JP7634457B2 - Cap unit and beverage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cap unit and a beverage container.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a cap unit that can be detachably attached to the mouth and neck portion of a container body that is open at the top (for example, Patent Document 1).
The cap unit of Patent Document 1 comprises a cap body having a liquid passage hole, a lid body that is rotatably attached to the cap body via a hinge portion (first hinge) and blocks the liquid passage hole with a lid gasket when biased in a direction that opens the liquid passage hole (opening direction), and a lid locking mechanism that fixes the lid body to the cap body in a blocking position where the lid body blocks the liquid passage hole.

Patent No. 6554356

For example, if a hot beverage is poured into the container body and the lid is closed, the beverage may cool down and reduce the pressure inside the container body after some time has passed. In such a case, even if the user performs an operation to release the lid from its locked state by the lid locking mechanism, the lid gasket of the lid may stick to the liquid passage opening and the lid may not open. To open the lid, the user must release the lid locking mechanism with one hand while pulling the lid in the opening direction with the other hand, which means that both hands must be used, making it difficult to operate.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a cap unit and beverage container that are easy to use and allow the user to open the lid with one hand even when the pressure inside the container body is reduced.

One aspect of the present invention is a cap unit that can be removably attached to a container body that is open at the top, the cap unit comprising: a cap body that is attached to the top opening of the container body and has a liquid passage port that connects the inside and outside of the container body; a lid body that is rotatably attached to the cap body via a first hinge and that releasably blocks the liquid passage port when biased in an opening direction about the first hinge; a water-stopping gasket that seals the space between the cap body and the container body; a lid locking mechanism that fixes the lid body to the cap body in a closed position where the lid body blocks the liquid passage port; and a lid opening mechanism that pushes up the lid body in the closed position to open the liquid passage port when the lid locking mechanism is operated to release the fixed state of the lid body, the lid opening mechanism having a lever member that can rotate around a rotation axis, and when the lid locking mechanism is operated to release the fixed state of the lid body, the lever member rotates about the rotation axis to push up the lid body in the closed position from below .

In the cap unit, the lid locking mechanism has a locking member that is engaged with the lid body, and the operation for releasing the fixed state of the lid body by the lid locking mechanism is an operation for pushing the locking member in the extension direction of the rotation axis to release the engagement between the locking member and the lid body, and it is preferable that the lever member has a conversion part that converts the pressing force that pushes the locking member in the extension direction into a rotational force around the rotation axis.

In the cap unit, it is preferable that the conversion portion has an inclined surface that extends in the extension direction as it approaches the rotation axis, and the locking member that is pushed in the extension direction slides against the inclined surface, causing the lever member to rotate around the rotation axis.

In the cap unit, the lid lock mechanism may have a second hinge that rotatably supports the lock member, and a lock biasing portion that biases the lock member to one side around the second hinge, and by pushing the lock member to the other side around the second hinge against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion, the lock member is pushed in the extension direction, and the lever member rotates around the rotation axis.

In the cap unit, the lid lock mechanism may have a second hinge that supports the lock member so that it can slide freely in the extension direction, and a lock biasing part that biases the lock member toward the outside of the cap in the extension direction, and the lever member may be rotated around the rotation axis by pushing the lock member toward the inside of the cap in the extension direction against the biasing force of the lock biasing part.

In the cap unit, it is preferable that the lever member is provided between the peripheral wall portion of the cap body and the second hinge.

One embodiment of the beverage container of the present invention comprises the cap unit described above and the container body to which the cap unit is attached.

The cap unit and beverage container of the above aspect of the present invention are easy to use, allowing the user to easily open the lid with one hand even when the pressure inside the container body is reduced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beverage container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a beverage container. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the beverage container, showing the lid in a closed state (closed position), with a portion of the lever member and a portion of the lock member not shown in cross section being shown by virtual lines (two-dot chain lines). FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of a beverage container, in which a locking member is shown by an imaginary line (two-dot chain line) and the lid is shown in a closed state (closed position). 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a beverage container, showing a state in which the lever member rotates about the pivot shaft by pushing in the locking member to push up the lid from the closed position. A portion of the lever member and a portion of the locking member that are not on the cross section are shown by virtual lines (two-dot chain lines). FIG. 6 is an oblique view showing a part of a beverage container, with the locking member shown in virtual lines (two-dot chain lines) and showing the state in which pushing in the locking member causes the lever member to rotate about the pivot axis, pushing up the lid body from the closed position. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the beverage container, showing the lid in an open state (open position). FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a beverage container with the lid in an open state (open position). FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of a beverage container. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of a beverage container. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the lever member. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the lever member. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a portion of a beverage container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a beverage container, showing the lid in a closed state (closed position). A portion of the lever member and a portion of the locking member that are not on the cross section are shown by virtual lines (two-dot chain lines). FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a part of a beverage container, with the locking member shown in imaginary lines (two-dot chain lines) and the lid in the closed state (closed position). 16 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a beverage container, showing a state in which the lever member rotates about the rotation axis by pushing in the locking member to push up the lid. A portion of the lever member and a portion of the locking member that are not on the cross section are shown by virtual lines (two-dot chain lines). Figure 17 is an oblique view showing a part of a beverage container, with the locking member shown in virtual lines (dash line) and showing the state in which pushing the locking member causes the lever member to rotate about the pivot axis and push up the lid body. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a beverage container, showing the lid in an open state (open position). FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a portion of a beverage container, showing the lid in an open state (open position). FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of a beverage container. FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of a beverage container.

First Embodiment
A cap unit 3A according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a beverage container 1A equipped with the cap unit 3A will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. In the following description, the cap unit 3A may be simply referred to as a cap, and the beverage container 1A may be simply referred to as a container.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the beverage container 1A of this embodiment comprises a cap unit 3A and a bottomed, cylindrical container body 2 to which the cap unit 3A is attached. The cap unit 3A is detachably attached to the mouth neck portion 2c of the container body 2, which is open at the top. The cap unit 3A constitutes a stopper that closes the upper opening 2d of the container body 2.

As shown in Figure 3, the cap unit 3A is cylindrical, i.e., capped, with a top wall (top wall), and is attached to the upper opening 2d of the container body 2. The cap body 10 has a liquid passage 11 connecting the inside and outside of the container body 2, a capped cylindrical lid body 20 that is arranged on the upper side of the cap body 10 and covers the liquid passage 11, a first hinge 31 that rotatably connects the lid body 20 to the cap body 10, a water-tight gasket 35 that seals the space between the cap body 10 and the container body 2, a lid locking mechanism 40 that fixes the lid body 20 to the cap body 10, and a lid opening mechanism 60.
The cap unit 3A and the container body 2 are arranged coaxially with each other about the central axis C.

