JP7697771B2 - Hinge Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hinge cap consisting of a cap body that is attached to the mouth of a container body and a top lid that is connected by a hinge so that it can be opened and closed. In particular, the invention relates to a hinge cap that can be made lightweight without buckling and that prevents shower water from being sucked into the cap.

In a hinge cap that fills a container with heated liquid for sterilization, after filling the container with the liquid and attaching the hinge cap to the mouth of the container, the container is conventionally washed with shower water from the outside and cooled.

When a cold water shower is used to cool the filled liquid, the air inside the top lid is warmed by the heat of the liquid inside, so the air inside the top lid is cooled and the internal pressure inside the top lid drops, creating a pressure difference between the inside of the top lid and atmospheric pressure. This causes shower water to be sucked into the top lid through the gap, creating a hygiene problem.
For this reason, a hinge cap that can maintain a reliable seal even when the cap is attached to the mouth of a container so that shower water does not get into the cap when cooling the container with a shower has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-246127 A

In the hinge cap described in Patent Document 1, when the cap body is fitted and fixed to the mouth of a container with the top lid closed on the cap body, the outer wall (15) tilts slightly inward and the arc-shaped surface (15b) of the outer wall (15) and the inclined surface (26a) of the annular tongue piece (26) of the sealing ring (25) are pressed against each other, thereby preventing shower water from entering the cap.
However, with the hinge cap described in Patent Document 1 above, it is difficult to completely prevent shower water from being absorbed into the cap, and since the engaging protrusion (24) on the side wall (22) of the top cover (20) engages with the engaging protrusion (15a) on the outer wall (15) of the cap body (10), the side wall (22) is difficult to deform, making it difficult to open the cap.
Furthermore, when making the hinge cap lighter, the external thickness is made thinner, which can cause the hinge cap to buckle when plugged or cause inconsistencies in the fitting force of the top cover, as well as affecting the absorption of shower water.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems, and in particular to provide a hinge cap that will not buckle even if the hinge cap is made lighter, and can completely prevent the absorption of shower water.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a hinge cap comprising a cap body attached to the mouth of a container body and a top lid connected to the cap body via a hinge, wherein the cap body has an attachment portion attached to the mouth of the container body, the attachment portion having a lid engagement portion at its upper portion which engages with the top lid when the lid is closed, and an outer tube hanging down from the outer periphery of the lid engagement portion, the top lid has a top wall forming a ceiling surface, side walls hanging down from the periphery of the top wall, and an engagement tube hanging down from the underside of the top wall and engaging with the lid engagement portion of the cap body, a space is formed between the side walls and the engagement tube when the lid is closed , at least one rib portion is formed on the inside of the engagement tube, and the outer tube has a through hole which communicates from the top surface to the space between the side walls and the engagement tube and is open to the outside air .

Specific embodiments of the hinge cap include a configuration in which the lid engagement portion of the cap body has a locking protrusion protruding from its outer periphery, and an engagement protrusion is provided on the lower inner periphery of the engagement tube of the upper lid that engages with the locking protrusion when the lid is closed; a configuration in which the rib portion of the engagement tube has a tapered portion formed at its lower end, and the lid engagement portion has an arc-shaped surface formed on its upper surface, and the tapered portion and the arc-shaped surface come close to each other or lightly abut when the lid is closed; a configuration in which, when the lid is closed, the end point of the abutment surface formed by the lower end of the side peripheral wall and the upper end of the outer tube of the cap body is separated from the start point of engagement of the engagement surface between the engagement tube and the lid engagement portion; and a configuration in which, when the lid is closed, the start point of engagement of the engagement surface between the engagement tube and the lid engagement portion is higher than the end point of the abutment surface formed by the lower end of the side peripheral wall and the upper end of the outer tube of the cap body.

