the mold used to mold the discharge part 2. Furthermore, compared to molding the entire cap 1 as a single component in a mold, caps with changed specifications can be manufactured at low cost. Also, changes in specifications can be accommodated easily and quickly. Thus, the cap 1 of this embodiment has excellent productivity because it can be easily manufactured to a variety of specifications.

In this embodiment, the lid 17 has a circular shape in plan view and is connected to the cap body 10 via the hinge portion 15. This hinge portion 15 is plate-shaped and is continuous and integrated with the cap body 10 and the lid 17. The lid 17 is rotatably connected to the cap body 10 via the hinge portion 15, and such rotation can open and close the tip opening 27a of the discharge hole 27. Therefore, even if the opening shape or plan view shape of the discharge parts is diverse, that is, even if the specifications of the tip opening 27a are variously different, the tip opening 27a can be sealed.

From the viewpoint of improving the rigidity of the lid body 17 and the hinge strength related to opening and closing, in the cap 1 having the hinge portion 15, it is preferable that the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2 are made of different resins. For example, a highly flexible resin suitable for the hinge portion 15 is selectively used for the cap body 10, and a resin with water or oil repellency that provides good liquid drainage, a resin that is resistant to the contents, a resin that feels soft when the discharge part is touched, and a resin (e.g., an elastomer) that has flexibility such that the discharge hole 27 deforms and becomes airtight when the lid body 17 is closed, etc. are selectively used for the discharge part 2.

The lid 17 of this embodiment has a sealing portion 18 in the center that closes the tip opening 27a of the nozzle portion 26 in a liquid-tight manner. The sealing portion 18 is formed from an elastic material. The elasticity of the sealing portion 18 effectively blocks the tip opening 27a, providing excellent sealing performance. Furthermore, even if the specifications of the tip opening 27a vary, the elasticity of the sealing portion 18 ensures high sealing performance.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing portion 18 of this embodiment has an area larger than the tip opening 27a so that it can block the entire tip opening 27a. Specifically, the sealing portion 18 has approximately the same projected area as the part side top surface portion 21 of the ejection part 2. Alternatively, the sealing portion 18 may have approximately the same area as the tip opening 27a so that it can be inserted into the tip opening 27a.

In the cap 1 of this embodiment, in the open state, the cap body 10 and the lid body 17 are connected via the hinge portion 15 in a connection direction Y, and an orthogonal direction X perpendicular to the connection direction Y. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the nozzle portion 26 in this cap 1 has a tip opening 27a that has a shape in a plan view that is long in one direction, and the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 27a coincides with the orthogonal direction X. The orthogonal direction X is parallel to the rotation axis direction of the hinge portion 15.

From the viewpoint of improving the operability of the container 3 by orienting the discharge hole 27 in a desired direction, it is preferable that the cap 1 has a positioning means. The positioning means is a structure and form that restricts the circumferential orientation of the discharge part 2 to a specific direction when the discharge part 2 is attached to the cap body 10. The cap 1 of this embodiment has, as a positioning means, a pair of step-part corresponding parts 12b on the attached part 12a of the cap body 10 and a pair of step parts 23 on the attachment part 22 of the discharge part 2. The orientation of the discharge part 2 in the circumferential direction is restricted to a predetermined direction by positioning the step parts 23 and the step-part corresponding parts 12b. Specifically, in the circumferential direction of the discharge part 2, the positions of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 27a and the positions of the pair of step parts 23 coincide with each other, so that when the step parts 23 and the step-part corresponding parts 12b are aligned, the circumferential orientation of the discharge part 2 can be restricted so that the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 27a coincides with the orthogonal direction X of the cap 1. This makes the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 27a parallel to the rotation axis direction of the hinge portion 15, so the contents are dispensed in a way that makes it difficult for them to roll around on the palm of the hand, net, or other target.

From the viewpoint of more stable ejection of the contents and improving the appearance of the ejected contents, it is preferable that the tip opening 27a of the nozzle portion 26 has a non-circular shape in plan view. Examples of non-circular shapes include a shape that is long in one direction as shown in FIG. 4, a polygon such as a triangle or a square, a shape with straight and curved parts such as an ellipse or a semicircle, and a shape consisting of curved parts such as a crescent. Examples of shapes that are long in one direction include a wavy shape (see FIG. 4), a rectangle with rounded corners (see FIG. 7(a)), a rectangle with multiple constrictions (see FIG. 7(b)), a connected collection of small circles, i.e., a rosary-like shape (see FIG. 7(c)), and an abacus bead shape in which multiple diamonds are connected in one direction (see FIG. 7(d)). Other examples include a rectangle with unrounded corners and a crescent-like shape.