In this embodiment, the direction in which the central axis C extends is referred to as the up-down direction. In the up-down direction, the direction from the bottom surface 2a of the container body 2 to the lid top wall 20b of the lid body 20 is referred to as the upper side, and the direction from the lid top wall 20b to the bottom surface 2a is referred to as the lower side.
A direction perpendicular to the central axis C is called a radial direction. Of the radial directions, a direction approaching the central axis C is called a radially inner direction or simply called an inner direction, and a direction away from the central axis C is called a radially outer direction or simply called an outer direction.

Among the radial directions, a direction passing through the first hinge 31 and the central axis C is referred to as a front-rear direction. Among the front-rear directions, a direction from the first hinge 31 toward the central axis C is referred to as a front side, and a direction from the central axis C toward the first hinge 31 is referred to as a rear side.
In addition, the radial direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is called the left-right direction. When the beverage container 1A is in an upright position in which the lid top wall portion 20b of the lid body 20 faces vertically upward as shown in Figure 2, the direction toward the left in the left-right direction is called the left side, and the direction toward the right is called the right side.
Moreover, the direction going around the central axis C is called the circumferential direction.

The central axis C may be called the cap central axis C or the container central axis C, to distinguish it from the first hinge central axis A1, the second hinge central axis A2, and the pivot central axis B described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage container 1A has a container body 2 with a vacuum insulation structure, which allows the beverage (liquid contents, liquid) contained in the container body 2 to be kept warm or cold. The container body 2 is a cylindrical shape with an open top and a bottom. Note that the container body 2 may also contain contents other than beverages.

Specifically, the container body 2 has a cylindrical outer container 4 and an inner container 5 with a bottom, both made of, for example, stainless steel, and is configured as a double-structure container in which the mouths of the two containers are joined together while the inner container 5 is housed inside the outer container 4.

A vacuum insulation layer 6 is provided between the outer container 4 and the inner container 5. The vacuum insulation layer 6 can be formed, for example, by blocking a vent hole provided in the center of the bottom surface of the outer container 4 in a chamber that has been depressurized (evacuated) to a high vacuum.

The container body 2 has a substantially disk-shaped bottom surface portion 2a, a substantially cylindrical body portion 2b whose lower end is connected to the outer periphery of the bottom surface portion 2a, and a mouth neck portion 2c that is disposed above the body portion 2b and has a smaller diameter than the body portion 2b.

The inner circumference of the neck portion 2c is smaller in diameter than the inner circumference of the body portion 2b. The upper end of the neck portion 2c opens in a circular shape as the upper opening 2d of the container body 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the neck portion 2c has a male thread portion 7, a protruding portion 8, and a shoulder portion 2e.

The male thread portion 7 is disposed on the outer periphery of the mouth/neck portion 2c.
The protruding portion 8 is disposed on the inner periphery of the mouth and neck portion 2c. The protruding portion 8 protrudes radially inward from the inner periphery of the mouth and neck portion 2c and extends around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The protruding portion 8 is annular about the central axis C and protrudes most inward in the mouth and neck portion 2c.

The shoulder 2e is located at the outer periphery of the neck portion 2c at its lower end. The shoulder 2e is tapered, with the diameter decreasing as it extends upward. The portion of the neck portion 2c adjacent to the upper side of the shoulder 2e is generally cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction. The male thread portion 7 is located in the portion of the neck portion 2c adjacent to the upper side of the shoulder 2e.

The beverage container 1A of this embodiment has an overall generally cylindrical external shape as shown in FIG. 1, but the external shape of the beverage container 1A is not particularly limited and can be modified as appropriate to suit the size, design, etc. In addition, the outer surfaces (surfaces) of the container body 2, cap body 10, and lid body 20 may be painted, printed, etc.

The cap body 10 is made of a heat-resistant resin such as polypropylene (PP). As shown in FIG. 3, the cap body 10 has a peripheral wall portion 10a formed in a generally cylindrical shape so as to be continuous with the body portion 2b of the container body 2, and a top wall portion 10b connected to the upper end portion of the peripheral wall portion 10a. The top wall portion 10b also has an opening portion 10c that penetrates the top wall portion 10b in the vertical direction.

A female thread 12 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 10a. The female thread 12 screws into the male thread 7 of the neck portion 2c. This allows the cap body 10 to be attached to the neck portion 2c of the container body 2 in a freely detachable manner by screwing.

As shown in FIG. 4, a cap bearing portion 15 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 10a. The cap bearing portion 15 protrudes forward from the front end portion of the peripheral wall portion 10a. A pair of cap bearing portions 15 are provided with a gap between them in the left-right direction. Each cap bearing portion 15 is in the shape of a plate that extends in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, a rotation shaft 16 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 10a. The rotation shaft 16 protrudes forward from the front end portion of the peripheral wall portion 10a. The rotation shaft 16 is disposed between a pair of cap bearing portions 15 in the left-right direction. The central axis B of the rotation shaft 16 (hereinafter referred to as the rotation central axis B) extends in the front-rear direction. That is, in this embodiment, the extension direction of the rotation shaft 16 corresponds to the front-rear direction. The rotation shaft 16 is cylindrical with the rotation central axis B as its center.

As shown in Figures 3, 7 and 8, the cap body 10 has a mouth forming member 13 that is attached to the opening 10c of the cap body 10 and in which the liquid passage port 11 is disposed, and a mouth detachment mechanism 14 that detachably fixes the mouth forming member 13 to the opening 10c.

The mouth-forming member 13 is detachably attached to the opening 10c and forms a drinking spout or a pouring spout (a drinking spout in this embodiment). The mouth-forming member 13 is made of a heat-resistant resin such as polypropylene (PP).

The mouth forming member 13 has a bottom wall portion 13a in which the liquid passage hole 11 is formed, a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 13b rising upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 13a, a lower flange portion 13c extending radially outward from the lower end of the bottom wall portion 13a, a pair of upper flange portions (not shown) that protrude from the outer periphery of the peripheral wall portion 13b on the left and right sides, respectively, and extend in the front-to-rear direction, and a diagonally cut drinking mouth portion 13d that is provided on the upper opening edge of the peripheral wall portion 13b and extends downward from the front end of the upper opening edge toward the rear.

The mouth detachment mechanism 14 is a member for removably attaching the mouth forming member 13 to the opening 10c of the cap body 10, and is made of, for example, resin. The mouth detachment mechanism 14 is disposed between the mouth forming member 13 and the first hinge 31 in the front-rear direction. The mouth detachment mechanism 14 is provided between the inner periphery of the opening 10c and the peripheral wall portion 13b of the mouth forming member 13. The mouth detachment mechanism 14 has an elastically deformable elastic portion (elastic piece), and the mouth forming member 13 is attached to and detached from the opening 10c by elastically deforming the elastic portion, and the mouth forming member 13 is pressed against and fixed to the opening 10c by restoring deformation of the elastically deformed elastic portion.