The hinge cap of the present invention separates the side wall of the top lid and the engaging tube for engaging with the cap body, and by providing a space, it is possible to make the cap lighter and easier to open, and by providing a rib portion on the inside of the engaging tube, it is possible to prevent buckling of the top lid.
Also, it is possible to completely prevent the shower water from being absorbed into the cap.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which a hinge cap according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a container body in a closed state. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an open state of a hinge cap according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main portion of an engagement portion between an upper lid and a cap body in FIG. 1 .

Next, the hinge cap of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings showing an embodiment.

In FIG. 1, A is a cap body, B is an upper lid integrally connected to the cap body A via a hinge C, and D is a container body.
As shown in FIG. 1, a container body D has a mouth portion 1, and a fitting protrusion 2 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth portion 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cap body A comprises an attachment portion 3 which is attached to the mouth portion 1 of the container body D, a base wall 4 which extends inward from the attachment portion 3, a pouring tube 5 which stands upright from the edge portion of the base wall 4, and a partition wall 6 which is connected to the lower end of the inner circumference of the pouring tube 5.
In this embodiment, the pouring tube 5 is formed with a lip portion 5a that spreads out like a trumpet at the top in order to make it easier to pour the content liquid.
The mounting portion 3 is composed of a ring-shaped lid engagement portion 8 that engages with an engagement tube 32 of the upper lid B described later, an inner tube 9 that is hung down from the inner side of the lid engagement portion 8, and an outer tube 10 that is hung down from the outer side of the lid engagement portion 8.
The cover engaging portion 8 has a locking protrusion 8a formed on its outer periphery, and an arcuate surface 8b formed on its upper surface.
The outer cylinder 10 is provided with an engaging protrusion 11 on the lower inner periphery that engages with the fitting protrusion 2 of the mouth 1 of the container body D.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2(a), a through hole 21 is drilled from the upper surface of the outer tube 10 to the space a between the side wall 31 of the upper cover B described later and the engaging tube 32, and to communicate with the outside air.

The partition 6 is provided with a removable portion 13 defined by a thin weakened portion 12 that opens the spout, and a pull ring 14 for removing the bottle is provided on the upper surface of the removable portion 13.
The pull ring 14 is composed of a support portion 15 erected at the end portion on the hinge C side, and a ring portion 16 connected to the upper end of the support portion 15.
In this embodiment, the top lid B is made smaller and lighter, and the center of the partition 6 is lowered to accommodate the pull ring 14 inside the top lid B. However, the partition 6 may be flat as long as the pull ring 14 can be accommodated inside the top lid B.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), near either the left or right side of the hinge C of the outer tube 10, a substantially V-shaped outer peripheral cut portion 17 is cut from above into the outer peripheral surface, leaving a thin bottom wall at the lower end.
At a position corresponding to the outer circumferential cut 17 of the engaging projection 11, an inner circumferential cut is cut vertically, although not shown, to form a vertical tear line.

On the hinge C side of the outer peripheral cut-out portion 17, a slit groove 18 is recessed from above so as to extend circumferentially from a position separated by a thin-walled portion at the upper part of the inner peripheral side of the end face 17a as its starting point, and in this embodiment, it extends over approximately 345° from the end face 17a as its starting point.
In addition, the starting point of the slit groove 18 adjacent to the vertical tear line is used as the tearing starting point, and a thin-walled connecting portion 20 that connects the outer tube 10 and the lid engagement portion 8 is provided on the inner side of the bottom surface 19 of the slit groove 18, so that the circumferential tear line is formed to extend in an arc shape, and can be torn up to the unbreakable connecting portion at the end point.
In this embodiment, of the total slit grooves 18, approximately 300° are circumferential tear lines having thin-walled joints 20, and the remaining approximately 45° are shallow slit grooves 18 without thin-walled joints 20.
In this embodiment, the slit grooves 18 communicate with a through hole 21 that communicates with the outside air, so that water accumulated in the slit grooves 18 can be drained.
The separation mechanism based on the above-mentioned vertical tear lines and circumferential tear lines is not essential, and in that case, only the through holes 21 communicating with the outside air are formed from the upper surface of the outer cylinder 10.
Alternatively, a slit groove 18 of any depth may be provided, and a through hole 21 may be provided below the slit groove 18 .