From the same viewpoint as above, the length L1 (see FIG. 4) of the tip opening 27a in the longitudinal direction is preferably at least two times, more preferably at least three times, and also preferably at most ten times, more preferably at most eight times, and also preferably at least two times and at most ten times, more preferably at least three times and at most eight times. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the tip opening 27a has a wavy shape in a plan view, and the length of the lateral direction of the tip opening 27a is the maximum length in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 27a.

Figure 6 shows a discharge part of another embodiment. The embodiment shown in Figure 5 has a step portion 23 consisting of a convex portion protruding upward, but as shown in Figure 6, it may have a step portion 24 consisting of a concave portion. When the discharge part 2 has a step portion 24 consisting of a concave portion, the step portion corresponding to the step portion 24 consists of a convex portion protruding downward (not shown).

The positioning means may be composed of a part-side top surface portion 21 having an anisotropic contour shape, and a main body opening portion 13 corresponding to the contour shape. In other words, when the discharge part 2 is oriented in a predetermined direction, the contour of the main body opening portion 13 may be configured to be similar to the contour of the part-side top surface portion 21. Examples of such contour shapes include a shape that includes multiple curved portions with different curvatures in the contour, and a shape that includes a curved portion and a straight portion in the contour. For example, examples of shapes that include multiple curved portions with different curvatures in the contour include a teardrop shape (see FIG. 8(a)) and an ellipse (see FIG. 8(b)) that include multiple types of curved portions with different curvatures, and further examples of shapes in which multiple curved portions with different curvatures form unevenness (see FIG. 8(d) and (e)). Examples of shapes that include curved portions and straight portions in the contour include a shape consisting of a curve that forms a circumference and a straight line that connects the ends of the curved portion (see FIG. 8(c)) and a heart shape. Other examples include polygonal shapes such as rectangles, triangles, squares, and hexagons when viewed from above.

The positioning means may be of a form other than that described above. For example, the positioning means may be composed of a protrusion provided at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the ejection part 2 and a recess provided at a predetermined position on the inner peripheral surface that forms the main body opening 13 of the cap main body 10 and engages with the protrusion.

From the viewpoint of further improving the sealing performance between the neck portion 31 of the container body 30 and the cap 1, and from the viewpoint of facilitating the attachment and fixing of the discharge part 2 to the cap body 10, it is preferable that a part of the discharge part 2 is sandwiched and fixed between the cap body 10 and the neck portion 31 of the container 3. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the attachment portion 22 of the discharge part 2 is sandwiched and fixed between the attached portion 12a of the cap body 10 and the upper end of the neck portion 31.
The discharge part 2 may be assembled to a part of the neck part 31 as long as a part of the discharge part 2 is sandwiched between the cap body 10 and the neck part 31 of the container body 30 when attached to the cap body 10. In this case, the discharge part 2 can be assembled to the neck part 31 by, for example, engaging a protrusion provided on the discharge part 2 with a recess provided on the neck part 31 that engages with the protrusion.

In the discharge part 2 of this embodiment, the attachment portion 22 is a stepped portion relative to the surface of the part-side top surface portion 21. This "surface" is the surface of the part-side top surface portion 21 opposite the container body 30. In the cap body 10, the attached portion 12a is a stepped portion relative to the back surface of the body-side top surface portion 12. From the viewpoint of making it easier to attach and fix the discharge part 2 to the cap body 10 and from the viewpoint of strength, it is preferable that the thickness t1 of the part-side top surface portion 21 of the discharge part 2, the step t2 of the attachment portion 22, and the step t3 of the attached portion 12a are within the following ranges. The thickness t1 of the part-side top surface portion 21 is the thickness of the portion of the top surface portion other than the nozzle portion 26 and the insertion tube portion 28 described later (see FIG. 9). The step t2 of the attachment portion 22 with respect to the surface of the part-side top surface portion 21 is the step in the discharge direction V between the surface of the part-side top surface portion 21 and the attachment portion 22. The step t3 of the mounting portion 12a is the step between the back surface of the main body top surface 12 and the mounting portion 12a in the discharge direction V (see Figure 9).