As the mouth detachment mechanism 14, for example, the configuration described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 6554356) can be used, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this embodiment.
The mouth forming member 13 may be detachable from the top wall portion 10b of the cap body 10 as in this embodiment, or may be integrated with the top wall portion 10b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the watertight gasket 35 is detachably attached to the lower flange portion 13c of the mouth forming member 13. The watertight gasket 35 is a ring-shaped sealing member for sealing the gap between the protruding portion 8 and the mouth forming member 13. The watertight gasket 35 is made of an elastic material such as heat-resistant rubber or elastomer, for example silicone rubber.

The inner circumference of the watertight packing 35 has an inner circumference recess 35a that is recessed radially outward and extends around the entire circumference. The watertight packing 35 is attached to the mouth forming member 13 by fitting the inner circumference recess 35a into the lower flange portion 13c.

The outer peripheral surface of the watertight gasket 35 has an elastic flange portion 35b that protrudes radially outward. The elastic flange portion 35b is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the watertight gasket 35 and extends around the entire circumference. Two elastic flange portions 35b are provided side by side in the vertical direction. When the cap unit 3A is attached to the container body 2, the elastic flange portion 35b elastically deforms and comes into close contact with the protruding portion 8 of the container body 2 around the entire circumference. This enables the watertight gasket 35 to liquid-tightly seal the gap between the mouth forming member 13 (cap body 10) and the protruding portion 8 (container body 2).

The watertight gasket 35 can be elastically deformed by pulling and stretching itself, and can be removed from the lower flange portion 13c. This allows the mouth forming member 13 and the watertight gasket 35 to be washed separately, and the space between the mouth forming member 13 and the watertight gasket 35 can be kept hygienic.

The watertight gasket 35 is not limited to the shape described above, and for example, the number of elastic flange portions 35b is not limited to the two described above, but can be one or three or more. The watertight gasket 35 is not limited to the configuration provided with the elastic flange portions 35b described above, and the shape, etc. can be modified as appropriate.

The lid 20 is made of a heat-resistant resin such as polypropylene (PP). As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the lid 20 opens and closes the liquid passage port 11, which is the drinking spout or pouring spout of the mouth-forming member 13.

Specifically, the lid body 20 is connected to the cap body 10 via the first hinge 31, and is therefore rotatable about the first hinge 31 between a closed state (blocked position) shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and an open state (open position) shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The closed position of the lid body 20 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is a position where the lid body 20 blocks the liquid passage port 11, and the open position of the lid body 20 shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is a position where the lid body 20 opens the liquid passage port 11. Also, Figs. 5 and 6 show intermediate states of the lid body 20 in the middle of transitioning from the closed state to the open state.

The lid body 20 is biased by a torsion spring (not shown) provided on the first hinge 31 in a direction that opens the liquid passage port 11, i.e., in the opening direction, around the central axis A1 of the first hinge 31 (hereinafter referred to as the first hinge central axis A1). That is, the lid body 20 is rotatably attached to the cap body 10 via the first hinge 31, and releasably closes the liquid passage port 11 while being biased in the opening direction around the first hinge 31.

The lid body 20 has a lid peripheral wall portion 20a formed in a generally cylindrical shape so as to be continuous with the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10, a lid top wall portion 20b connected to the upper end portion of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a, and a cylindrical inner wall portion 20c protruding downward from the lid top wall portion 20b.

A lid gasket 21 that closes the liquid passage port 11 of the opening forming member 13 is provided on the inside of the lid body 20. That is, the lid body 20 has the lid gasket 21. The lid gasket 21 is a plug-shaped sealing member for sealing the liquid passage port 11. The lid gasket 21 is made of an elastic member, and can be made of the same material as the water-stopping gasket 35 described above, for example.

The lid packing 21 is generally cylindrical with a bottom, and is removably attached to the inner wall portion 20c with the inner wall portion 20c fitted inside. The bottom surface (lower surface) of the lid packing 21 is formed in a dome shape that is convex downward.

In the cap unit 3A, when the lid body 20 closes the upper part of the cap body 10, the lid gasket 21 elastically deforms and comes into close contact with the periphery of the liquid passage hole 11. This allows the liquid passage hole 11 of the opening forming member 13 to be closed.

When the lid gasket 21 is attached to the inner wall portion 20c, the lid gasket 21 is elastically deformed to expand in diameter while the inner wall portion 20c is tightly fitted inside the lid gasket 21, so that the lid gasket 21 is tightly fixed to the inner wall portion 20c. Therefore, even if negative pressure is created inside the container body 2 when the lid body 20 is in the closed position and a tensile force is applied to the lid gasket 21 toward the inside of the container body 2, the lid gasket 21 is prevented from coming off the inner wall portion 20c when the lid body 20 is opened. Therefore, when the lid body 20 is in the open state, the liquid passage port 11 can be stably opened.

The lid top wall portion 20b has a recess 20d recessed downward from the upper surface of the lid top wall portion 20b. A cover member 22 that covers the inner wall portion 20c from above is attached to the recess 20d. In other words, the lid body 20 has a cover member 22. The cover member 22 is made of the same material as the lid body 20 and is formed in a substantially circular plate shape.

The cover member 22 is not limited to being made of the same material as the lid body 20, but may be made of a different material or color, or may be made of a transparent material. A three-dimensional structure may be placed on the top of the cover member 22, or an engraving may be applied to the top surface. This allows for a cap unit 3A with excellent design.

The first hinge 31 is disposed at the rear of the cap unit 3A. The first hinge 31 connects the rear upper end of the cap body 10 and the rear of the lid body 20 so as to be rotatable relative to each other around the first hinge central axis A1. The first hinge central axis A1 extends in the left-right direction. The first hinge central axis A1 is disposed rearward of the central axis C. The first hinge central axis A1 and central axis C are in mutually twisted positions.

The first hinge 31 has a torsion spring (biasing portion) not shown. The torsion spring is a torsion coil spring that extends in a spiral shape centered on the first hinge central axis A1. The torsion spring biases the lid body 20 in the opening direction around the first hinge 31 (around the first hinge central axis A1) relative to the cap body 10.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lid locking mechanism 40 is disposed at the front of the cap unit 3A. When the lid body 20 is in the closed position where the lid body 20 closes the liquid passage port 11, the lid locking mechanism 40 fixes the lid body 20 to the cap body 10 against the biasing force of the torsion spring of the first hinge 31. The lid locking mechanism 40 fixes the front end of the cap body 10 and the front end of the lid body 20.