The top cover B is rotatably attached to the upper outer end of the outer tube 10 of the cap body A via a hinge C, and has a top wall 30 provided on the top plate portion and a side wall 31 vertically extending from the outer periphery of the top wall 30.
In order to engage with the lid engagement portion 8 of the cap body A, an engagement tube 32 is suspended from the underside of the top wall 30, and the space a between the side wall 31 and the engagement tube 32 is connected to a slit groove 18 provided in the outer tube 10.
An engaging ridge 33 for engaging with the locking ridge 8 a of the lid engaging portion 8 is provided on the lower inner periphery of the engaging cylinder 32 .

In this embodiment, the side wall 31 and the engaging tube 32 are thin-walled to reduce the weight of the hinge cap, and when plugging, etc., the engaging tube 32 spreads outward and deforms, making the hinge cap prone to buckling. Therefore, multiple rib portions 34 are provided intermittently on the inside of the engaging tube 32 to prevent buckling.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 (a), eight rib portions 34 are provided at equal intervals on the inner circumference of the engagement tube 32, and a tapered portion 35 is formed at the lower end of each rib portion 34 so that it is close to or lightly abuts the arcuate surface 8b on the upper surface of the lid engagement portion 8, and the tapered portion 35 prevents the engagement tube 32 from expanding.

As shown in Fig. 1, when the lid is closed, the lower end of the side peripheral wall 31 of the upper lid B and the upper end of the outer tube 10 of the cap body A form an abutting surface, but this abutting surface is not completely abutted, and there is a slight gap. Shower water is sucked in from the outer periphery and reaches the inner periphery due to surface tension, but the surface tension is broken by the space a communicating with the slit groove 18, and the sucked in shower water can be blocked.
In addition, if the inner reach point of the abutment surface between the lower end of the side wall 31 and the upper end of the outer tube 10 is defined as abutment end point b, and the beginning of the engagement surface where the engagement protrusion 33 of the engagement tube 32 and the locking protrusion 8a of the lid engagement portion 8 abut is defined as engagement start point c, since engagement start point c is above abutment end point b, even if the suction is strong, it will not reach the engagement surface between the engagement protrusion 33 and the locking protrusion 8a.

A sealing tube 36 is suspended from the lower surface of the top wall 30 so as to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the pouring tube 5 .
In this embodiment, since the pouring tube 5 and the lip portion 5a are made thin to reduce weight, the sealing tube 37 is hung so as to abut or be close to the lip portion 5a of the pouring tube 5, thereby preventing the pouring tube 5 and the lip portion 5a from falling outward.
The sealing tube 37 may be omitted.
A knob 38 is provided on the lower outer periphery of the side wall 31 on the side opposite the hinge C.
In this embodiment, in order to reduce the weight of the hinge cap, a thin-walled portion 39 is provided in the top wall 30 by cutting out a strip-like portion from the hinge C side to the opposite side of the hinge C without affecting its function as a hinge cap.

Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described.
The hinge cap of this embodiment is first manufactured in an open state as shown in FIG. 2, and then attached to the container body D in a closed state.
To close the lid, the knob 38 of the lid B is grasped with the fingers, the lid is rotated about the hinge C as a fulcrum, and the top surface of the lid B is pressed down to close the lid.
At this time, the engaging ridge 33 of the engaging tube 32 easily rides over the locking ridge 8a of the lid engaging portion 8 and engages with it.
Furthermore, the tapered portion 35 at the lower end of the rib portion 34 of the engagement tube 32 comes close to or lightly abuts against the arcuate surface 8 b of the upper surface of the lid engagement portion 8 .
The outer peripheral surface of the sealing tube 36 of the top lid B and the inner peripheral surface of the pouring tube 5 come into contact with each other to form a seal, and the lip portion 5a of the pouring tube 5 also comes into contact with or close to the sealing tube 37 of the top lid B.