The step t2 of the mounting portion 22 is preferably 40% or more, more preferably 50% or more, and preferably 80% or less, more preferably 75% or less, relative to the thickness t1 of the part side top surface portion 21, and is preferably 40% or more and 80% or less, more preferably 50% or more and 75% or less.
The step t3 of the mounting portion 12a is preferably 20% or more, more preferably 25% or more, and also preferably 50% or less, more preferably 40% or less, and also preferably 20% or more and 50% or less, more preferably 25% or more and 40% or less, relative to the thickness t1 of the part side top surface portion 21.
The step t2 of the mounting portion 22 is preferably 100% or more, more preferably 110% or more, and is preferably 200% or less, more preferably 180% or less, and is preferably 100% or more and 200% or less, more preferably 110% or more and 180% or less, relative to the step t3 of the mounted portion 12a.

The thickness t1 of the part side top surface portion 21 is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 1.5 mm or more, and is preferably 4 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or less, and is preferably 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less, more preferably 1.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.
The thickness t2 of the mounting portion 22 is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 1.5 mm or more, and is preferably 3 mm or less, more preferably 2.5 mm or less, and is preferably 1 mm or more and 3 mm or less, more preferably 1.5 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less.
The thickness t3 of the attachment portion 12a is preferably 0.5 mm or more, more preferably 0.8 mm or more, and is preferably 2 mm or less, more preferably 1.5 mm or less, and is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less, more preferably 0.8 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less.

From the viewpoint of airtightness, it is preferable that when the ejection part 2 is attached to the cap body 10, the back surface of the body side top surface 12 and the back surface of the part side top surface 21 are positioned at the same position in the ejection direction V.

From the viewpoint of further improving the airtightness between the neck portion 31 and the cap 1, it is preferable that the neck portion 31 and the discharge part 2 have a sealing member that seals them together. As such a sealing member, in this embodiment, the discharge part 2 has an insertion tube portion 28 that protrudes downward, and the neck portion 31 has an opening forming portion 35 that forms its upper end opening. The outer diameter of the insertion tube portion 28 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the opening forming portion 35, and the insertion tube portion 28 is inserted into the upper end opening of the neck portion 31, and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion tube portion 28 and the inner peripheral surface of the opening forming portion 35 come into close sliding contact with each other, thereby sealing the neck portion 31 and the discharge part 2.

From the same viewpoint as above, the height H1 of the insertion tube portion 28 and the height H2 of the opening forming portion 35 are preferably within the following ranges. The height H1 of the insertion tube portion 28 is the maximum length by which the insertion tube portion 28 protrudes downward from the back surface of the part side top surface portion 21 in the discharge direction V, as shown in FIG. 9. The height H2 of the opening forming portion 35 is the maximum length by which the opening forming portion 35 protrudes downward from the upper end of the neck portion 31 in the discharge direction V, as shown in FIG. 9. The height H1 of the insertion tube portion 28 is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, and also preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 8 mm or less, and also preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, more preferably 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less. The height H2 of the opening forming portion 35 is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, and also preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 8 mm or less, and also preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, more preferably 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

From the viewpoint of more stably fixing the discharge part 2 to the cap body 10 and further improving the adhesion between the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2, it is preferable that the cap 1 is configured so that the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2 can be engaged with each other when the discharge part 2 is attached to the cap body 10. Such engagement allows the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2 to be temporarily fixed, and the degree of fixation can be confirmed, so that the displacement of the discharge part 2 when fixed to the cap body 10 can be suppressed. As a form in which the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2 can be engaged with each other, there can be mentioned a form in which the discharge part 2 has an annular engagement protrusion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting part 22 or the outer peripheral surface of the part side top surface 21, and the cap body 10 has an annular engagement recess formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body side top surface 12 or the inner peripheral surface of the attached part 12a, and the engagement protrusion and the engagement recess can be engaged with each other. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10(a), an engagement protrusion a1 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the part-side top surface 21 of the discharge part 2 can be engaged with an engagement recess a2 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the attached portion 12a of the cap body 10. Conversely, the discharge part 2 may have an engagement recess, and the cap body 10 may have an engagement protrusion. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10(b), an engagement recess b2 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the part-side top surface 21 of the discharge part 2 can be engaged with an engagement protrusion b1 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the attached portion 12a of the cap body 10. The engagement protrusions a1, b1 or the engagement recesses a2, b2 may be formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the part-side top surface 21 or the inner peripheral surface of the attached portion 12a, or may be formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the part-side top surface 21 or the inner peripheral surface of the attached portion 12a.