The lid lock mechanism 40 has a second hinge 41, a locking member 42 rotatably attached to the cap body 10 via the second hinge 41, a lock biasing portion 43 that biases the locking member 42, a ring stopper 44 rotatably attached to the cap body 10 via the second hinge 41, a lock receiving portion 45 to which the locking member 42 is engaged, and a stopper receiving portion 46 to which the ring stopper 44 is hooked.

The second hinge 41 is provided at the front end of the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10. The second hinge 41 connects the front end of the cap body 10 and the rear end of the locking member 42 so that they can rotate relatively around the central axis A2 of the second hinge 41 (hereinafter referred to as the second hinge central axis A2). The second hinge 41 also connects the front end of the cap body 10 and both left and right ends of the ring stopper 44 so that they can rotate relatively around the second hinge central axis A2.

The second hinge central axis A2 extends in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the second hinge central axis A2 and the first hinge central axis A1 extend parallel to each other. The second hinge central axis A2 is disposed forward of the central axis C. The second hinge central axis A2 and the central axis C are in a twisted position relative to each other.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when viewing the cap unit 3A from the right side along the direction in which the second hinge central axis A2 extends (second hinge axial direction), the clockwise direction around the second hinge central axis A2 is referred to as one side around the second hinge 41 (around the second hinge central axis A2), and the counterclockwise direction around the second hinge central axis A2 is referred to as the other side around the second hinge 41.

One side around the second hinge 41 is the direction in which the lid locking mechanism 40 (the locking member 42) fixes the lid body 20, so it can be said that this is the locking direction around the second hinge 41. The other side around the second hinge 41 is the direction in which the fixed state of the lid body 20 by the lid locking mechanism 40 (the locking member 42) is released, so it can be said that this is the unlocking direction around the second hinge 41.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second hinge 41 has a lock hinge shaft 47. The lock hinge shaft 47 is cylindrical with its center on the second hinge central axis A2 and extends in the left-right direction. The lock hinge shaft 47 penetrates a pair of cap bearing portions 15 of the cap body 10 in the left-right direction and is supported by the pair of cap bearing portions 15. In addition, the lock hinge shaft 47 supports the lock member 42 and the ring stopper 44 so that they can rotate freely around the second hinge central axis A2. In other words, the second hinge 41 supports the lock member 42 and the ring stopper 44 so that they can rotate freely.

The locking member 42 is a member that engages with the lid body 20 to fix the lid body 20 in the closed position. The locking member 42 is operated by the user when releasing the fixed state of the lid body 20 in the closed position. In this embodiment, the locking member 42 is generally disk-shaped. The locking member 42 is made of, for example, resin.

9 and 10, the locking member 42 has a lock bearing portion 42c supported by the second hinge 41, a first extension portion 42a connected to the lock bearing portion 42c and extending upward from the second hinge 41, a second extension portion 42b connected to the lock bearing portion 42c and extending downward from the second hinge 41, and a sliding protrusion portion 42d. The first extension portion 42a and the second extension portion 42b constitute the main body portion of the locking member 42. In this embodiment, the main body portion of the locking member 42 is disk-shaped.

The lock bearing portions 42c are disposed at the left and right ends of the locking member 42, and protrude rearward from the connection portions with the main body portions (first extension portion 42a and second extension portion 42b) of the locking member 42. The lock bearing portions 42c are located at the rear end of the locking member 42. A pair of the lock bearing portions 42c are provided with a gap between them in the left and right direction. In other words, the lock bearing portions 42c are provided at the left and right ends of the locking member 42. Each lock bearing portion 42c is in the shape of a plate that extends in a direction perpendicular to the left and right direction.

In this embodiment, the pair of lock bearings 42c are disposed inside the pair of cap bearings 15 in the left-right direction (i.e., between the pair of cap bearings 15). The pair of lock bearings 42c are supported by the lock hinge shaft 47 so as to be rotatable around the second hinge central axis A2.

The first extension 42a is connected to the front end of the lock bearing 42c and is located forward of the second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47). In this embodiment, the first extension 42a is semicircular and expands in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the left-right dimension decreases toward the top. A hook 48 is provided at the upper end of the first extension 42a and protrudes toward the rear. The hook 48 is removably engaged with the lock receiving portion 45 of the lid 20. In other words, the lock member 42 is removably engaged with the lid 20.

The second extension 42b is connected to the front end of the lock bearing 42c and is located forward of the second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47). In this embodiment, the second extension 42b is a semicircular plate that expands in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the left-right dimension decreases toward the bottom.

As shown in FIG. 10, the sliding protrusion 42d protrudes rearward from the right side of the main body of the locking member 42. In this embodiment, the sliding protrusion 42d protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the second extension 42b. The sliding protrusion 42d is cylindrical and extends in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the rear end of the sliding protrusion 42d is semispherical and convex toward the rear.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lock biasing portion 43 is made of an elastic member such as a compression coil spring, and is disposed between the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10 and the second extension portion 42b in a state compressed in the front-rear direction. The lock biasing portion 43 biases the second extension portion 42b toward the front side, thereby biasing the locking member 42 to one side (locking direction) around the second hinge 41.

The ring stopper 44 is a member that extends in a generally arc-shaped curve around the locking member 42, and both ends of the ring stopper 44 are rotatably supported by the second hinge 41 (locking hinge shaft 47). This allows the ring stopper 44 to rotate vertically around the second hinge 41, and more specifically, to rotate to one side and the other side around the second hinge 41.

The lock receiving portion 45 is a claw-shaped portion that protrudes forward from the lower portion of the front end of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a of the lid body 20. When the lid body 20 is in the closed position, the lock receiving portion 45 is disposed behind the first extension portion 42a of the locking member 42 and faces the first extension portion 42a.

The stopper receiving portion 46 has a shape that fits into the inner periphery of the ring stopper 44, and is made up of a wall portion that protrudes forward from a position that surrounds the lock receiving portion 45 on the front end of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a. When the hook portion 48 engages with the lock receiving portion 45, the hook portion 48 is inserted between the stopper receiving portion 46 and the lock receiving portion 45.