Next, the hinge cap in the closed state is placed over the mouth 1 of the container body D filled with the heat-sterilized liquid content, and is attached by pressing from above to seal it, resulting in the state shown in FIG.
When capping, the upper lid B is pressed hard, causing the engaging tube 32 to become prone to deformation as it spreads outward; however, the deformation is suppressed by the rib portion 34, and the tapered portion 35 at the tip of the rib portion 34 is pressed against the arcuate surface 8b on the upper surface of the lid engaging portion 8, thereby suppressing the outward spread of the engaging tube 32 and preventing buckling of the hinge cap.
Thereafter, the container is washed with shower water from the outside and cooled.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a space a communicating with the through hole 21 is provided between the side wall 31 of the top lid B and the engaging tube 32, so that even if shower water enters the extremely narrow gap at the abutment surface between the side wall 31 of the top lid B and the outer tube 10 of the cap body A due to capillary action, the capillary action is cut off by the space a communicating with the through hole 21, and the shower water will not enter the engagement surface between the engaging tube 32 of the top lid B and the lid engagement portion 8 of the cap body A.
Furthermore, even if the pressure inside the cap is reduced due to cooling of the shower water, the shower water sucked in from the contact surface between the side wall 31 and the outer tube 10 is blocked by the space a communicating with the through hole 21, and since the through hole 21 is connected to the outside air, the suction force of the shower water is weakened, preventing the shower water from being sucked into the engagement surface between the engagement tube 32 of the upper lid B and the lid engagement portion 8 of the cap body A.
In this embodiment, the engagement start point c of the engagement surface between the engagement tube 32 and the lid engagement portion 8 is located higher than the contact end point b of the contact surface between the lower end of the side wall 31 of the upper lid B and the upper end of the outer tube 10 of the cap body A, thereby enhancing the effect of preventing absorption of shower water.
Furthermore, it is sufficient that there is a distance between the contact end point b of the contact surface between the side wall 31 and the outer tube 10 and the engagement start point c of the engagement surface between the engagement tube 32 and the lid engagement portion 8, in which case the position of the engagement start point c does not need to be higher than the contact end point b.

In the above Patent Document 1, although there is a space between the side wall (22) and the seal ring (25), the shower water is sucked up to the upper surface of the outer wall (15) by capillary action due to reduced pressure, and further, the shower water flows down the upper surface of the outer wall (15) and is sucked into the engagement surface between the outer wall (15) and the seal ring (25) by capillary action, making it difficult to completely prevent the shower water from being absorbed into the cap.

To use a container equipped with the hinge cap of this embodiment, the knob 38 of the top lid B is pulled up to open it, and the pull ring 14 is grasped and pulled up, causing the thin-walled weakened section 12 near the support section 15 to break, and when the thin-walled weakened section 12 breaks completely, the removal section 13 is separated from the bulkhead 6, and the opening forms a pouring outlet.

The hinge cap of this embodiment has a thin peripheral side wall 31 to reduce weight, and is not engaged with the cap body A. By grasping the knob 38 and pulling it, the engagement between the engagement tube 32 and the lid engagement part 8 can be easily released, making it easy to open the lid.

When the container body D with the opening at the pouring outlet is tilted, the liquid content filled in the container body D is guided through the pouring outlet to the pouring tube 5 and can be poured out wherever necessary.
After use, the upper lid B is rotated to engage the engagement protrusion 33 of the engagement tube 32 with the locking protrusion 8a of the lid engagement portion 8, thereby closing the lid again. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the sealing tube 36 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the dispensing tube 5, sealing the inside of the container.