In addition, from the viewpoint of temporarily fixing the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2, the cap body 10 or the discharge part 2 may have a protruding portion that protrudes in the form of a rib or a projection at the sliding contact portion between the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2. The sliding contact portion is, for example, the contact portion between the outer peripheral surface of the part side top surface portion 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the attachment portion 12a. The protruding portion comes into contact with the cap body 10 or the discharge part 2 at the sliding contact portion and elastically deforms, thereby temporarily fixing the cap body 10 and the discharge part 2.

As described above, the nozzle portion 26 in this embodiment protrudes from the part-side top surface portion 21 in the discharge direction V of the contents. From the viewpoint of more stable discharge of the contents, the height H of the nozzle portion 26 [see FIG. 5] is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 3 mm or more, and also preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 8 mm or less, and also preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or more and 8 mm or less.

As described above, the contents contained inside the container 3 equipped with the cap 1 are foamable. Examples of the contents include skin cleansers such as facial cleansers, body soaps, and hand soaps, cleansing products, lotions, milky lotions, beauty gels, shampoos, and conditioners, among other liquid cosmetics, but preferably skin cleansers, and more preferably facial cleansers.

As described above, the container 3 equipped with the cap of the present invention can eject the contents contained therein by pressing the body 37. The container 3 is not limited to a tube container as shown in FIG. 1 or a squeeze container, which is a push-out container that is pushed out by pressing with fingers, but may be a bottle container or other type of container. However, from the viewpoint of ease of use of the container, it is preferable that the container is an push-out container. The squeeze container is a container in which the thin-walled body and the ejection hole are integrally molded, for example, by blow molding, and the thin-walled body can be easily flattened by pressing with fingers.

The cap 1 of the above-described embodiment can be suitably used in a nozzle replacement set for a container cap of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as a nozzle replacement set). The nozzle replacement set of the present invention will be described based on a preferred embodiment. The nozzle replacement set of this embodiment has the same configuration as the cap 1 described above, except that it has multiple ejection parts 2 described above.

The multiple discharge parts differ from one another in at least one of the opening area and the planar shape of the tip opening of the nozzle part, and are mutually interchangeable. Specifically, the multiple discharge parts may have the same planar shape of the tip opening of the nozzle part but different opening areas, may have the same opening area of the tip opening of the nozzle part but different shapes in plan, or may have different planar shapes and opening areas of the tip opening of the nozzle part. In this way, the nozzle replacement set includes multiple discharge parts with multiple types of tip openings. Each discharge part can have the same configuration as the discharge part 2 described above.

The nozzle replacement set of this embodiment is used by the user by attaching any one of a number of ejection parts to the cap body 10, and then attaching this to the neck portion 31 of the container 3 described above. Since the nozzle replacement set has multiple ejection parts that are mutually interchangeable, the user can easily attach various ejection parts according to his or her preferences and the amount and shape of the contents that are to be ejected. In other words, the user can easily change the various ejection parts according to the mode of use that he or she desires.

The nozzle replacement set may include the cap 1 and multiple ejection parts, or may include the cap 1, multiple ejection parts, and a container body containing the contents. There is no particular limit to the number of ejection parts in the nozzle replacement set, and the set may include two or more types of ejection parts.

Although the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the cap 1 in the above embodiment, the cap body 10 and the lid body 17 are connected via the hinge portion 15, but the cap 1 may be one in which the hinge portion 15 is not present and the cap body 10 and the lid body 17 are completely separable. For example, the outer periphery of the cap body 10 may be fitted into the inner surface of the outer periphery of the lid body 17. In this case, when the lid body 17 is in a predetermined orientation, it is preferable that the contour of the lid body 17 is similar to the contour of the cap body 10. Examples of such contour shapes include a shape that includes multiple curved portions with different curvatures as described above, a shape that includes curved portions and straight portions, etc.

The lid body 17 may be of a so-called push-pong type, which converts a pressure force applied to opposing positions of the lid body 17 to reduce the diameter into a force moving away from the cap body 10 to release the engagement between the lid body and the cap body. In this case, it is preferable to provide a positioning engagement means for preventing the lid body 17 and the cap body 10 from rotating relative to each other when the lid body 17 covers the cap body 10.
The lid body 17 may be capable of being screwed onto the cap body 10. In this case, a screw groove is formed on the inner surface of the outer periphery of the lid body 17 and the outer surface of the outer periphery of the cap body 10 so that they can be screwed together.