In the lid lock mechanism 40, when the lid 20 closes the top of the cap body 10, the hook portion 48 of the locking member 42 is engaged with the lock receiving portion 45, so that the lid 20 is held in a state in which the lid 20 closes the top of the cap body 10, i.e., the closed position of the lid 20. From this state, when the user presses the second extension portion 42b of the locking member 42 backward against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion 43, the locking member 42 rotates around the second hinge 41 and the first extension portion 42a is displaced forward, releasing the hook portion 48 from the lock receiving portion 45. In other words, when the user rotates the locking member 42 to the other side (unlocking direction) around the second hinge 41, the fixed state of the lid 20 by the lid lock mechanism 40 is released. This allows the lid 20 to be rotated in the opening direction by the biasing force of the torsion spring in the first hinge 31, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in the lid lock mechanism 40, when the lid 20 closes the top of the cap body 10, the ring stopper 44 is rotated to one side (locking direction) around the second hinge 41 and latched to the stopper receiving portion 46, thereby preventing the lid 20 from rotating in the opening direction. This makes it possible for the lid lock mechanism 40 to prevent the lid 20 from opening due to unnecessary (unintended) operation of the locking member 42, etc. Also, by rotating the ring stopper 44 to the other side (unlocking direction) around the second hinge 41, the engagement state of the ring stopper 44 with the stopper receiving portion 46 is released.

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the lid opening mechanism 60 is disposed at the front of the cap unit 3A. The lid opening mechanism 60 has a lever member 61 that can rotate around the pivot shaft 16. The lever member 61 is supported by the pivot shaft 16 so as to be freely rotatable around the pivot center axis B. Below, the configuration of the lever member 61 will be described using various directions based on the pivot center axis B.

In this embodiment, the direction in which the rotation center axis B extends, i.e., the direction in which the rotation axis 16 extends, is called the extension direction. In this embodiment, the extension direction of the rotation center axis B corresponds to the front-rear direction. In other words, the extension direction of the rotation axis 16 (rotation center axis B) is parallel to the front-rear direction. In addition, one side of the extension direction is called the cap outer side, and the other side is called the cap inner side. Specifically, the cap outer side in the extension direction is the direction from the inside of the cap to the outside along the extension direction of the rotation center axis B, which corresponds to the front side in this embodiment. In addition, the cap inner side in the extension direction is the direction from the outside of the cap to the inside along the extension direction of the rotation center axis B, which corresponds to the rear side in this embodiment.

The direction perpendicular to the rotation axis B is called the rotation axis radial direction. Within the rotation axis radial direction, the direction approaching the rotation axis B is called the inner side of the rotation axis radial direction, and the direction away from the rotation axis B is called the outer side of the rotation axis radial direction.

In addition, the direction rotating around the rotation center axis B is referred to as the rotation axis circumferential direction. In the rotation axis circumferential direction, when the cap unit 3A is viewed from the front side, the clockwise direction around the rotation center axis B is referred to as one side of the rotation axis circumferential direction, and the counterclockwise direction around the rotation center axis B is referred to as the other side of the rotation axis circumferential direction.
Note that one side of the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft may be rephrased as a push-up direction in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, since this is the direction in which the lever member 61 pushes up the lid body 20. Also, the other side of the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft may be rephrased as a counter push-up direction in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft.

The lever member 61 is disposed between the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10 and the locking member 42 in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the lever member 61 is provided between the peripheral wall portion 10a and the second hinge 41 (locking hinge shaft 47). The lever member 61 is also disposed between the pair of cap bearing portions 15 in the left-right direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the cap unit 3A is viewed from the front, the lever member 61 is entirely hidden behind the locking member 42. That is, the lever member 61 (lid opening mechanism 60) entirely overlaps with the locking member 42 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, even when the lid opening mechanism 60 is provided, the external aesthetics of the cap unit 3A and beverage container 1A are maintained in a good condition.

As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the lever member 61 is a generally L-shaped plate-shaped component having a long side and a short side, and is made of, for example, resin. The long side of the lever member 61 is located at the top of the lever member 61 and extends in the left-right direction. The short side of the lever member 61 extends downward from the right end of the long side of the lever member 61.

The lever member 61 has an attachment hole 62 that penetrates the lever member 61 in the extension direction (front-rear direction) of the pivot center axis B, a thick portion 63 located on the long side of the lever member 61, a conversion portion 64 located on the short side of the lever member 61, and a thin portion 65 located between the thick portion 63 and the conversion portion 64 and adjacent to the attachment hole 62.

The mounting hole 62 is a circular hole centered on the pivot axis B, and is located at the connection between the long and short sides of the lever member 61, i.e., approximately in the center of the lever member 61. The pivot shaft 16 slides into the mounting hole 62. The mounting hole 62 and the pivot shaft 16 are relatively rotatable in the circumferential direction of the pivot shaft. Therefore, the lever member 61 is rotatable around the pivot shaft 16 (around the pivot axis B) relative to the cap body 10.

The thick portion 63 is generally prismatic and extends in the left-right direction. The thick portion 63 is disposed adjacent to the mounting hole 62 and the upper side of the thin portion 65. The thick portion 63 is disposed above the second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47). As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the front end portion of the thick portion 63 (the end portion on the outer side of the cap in the extending direction) overlaps with the second hinge 41 when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, the thick portion 63 has a push-up portion 66 that is located at the left end of the thick portion 63. In other words, the lever member 61 has a push-up portion 66. In this embodiment, the push-up portion 66 is located at the farthest position from the pivot center axis B on the lever member 61.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the lever member 61 is rotated to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis (the push-up direction), the push-up portion 66 contacts the lower front end of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a of the lid body 20 from below, and pushes up the lid body 20.

As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the conversion section 64 is disposed adjacent to the lower side of the thin-walled section 65. The conversion section 64 is disposed below the second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47). As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, the front end of the conversion section 64 overlaps with the second hinge 41 when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the conversion part 64 has an inclined surface 67 that is disposed on the front surface of the conversion part 64 and extends in the extension direction (front-rear direction) as it approaches the rotation axis 16 (around the rotation center axis B). Specifically, the inclined surface 67 inclines toward the outside of the cap (front side) in the extension direction as it approaches one side (push-up direction) around the rotation axis. As shown in Figure 4, the inclined surface 67 faces the sliding protrusion 42d of the locking member 42 from the rear side.

When the user removes the ring stopper 44 from the stopper receiver 46 from the closed position of the lid 20 shown in Figure 3 and pushes the second extension 42b of the locking member 42 toward the inside (rear) of the cap in the extension direction, the hook portion 48 is first released from the lock receiver 45. When the user further pushes the second extension 42b of the locking member 42, the rear end (tip) of the sliding protrusion 42d comes into contact with the inclined surface 67 from the front and presses the inclined surface 67 toward the rear (see Figure 4).

This generates a rotational force that rotates the conversion part 64 to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis (push-up direction), and while the sliding protrusion 42d slides on the inclined surface 67, the lever member 61 is rotated to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In other words, the locking member 42, which has been pushed in the extension direction, slides against the inclined surface 67, causing the lever member 61 to rotate around the rotation axis 16. At this time, the sliding protrusion 42d slides on an imaginary line VL (see Figures 11 and 12) that extends in a spiral shape around the central axis B of the rotation of the inclined surface 67 that rotates around the rotation axis 16.