The hinge cap of this embodiment can be separated from the container body D and discarded after use.
When the hinge cap is opened and the top cover B is grasped with the fingers and pulled outward, the portion where the outer tube 10 is connected to the hinge C is pulled and deformed, and the vertical tear line is broken. When the top cover B is pulled further, the thin-walled connecting portion 20 that forms the circumferential tear line begins to break, and as the breakage of the thin-walled connecting portion 20 progresses, the top cover B separates from the cap body A.
When the breakage is completed at the end of the thin-walled connecting portion 20 and the top cover B is further pulled, the engagement between the cap body A and the mouth portion 1 of the container body D is released, and the hinge cap and the container body D can be disposed of separately.

The hinge cap of this embodiment is attached to the mouth 1 of the container body D by plugging, but it may also be attached by screwing instead of plugging.
Moreover, the bottle can be uncorked not only by the pull ring 14 but also by various other methods.
Furthermore, although the hinge cap of this embodiment is particularly useful as a lightweight hinge cap, it can also be used as a normal hinge cap.

The hinge cap of the present invention can be made lighter, and even though it is a lightweight hinge cap, it will not buckle. Furthermore, when it is attached to a container filled with heated liquid and cooled with shower water, even if the pressure inside the cap is reduced, the shower water will not be sucked into the cap, making it easy to maintain hygiene and suitable for use with food containers.

A Cap body B Top lid C Hinge D Container body a Space b Contact end point c Engagement start point 1 Mouth portion 2 Fitting protrusion 3 Mounting portion 4 Base wall 5 Spouting tube 5a Lip portion 6 Partition wall 8 Lid engagement portion 8a Locking protrusion 8b Arc-shaped surface 9 Inner tube 10 Outer tube 11 Engagement protrusion 12 Thin-walled weakened portion 13 Removal portion 14 Pull ring 15 Support portion 16 Ring portion 17 Outer peripheral cut portion 17a End surface 18 Slit groove 19 Bottom surface 20 Thin-walled connecting portion 21 Through hole 30 Top wall 31 Side peripheral wall 32 Engagement tube 33 Engagement protrusion 34 Rib portion 35 Tapered portion 36 Sealing tube 37 Sealing tube 38 Knob portion 39 Thin-walled portion

Claims (5)

A hinge cap is comprised of a cap body that is attached to the mouth of a container body, and a top lid that is connected to the cap body via a hinge,
The cap body has an attachment portion that is attached to the mouth of the container body,
The mounting part has a lid engaging part at the top that engages with the upper lid when the lid is closed, and an outer cylinder that is hung from the outer periphery of the lid engaging part.
The upper lid has a top wall forming a top surface, a peripheral side wall extending vertically from the peripheral edge of the top wall, and an engagement tube extending vertically from the underside of the top wall and engaging with a lid engagement portion of the cap body;
A hinge cap characterized in that when closed, there is a space between the side wall and the engaging tube, at least one rib portion is formed on the inside of the engaging tube , and a through hole is drilled in the outer tube that communicates with the space between the side wall and the engaging tube from the top surface and is connected to the outside air . The hinge cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid engagement portion of the cap body has a locking ridge protruding from its outer periphery, and the engagement tube of the top lid has an engagement ridge protruding from its inner periphery at the bottom that engages with the locking ridge when the lid is closed. The hinge cap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rib portion of the engagement tube has a tapered portion formed at the lower end, and the lid engagement portion has an arc-shaped surface formed on the upper surface, and the tapered portion and the arc-shaped surface come close to each other or lightly abut when the lid is closed. A hinge cap as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the lid is closed, the end point of the abutment surface formed by the lower end of the side wall and the upper end of the outer tube of the cap body is spaced apart from the start point of engagement of the engagement surfaces between the engagement tube and the lid engagement portion . A hinge cap as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the lid is closed, the starting point of engagement of the engagement surface between the engagement tube and the lid engagement portion is higher than the end point of the engagement surface formed by the lower end of the side wall and the upper end of the outer tube of the cap body.

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