JP7787010B2 - Measuring Cap - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a measuring cap with a window.

In one prior art example, a measuring cap that can be detachably attached to the spout or neck of a container filled with liquid is formed from a transparent resin into a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and has measuring lines (scale lines) on the inner wall surface, allowing the liquid level of the contents poured from the container into the measuring cap to be visually confirmed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2-8745

However, if the entire measuring cap is made of transparent resin, on the one hand, it becomes easy to see from the outside how much liquid has been poured, but on the other hand, sunlight can directly irradiate the liquid, which means that if the liquid contains a chemical such as pesticide, there is a risk that the liquid may be affected by ultraviolet rays and deteriorate.

Another method of preventing deterioration of the contents due to ultraviolet rays, etc. is to provide a circular rib or printed graduations on the inner wall of a colored, opaque measuring cap. However, circular ribs can blend in with the inner wall and become difficult to see, and printed graduations require a separate printing process.

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art described above by creating a measuring cap that can prevent deterioration of the contents and allows the amount of contents to be easily seen from the outside.

Among the means for solving the above problems, the main means of the present invention is:
A cylindrical measuring cap having a top wall and a cylindrical side wall extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall, the measuring cap being made of an opaque colored resin,
a window portion made of a transparent resin is provided in the side wall ;
The scale is characterized in that a whitened scale line utilizing a whitening phenomenon is formed on one or both of the side wall and the window portion .
In the main means of the present invention, a window made of transparent resin is provided on the side of the measuring cap, so that the amount of the content liquid poured into the measuring cap can be easily seen through the window.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned means can improve the visibility of the scale lines, and furthermore, the scale lines can be formed simultaneously with molding of the measuring cap.

Another aspect of the present invention is to add to the above-mentioned main aspect of the present invention that the window portion is formed in a vertical strip shape on the side wall, or along half the circumference or the entire circumference.
In the above-mentioned means, the shape of the window can be adapted to the design of the measuring cap.

Another aspect of the present invention is any of the above-mentioned aspects, further comprising providing a tamper-evident ring 4 at the lower end of the side wall, the ring 4 being connected via a plurality of breakable connecting pieces.
The above means can prevent unauthorized release of the measuring cap.

This invention prevents deterioration of the liquid contents when the measuring cap is attached to the mouth of the container body and is in an unopened state, and when the liquid contents are poured into the measuring cap after opening, the amount of liquid poured can be easily seen from the outside.

1 is a half cross-sectional view of a measuring cap of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the state in which the measuring cap is attached to the opening of the container. 10A and 10B are explanatory views showing an example of a state in which the attachment cap is used. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a nozzle portion and a mold as the main portion of a manufacturing device for injection molding a measuring cap. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an injection pattern of molten resin. 5A and 5B show the state of the molten resin being injected, where FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the section a and the section c in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the section b in FIG. 5A. 1. (a) is a plan cross-sectional view of the measuring cap taken along line VIIa-VIIa in FIG. 1. (b) is a plan cross-sectional view of the measuring cap taken along line VIIb-VIIb in FIG. 1. (c) is a top view of the measuring cap. 10A and 10B are plan cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the measuring cap, in which (a) shows a case where a window portion is formed over half the circumference, and (b) shows a case where a window portion is formed over the entire circumference. FIG. 10 is a half cross-sectional view of the measuring cap showing how the scale lines are formed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a half cross-sectional view showing the measuring cap of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the measuring cap attached to the mouth of a container, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the attached cap is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the measuring cap 1 of the present invention comprises a cap body 1A in the form of a cylindrical cap with a top, in which a cylindrical side wall 3 is provided depending from the outer edge of a disk-shaped top wall 2.
The top wall 2 and side wall 3 that constitute the cap body 1A are formed using an opaque colored resin Ra obtained by mixing a coloring agent such as white into a synthetic resin material such as PP, PE, or PET.