In this embodiment, by pushing the locking member 42 to the other side (unlocking direction) around the second hinge 41 against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion 43, the locking member 42 is pushed in the extension direction and the lever member 61 rotates around the pivot axis 16.
Then, as the lever member 61 rotates to one side around the rotation axis (the pushing-up direction), the pushing-up portion 66 comes into contact with the lower end surface of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a of the lid body 20 in the closed position, and pushes up the lid body 20 from below.

In this embodiment, when the lid locking mechanism 40 is operated to release the lid 20 from its fixed state, the lever member 61 rotates about the pivot shaft 16, pushing up the lid 20 from the closed position from below. In other words, when the lid opening mechanism 60 is operated to release the lid 20 from its fixed state, the lid opening mechanism 60 pushes up the lid 20 from the closed position to open the liquid passage port 11.

Specifically, the operation for releasing the fixed state of the lid body 20 by the lid locking mechanism 40 is an operation for pushing the locking member 42 in the extension direction of the rotation shaft 16 to release the engagement between the locking member 42 and the lid body 20, and the conversion part 64 (inclined surface 67) converts the pressure force pushing the locking member 42 in the extension direction into a rotational force around the rotation shaft 16.

In addition, in this embodiment, the amount by which the locking member 42 is pushed in the extension direction until the locking member 42 starts to slide against the inclined surface 67 is greater than the amount by which the locking member 42 is pushed in the extension direction until the locking member 42 and the lid body 20 are released from their engagement. In other words, when the locking member 42 is pushed in, the hook portion 48 is first released from its engagement with the lock receiving portion 45, and then the lever member 61 starts to rotate about the rotation axis 16. Therefore, when the lever member 61 pushes up the lid body 20, the locking member 42 does not impede the rotation of the lid body 20 in the opening direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, the thin-walled portion 65 is disposed below the thick-walled portion 63 and above the conversion portion 64. The thin-walled portion 65 is groove-shaped recessed from the front surface of the lever member 61 toward the rear, and extends in the left-right direction across the left and right sides of the mounting hole 62. The groove width of the thin-walled portion 65 increases the further away from the pivot axis B to the left. The groove width of the thin-walled portion 65 also increases the further away from the pivot axis B to the right. In other words, the groove width of the thin-walled portion 65 increases the further away from the pivot axis B.

As shown in Fig. 4, a part (a central part between both ends) of the second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47) is disposed in the thin-walled portion 65. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the lever member 61 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 16 within a range in which the second hinge 41 and the thin-walled portion 65 do not interfere with each other. In this embodiment, the range (rotation angle) in which the lever member 61 can rotate about the rotation central axis B is about 45°. However, the rotation angle of the lever member 61 is not limited to 45° in this embodiment, and may be less than 45° or more than 45°.
In this embodiment, the amount of rotation (movement) by which the push-up portion 66 of the lever member 61 rotates about the rotation shaft 16 is set to be greater than the amount of depression (movement) in the extension direction of the lock member 42 .

The opened lid body 20 is then rotated in the opposite direction (closing direction) to the opening direction against the biasing force of the torsion spring in the first hinge 31, and the hook portion 48 of the locking member 42 is engaged with the lock receiving portion 45, so that the lid body 20 again closes the upper portion of the cap body 10, i.e., the lid body 20 is in the closed position.

In the cap unit 3A and beverage container 1A of the present embodiment described above, for example, when the pressure inside the container body 2 is reduced as a result of a hot beverage cooling down, causing the lid body 20 to become unable to be opened, the lid opening mechanism 60 can push up the lid body 20 from the closed position and open the liquid passage port 11 by operating the lid locking mechanism 40 to release the fixed state of the lid body 20, i.e., by operating the second extension portion 42b of the locking member 42 to be pushed rearward. In other words, even if the lid packing 21 of the lid body 20 sticks to the liquid passage port 11 due to reduced pressure or the like, the lid body 20 can be pushed up and reliably opened by a single operation (one action) to release the locked state of the lid locking mechanism 40.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the inside of the container body 2 is in a reduced pressure state, the user can easily open the lid body 20 with one hand without using both hands, and the operability is excellent.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the cover opening mechanism 60 has a lever member 61, which rotates about the rotation shaft 16 to push up the cover body 20 from below when it is in the closed position.
In this case, even if the lid gasket 21 of the lid body 20 sticks to the liquid passage port 11 due to a reduction in pressure inside the container body 2 or the like, by operating the lid lock mechanism 40 to release the fixed state of the lid body 20, the lever member 61 is rotated about the pivot shaft 16 and contacts the lid body 20 from below, pushing up the lid body 20, thereby opening the liquid passage port 11. The structure of the lid opening mechanism 60 can be simplified while stabilizing its function, and the lid opening mechanism 60 can be made to take up less space.

In addition, in this embodiment, the user can push the locking member 42 rearward (toward the inside of the cap in the direction in which the pivot shaft 16 extends) to release the engagement between the locking member 42 and the lid 20, thereby releasing the fixed state of the lid 20 by the lid locking mechanism 40. At this time, the conversion portion 64 of the lever member 61 converts the pressure force pushing the locking member 42 rearward into a rotational force about the pivot shaft 16 of the lever member 61, so that the lever member 61 can push up the lid 20 from below. In other words, the user can reliably open the lid 20 with a single operation (one action) that releases the locked state of the lid locking mechanism 40.

In this embodiment, the conversion part 64 has an inclined surface 67 that extends in the extension direction as it approaches the rotation axis 16. When the locking member 42 is pressed in the extension direction, the locking member 42 slides against the inclined surface 67, causing the lever member 61 to rotate around the rotation axis 16. The simple structure of providing the inclined surface 67 on the conversion part 64 makes it possible to stably convert the pressure on the locking member 42 into a rotational force for the lever member 61.

In this embodiment, the user pushes the locking member 42 to the other side (unlocking direction) around the second hinge 41 against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion 43, causing the locking member 42 to rotate around the second hinge 41 and be pushed to the rear side (toward the inside of the cap in the extending direction of the pivot shaft 16). This releases the engagement between the locking member 42 and the lid body 20, and the lever member 61 rotates around the pivot shaft 16 to push up the lid body 20 from below, allowing the lid body 20 to be stably opened.