Furthermore, the cap 1 may be provided with a locking mechanism on the peripheral portion of the cap body 10 or the lid body 17 for detachably locking the closed state of the lid body 17 relative to the cap body 10. This allows the closed state of the lid body 17 relative to the cap body 10 to be stably maintained. An example of the locking mechanism is one that engages the cap body 10 and the lid body 17 to fix them together when the lid body 17 is closed. For example, when the lid body 17 is fixed to the cap body 10, a protrusion formed on a part of the peripheral portion of the lid body 17 is adapted to engage with an engagement claw formed on a part of the peripheral portion of the cap body 10.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mounting portion 22 is arranged concentrically with the part-side top surface portion 21, but the mounting portion 22 and the part-side top surface portion 21 do not have to be arranged concentrically.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the cap body 10 has the inner tube portion 11a and the outer tube portion 11b arranged concentrically, but the inner tube portion 11a and the outer tube portion 11b do not have to be arranged concentrically.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Cap 10 Cap body 12 Body-side top surface 12a Attached portion 12b Step portion corresponding portion 13 Body opening 15 Hinge portion 17 Lid 18 Closing portion 2 Discharge part 21 Part-side top surface 22 Attachment portion 23 Step portion 26 Nozzle portion 27 Discharge hole 27a Tip opening 28 Insertion tube portion 3 Container 30 Container body 31 Neck portion 34 Neck portion forming member 35 Opening forming portion 38 End seal portion V Discharge direction X Orthogonal direction Y Connection direction

Claims (6)

The cap includes a cap body that is attached to the neck of a container in which contents are stored, a discharge part that is detachably attached to a predetermined position of the cap body and forms a nozzle that projects in a discharge direction for discharging the contents, and a lid that can open and close an opening at the tip of the nozzle,
The lid body is connected to the cap body via a hinge portion,
The cap body is integrally formed with a body-side top surface portion in which a body opening is formed, and a tubular portion that protrudes from the body-side top surface portion toward the neck portion and is attached to the neck portion,
the ejection part has a part-side top surface portion from which the nozzle portion protrudes,
The nozzle portion and a tip opening of the nozzle portion have a shape when viewed from above that is long in one direction,
a positioning means for restricting a circumferential orientation of the discharge part to a specific direction when the discharge part is attached to the cap body, the positioning means being formed on an outer edge of the top surface portion of the part side and the cap body;
The positioning means are recesses and protrusions formed on the ejection part and the cap body, which correspond to each other,
The positioning means is provided in a portion of the nozzle part that is located outside the hinge part in a short side direction of the nozzle part,
When the ejection part is attached to the cap body, the part-side top surface portion is exposed from the body opening ,
A container cap , wherein the nozzle portion is aligned with the positioning means so that the longitudinal direction of the nozzle portion is parallel to the rotation axis direction of the hinge portion. The container cap according to claim 1 , wherein the lid body has a sealing portion that liquid-tightly closes the tip opening of the nozzle portion. The container cap according to claim 2 , wherein the sealing portion is formed of an elastic material. The container cap according to claim 1 , wherein a part of the ejection part is clamped and fixed between the cap body and the container. The container cap according to claim 1 , wherein the cap body and the ejection part are made of different resins. A nozzle replacement set for a container cap, comprising: a cap body to be attached to a neck of a container in which contents are contained; a plurality of discharge parts to be detachably attached to predetermined positions of the cap body and to form a nozzle protruding in a discharge direction of the contents; and a lid body capable of opening and closing a tip opening of the nozzle,
The lid body is connected to the cap body via a hinge portion,
The cap body is integrally formed with a body-side top surface portion in which a body opening is formed, and a tubular portion that protrudes from the body-side top surface portion toward the neck portion and is attached to the neck portion,
the ejection part has a part-side top surface portion from which the nozzle portion protrudes,
The nozzle portion and a tip opening of the nozzle portion have a shape when viewed from above that is long in one direction,
a positioning means for restricting a circumferential orientation of the discharge part to a specific direction when the discharge part is attached to the cap body, the positioning means being formed on an outer edge of the top surface portion of the part side and the cap body;
The positioning means are recesses and protrusions formed on the ejection part and the cap body, which correspond to each other,
The positioning means is provided in a portion of the nozzle part that is located outside the hinge part in a short side direction of the nozzle part,
When the ejection part is attached to the cap body, the part-side top surface portion is exposed from the body opening,
the longitudinal direction of the nozzle portion is parallel to the rotation axis direction of the hinge portion by the alignment by the positioning means,
The nozzle replacement set for a container cap, wherein the multiple ejection parts differ from each other in at least one of the opening area and the planar shape of the tip opening of the nozzle portion and are mutually interchangeable.

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