A short cylindrical inner tube portion 6 hangs down from the inner surface of the top wall 2, and when attached, fits tightly into the inner surface of the open end of the mouth tube portion 11 on the container body 10 side, and a female thread 7 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall 3, which screws into a male thread 12 formed on the outer surface of the mouth tube portion 11.
A vertical band-shaped window 8 made of a translucent or transparent resin such as PP, PE, or PET is integrally formed in a portion of the side wall 3 that constitutes the cap body 1A. The inside of the measuring cap 1 can be seen through this translucent or transparent window 8.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a tamper-evident ring 4 is integrally molded at the lower end of the side wall 3 that constitutes the cap body 1A and is connected via a plurality of connecting pieces 5. An undercut-shaped locking projection 9 is provided on the inner surface of this tamper-evident ring 4.
Further, on one or both of the side wall 3 and the window portion 8, scale lines M are formed by whitening lines utilizing a whitening phenomenon.

As shown in Figure 2, the measuring cap 1 is screwed onto the nozzle 11 of the container body 10 filled with the liquid. At this time, the undercut locking projection 9 formed on the tamper-evident ring 4 moves downward over and locks onto the locking portion (not shown) formed on the outer surface of the nozzle 11, so that the measuring cap 1 cannot be removed from the nozzle 11 once attached.

When the measuring cap 1 is attached to the nozzle 11 of the container body 10 in an unopened state, the open end of the nozzle 11 is covered by a top wall 2 made of colored resin, preventing ultraviolet rays and other light from directly irradiating the contents inside the container (light blocking). Furthermore, the inner tube 6 fits into the inner surface of the open end of the nozzle 11 to form a seal, preventing deterioration of the contents.

To open the cap from an unopened state, grip the side wall 3 and forcefully rotate the cap body 1A in the opening direction. This causes the cap body 1A to be screwed up and rise, but the tamper-evident ring 4's locking projections 9 engage with locking portions formed on the outer periphery of the nozzle 11 and attempt to remain in place, breaking the multiple connecting pieces 5. Therefore, the nozzle 11 can be opened by unscrewing and removing only the cap body 1A.

As shown in Figure 3, after opening, the cap body 1A is placed on a table or the like with the top wall 2 facing downward, and the contents are poured into the cap body 1A while tilting the container body 10. Because the cap body 1A has a window 8, the amount of contents poured into the cap body 1A can be easily seen from above the cap body 1A and through the window 8.

Next, a method for manufacturing the measuring cap having the above-described structure will be described.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a nozzle and a mold as the main parts of a manufacturing device for injection-molding a measuring cap.
The measuring cap manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 4 is basically the same as the apparatus described in the specification and drawings attached to Patent Application No. 2012-263132 previously filed by the applicant, and is equipped with a nozzle portion 20 that injects two types of molten resin, consisting of a colored resin Ra and a transparent resin Rb, and a mold 40 that has a cavity 42 for molding the molten resin injected from the nozzle portion 20 into a measuring cap 1.

As shown in Figure 4, the nozzle section 20 is basically constructed by arranging a cylindrical inner mandrel 21 and an outer mandrel 22 concentrically, and inserting a cylindrical shutoff pin 30 into the inner mandrel 21 so that it can slide back and forth and move forward and backward. The shutoff pin 30 functions to open and close the flow of molten resin at the tip of the nozzle section 20. The tip of the shutoff pin 30 is conical, and this conical tip 30t protrudes from the tip of the inner mandrel 21 when the shutoff pin 30 is in the open position. In this embodiment, the conical tip 30t is eccentrically positioned to the left of the central axis Ax in the figure.

Between the inner mandrel 21 and the outer mandrel 22, there is a cylindrical flow path 25 through which the colored resin Ra flows and a narrow, vertical grooved flow path 27 through which the transparent resin Rb flows. A tapered, reduced diameter flow path 26 is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical flow path 25. Furthermore, downstream of the tip of the reduced diameter flow path 26, there is a cylindrical junction flow path 29 where the molten colored resin Ra and transparent resin Rb join. The colored resin Ra and transparent resin Rb join in the junction flow path 29 to form a cylindrical molten resin, which is then injected and filled into the cavity 42 through a pin gate 41 in the mold 40.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the injection pattern of the molten resin injected into the cavity, and Figure 6 shows the state of the injected molten resin, with (a) being a cross-sectional plan view of sections a and c in Figure 5, and (b) being a cross-sectional plan view of section b in Figure 5. Also, Figure 7(a) is a cross-sectional plan view of the metering cap at VIIa-VIIa in Figure 1, Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional plan view of the metering cap at VIIb-VIIb in Figure 1, and Figure 7(c) is a top view of the metering cap.