In addition, in this embodiment, a lever member 61 is provided between the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10 and the second hinge 41 in a space (dead space) that was not used in conventional cap units. This prevents the cap unit 3A from becoming larger even though the lid opening mechanism 60 is provided. In other words, by providing the lid opening mechanism 60, operability is improved while the lid opening mechanism 60 is space-saving, allowing the cap unit 3A to be configured compactly.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the amount by which the locking member 42 is pushed in the extension direction until the locking member 42 starts to slide against the inclined surface 67 is greater than the amount by which the locking member 42 is pushed in the extension direction until the engagement between the locking member 42 and the lid body 20 is released.
In this case, when the pressure inside the container body 2 is not reduced (i.e., under normal conditions), the lid body 20 is opened by pushing in the locking member 42 until the locking member 42 and the lid body 20 are released. In other words, since the lid body 20 opens before the locking member 42 and the inclined surface 67 start to slide, the pressing force for pushing in the locking member 42 does not increase due to the sliding resistance or the like. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operability is also maintained well under normal conditions other than when the pressure is reduced.

In this embodiment, the amount of rotation (movement) that the push-up portion 66 of the lever member 61 rotates about the rotation shaft 16 is greater than the amount of depression (movement) of the lock member 42 in the extension direction.
In this case, the operation of pushing the locking member 42 toward the rear side (the inside of the cap in the extending direction of the pivot shaft 16) can be efficiently converted into the rotation of the push-up part 66 about the pivot shaft 16. In other words, the push-up part 66 can reliably push up and open the lid 20 while keeping the pushing amount of the locking member 42 small. Since the pushing amount of the locking member 42 is kept small, it is easier to reduce the space of the movement range of the locking member 42, which contributes to making the cap unit 3A more compact.

Second Embodiment
Next, a cap unit 3B and a beverage container 1B including the cap unit 3B according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 21. Note that in this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment may be given the same names and symbols, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

The beverage container 1B comprises a cap unit 3B and a container body 2 to which the cap unit 3B is attached. The cap unit 3B of this embodiment differs from the cap unit 3A described in the previous embodiment in the configurations of the lid lock mechanism 40 and the lid opening mechanism 60.

In this embodiment, Figs. 13 to 15 show the closed state (closed position) of the lid body 20, Figs. 18 and 19 show the open state (open position) of the lid body 20, and Figs. 16 and 17 show intermediate states in which the lid body 20 is in transition from the closed state to the open state.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, in this embodiment, the lid locking mechanism 40 has a locking member 49 that is slidable in the front-rear direction (the extension direction of the pivot shaft 16) and a lock receiving portion 50 to which the locking member 49 is engaged.

As shown in Figures 20 and 21, in this embodiment, the lower end of the locking member 49 is a generally semicircular plate that is convex downward, and the portion of the locking member 49 other than the lower end is generally rectangular plate-shaped.

The locking member 49 has a hinge elongated hole 49a disposed in the lock bearing portion 42c. The hinge elongated hole 49a penetrates the lock bearing portion 42c in the left-right direction and extends in the front-rear direction. The hinge elongated hole 49a is provided in each lock bearing portion 42c (i.e., a pair).

The locking member 49 also has a locking hole (locking portion) 49b. The locking hole 49b is located at the upper end of the main body of the locking member 49 and penetrates the main body in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the locking hole 49b is a rectangular hole.

As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the second hinge 41 (locking hinge shaft 47) is inserted into a pair of hinge long holes 49a. The locking member 49 can slide in the front-rear direction within a range in which the second hinge 41 and the hinge long hole 49a can move relative to each other in the front-rear direction. In other words, the second hinge 41 supports the locking member 49 so that it can slide freely in the front-rear direction (extension direction).

The lock biasing portion 43 biases the locking member 49 forward (toward the outside of the cap in the extension direction). In this embodiment, the lock biasing portion 43 contacts the lower end of the main body of the locking member 49 from the rear side, and biases the main body toward the front. Note that the position of the lock biasing portion 43 (contact position with the locking member 49) need only be a position that can appropriately bias the locking member 49 forward (toward the outside of the cap in the extension direction), and does not have to be the lower end of the main body of the locking member 49.

The lock receiving portion 50 is a claw-like member that protrudes rearward from the lower portion of the front end of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a of the lid body 20. As shown in FIG. 14, when the lid body 20 is in the closed position, the lock receiving portion 50 is inserted from the front into the locking hole 49b of the locking member 49.

In the lid lock mechanism 40 of this embodiment, when the lid 20 closes the upper part of the cap body 10, the locking hole 49b of the locking member 49 is locked to the lock receiving part 50, so that the lid 20 is kept in a state where the lid 20 closes the upper part of the cap body 10, i.e., the closed position of the lid 20. From this state, the user presses the locking member 49 rearward against the biasing force of the lock biasing part 43, causing the locking member 49 to slide rearward, and the locking state of the locking hole 49b with respect to the lock receiving part 50 is released as shown in FIG. 16. That is, the user pushes the locking member 49 rearward (toward the inside of the cap in the extension direction) against the biasing force of the lock biasing part 43, and the fixed state of the lid 20 by the lid lock mechanism 40 is released. As a result, the biasing force of the torsion spring in the first hinge 31 makes it possible to rotate the lid 20 in the opening direction, as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19.

As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the lid opening mechanism 60 of this embodiment has a lever member 68 that can rotate around the rotation axis 16. The lever member 68 is a member that is approximately L-shaped plate-shaped. Unlike the lever member 61 described in the previous embodiment, the lever member 68 does not have a thick portion 63, and instead has a large area for arranging the thin portion 65.

Specifically, the thin-walled portion 65 is a thin plate-like portion (area) of the lever member 68 that is located above the conversion portion 64, and is located across the left, right, and upper sides of the mounting hole 62. As shown in Figures 14 and 16, in this embodiment, the locking member 49 slides in the front-rear direction, so the area in which the thin-walled portion 65 is located is made large to prevent interference between the locking member 49 and the lever member 68. This allows the lid opening mechanism 60 to be located in a space-saving manner, and prevents the cap from becoming larger.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the push-up portion 66 is disposed at the left end of the thin-walled portion 65. The second hinge 41 (lock hinge shaft 47) is disposed in front of the thin-walled portion 65.

When the user removes the ring stopper 44 from the stopper receiver 46 from the closed position of the lid body 20 shown in FIG. 14 and pushes the locking member 49 toward the inside (rear) of the cap in the extension direction, the locking hole 49b is first released from the locked state with the locking receiver 50. When the user further pushes the locking member 49, the rear end (tip) of the sliding protrusion 42d comes into contact with the inclined surface 67 from the front side and presses the inclined surface 67 toward the rear side (see FIG. 15).

This generates a rotational force that rotates the conversion part 64 to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis (push-up direction), and while the sliding protrusion 42d slides on the inclined surface 67, the lever member 68 is rotated to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis as shown in Figures 16 and 17. In other words, the locking member 49, which has been pushed in the extension direction, slides against the inclined surface 67, causing the lever member 68 to rotate around the rotation axis 16. At this time, the sliding protrusion 42d slides along the helical imaginary line VL (see Figures 11 and 12) on the inclined surface 67 that rotates around the rotation axis 16.

In this embodiment, by pushing the lock member 49 toward the inside (rear side) of the cap in the extension direction against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion 43 , the lever member 68 rotates about the rotation shaft 16 .
Then, as the lever member 68 rotates to one side in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis (the pushing-up direction), the pushing portion 66 comes into contact with the lower end surface of the lid peripheral wall portion 20a of the lid body 20 in the closed position, and pushes up the lid body 20 from below.

In this manner, also in this embodiment, when the lid locking mechanism 40 is operated to release the lid 20 from its fixed state, the lever member 68 rotates about the pivot shaft 16, pushing up the lid 20 from the closed position from below. In other words, when the lid opening mechanism 60 is operated to release the lid 20 from its fixed state, the lid opening mechanism 60 pushes up the lid 20 from the closed position to open the liquid passage port 11.

In this embodiment, the amount by which the locking member 49 is pushed in the extension direction (front-to-back direction) until the locking member 49 starts to slide against the inclined surface 67 is greater than the amount by which the locking member 49 is pushed in the extension direction (front-to-back direction) until the locking member 49 is released from engagement with the lid body 20. Also, the amount by which the push-up portion 66 of the lever member 68 rotates around the pivot shaft 16 (movement distance) is greater than the amount by which the locking member 49 is pushed in the extension direction.

The opened lid body 20 is rotated in the opposite direction (closing direction) to the opening direction against the biasing force of the torsion spring in the first hinge 31, and the locking hole 49b of the locking member 49 is engaged with the lock receiving portion 50, so that the lid body 20 closes the upper part of the cap body 10, i.e., the lid body 20 is in the closed position.

The cap unit 3B and beverage container 1B of this embodiment described above provide the same effects as the previous embodiment.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the user pushes the locking member 49 rearward (toward the inside of the cap in the extension direction) and slides it, the locking member 49 is released from the lid body 20, and the lever member 68 pushes up the lid body 20 from below, allowing the lid body 20 to be opened stably.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration may be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, for example as described below.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the extension direction of the rotation shaft 16 (rotation center axis B) is parallel to the front-rear direction, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the extension direction of the rotation shaft 16 may be inclined with respect to the front-rear direction in a virtual plane perpendicular to the center axis C.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the pivot shaft 16 of the cap body 10 is rotatably inserted into the mounting hole 62 of the lever members 61 and 68, but this is not limiting. For example, a bottomed mounting hole may be provided in the peripheral wall portion 10a of the cap body 10, and the lever members 61 and 68 may have a pivot shaft that is rotatably inserted into the mounting hole.

In the second embodiment described above, an example was given in which the locking hole (locking portion) 49b of the locking member 49 and the claw-shaped lock receiving portion 50 of the lid body 20 are locked, but this is not limited to the above. For example, a claw portion (locking portion) that protrudes toward the front may be provided on the upper end of the locking member 49, and this claw portion may be locked with the lock receiving portion 50. In this case, the lower surface of the claw portion comes into contact with the upper surface of the lock receiving portion 50, thereby locking the locking member 49 and the lid body 20.

In the first and second embodiments described above, examples were given in which the present invention was applied to beverage containers 1A and 1B that have a heat retention/cold retention function provided by a container body 2 having a vacuum insulation structure, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the present invention can be widely applied to capped containers in which a cap unit is detachably attached to the mouth and neck portion of the container body.

The present invention may be implemented by combining the various configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, etc., without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of configurations are possible. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, etc., but is limited only by the scope of the claims.

1A, 1B...beverage container, 2...container body, 2d...upper opening, 3A, 3B...cap unit, 10...cap body, 10a...peripheral wall, 11...fluid passage, 16...rotating shaft, 20...lid, 31...first hinge, 35...water-stopping packing, 40...lid lock mechanism, 41...second hinge, 42, 49...locking member, 43...locking biasing portion, 60...lid opening mechanism, 61, 68...lever member, 64...conversion portion, 66...push portion, 67...inclined surface

Claims (7)

A cap unit that can be detachably attached to a container body having an open top,
a cap body attached to an upper opening of the container body and having a liquid passage opening that connects the inside and the outside of the container body;
a lid body that is rotatably attached to the cap body via a first hinge and that openably closes the liquid passage hole when biased in an opening direction about the first hinge;
a waterproof gasket that seals the gap between the cap body and the container body;
a lid lock mechanism that fixes the lid body to the cap body when the lid body is in a closing position where the lid body closes the liquid passage hole;
a lid opening mechanism that, in response to an operation of releasing the fixed state of the lid body by the lid locking mechanism, pushes up the lid body in the closed position to open the liquid passage hole ,
The cover opening mechanism has a lever member that is rotatable around a rotation axis,
When the cover is released from the locked state by the cover lock mechanism, the lever member rotates about the rotation axis to push up the cover from the bottom at the closed position.
Cap unit. the lid lock mechanism has a lock member that is engaged with the lid body,
an operation for releasing the fixed state of the lid by the lid lock mechanism is an operation for pushing the locking member in an extension direction of the rotation shaft to release the engagement between the locking member and the lid,
The lever member has a conversion portion that converts a pressing force that presses the locking member in the extension direction into a rotational force about the rotation axis.
The cap unit according to claim 1 . The conversion portion has an inclined surface that extends in the extension direction as it approaches the rotation axis,
The locking member, which is pushed in the extension direction, slides against the inclined surface, causing the lever member to rotate about the rotation axis.
The cap unit according to claim 2 . The lid lock mechanism is
a second hinge that rotatably supports the locking member;
a lock biasing portion that biases the locking member toward one side around the second hinge,
By pushing the locking member toward the other side around the second hinge against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion, the locking member is pushed in the extension direction, and the lever member rotates around the rotation axis.
The cap unit according to claim 2 or 3 . The lid lock mechanism is
a second hinge supporting the locking member so as to be slidable in the extension direction;
a lock biasing portion that biases the locking member toward the outside of the cap in the extending direction,
The lock member is pushed toward the inside of the cap in the extension direction against the biasing force of the lock biasing portion, whereby the lever member rotates around the rotation axis.
The cap unit according to claim 2 or 3 . The lever member is provided between a peripheral wall portion of the cap body and the second hinge.
The cap unit according to claim 4 or 5 . A cap unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The container body to which the cap unit is attached.
Beverage containers.

Images