The molten colored resin Ra and transparent resin Rb are injected from the nozzle 20 according to the injection pattern shown in Figure 5. That is, in section a from time t1 to time t2 after injection begins, only colored resin Ra is injected, in section b from time t2 to time t3, colored resin Ra and transparent resin Rb are injected together, and in section c from time t3 to time t5, only colored resin Ra is injected.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 6(a), the planar cross section of the cylindrical molten resin is composed entirely of colored resin Ra in sections a and c, but as shown in Figure 6(b), in section b, the eccentric conical tip 30t of the shutoff pin 30 causes transparent resin Rb to be layered in the shape of a slit in the radial direction within the circular colored resin Ra. Molten resin with this planar cross section can be obtained by advancing and retracting the shutoff pin 30 at appropriate timing, controlling the opening and closing of the flow of molten resin at the tip of the nozzle portion 20.

When the cylindrical molten resin having the above-described configuration is injected and filled into the cavity 42 within the mold 40, the colored resin Ra injected in the first section a passes through the top wall forming portion 42c and intermediate wall portion 42b of the cavity 42, and then flows from the connecting piece forming portion 42d into the ring forming portion 42a, forming the tamper-evident ring 4 and connecting piece 5 (see Figure 7(a)). In the following section b, the molten resin (resin in which a slit-shaped transparent resin Rb is layered within a circular colored resin Ra) passes through the top wall forming portion 42c of the cavity 42 and fills the intermediate wall portion 42b, simultaneously forming the side wall 3 and window portion 8 (see Figure 7(b)). In the final section c, the colored resin Ra is filled into the top wall forming portion 42c on the pin gate 41 side of the cavity 42, forming the top wall 2 (see Figure 7(c)). In the intermediate wall portion 42b, as shown in Figure 7(b), the transparent resin Rb is laminated in a vertical band shape, radially penetrating part of the colored resin Ra that forms the cylindrical side wall 3. This allows the metering cap 1 to be integrally molded with a high-quality, transparent, clear window portion 8 in part of the side wall 3.

The circumferential range of the window portion 8 within the side wall 3 can be any desired range. It may be formed as a vertical band on part of the side wall 3 as described above, or, for example, the window portion 8 may be formed around half the circumference of the side wall 3 (see FIG. 8(a)). Alternatively, the window portion 8 may be formed around the entire circumference of the side wall 3 (see FIG. 8(b)). Such a configuration can be easily achieved by adjusting the timing at which the shutoff pin 30 opens and closes the flow of molten resin at the tip of the nozzle portion 20, and by changing the ratio of colored resin Ra and transparent resin Rb that form the cylindrical molten resin generated in the junction channel 29.

Next, a method for forming the scale lines M will be described.
FIG. 9 is a half cross-sectional view of the measuring cap showing how the scale lines are formed.
8A and 8B are plan cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the measuring cap, in which (a) shows a case where a window portion is formed over half the circumference, and (b) shows a case where a window portion is formed over the entire circumference.

The formation of the scale lines M in the present invention is effective when the measuring cap 1 is injection-molded using a crystalline resin such as PP, PE, or PET. When a large stress is applied to a measuring cap 1 made of a crystalline resin at a predetermined height due to local external pressure, the resin corresponding to the stressed portion can be whitened radially in the thickness direction due to a whitening phenomenon. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, in the present invention, by applying a circular stress to the side wall 3 and window 8 of the measuring cap 1, the scale lines M consisting of whitened lines are formed in a circular shape circumferentially around both the side wall 3 and the window 8. Methods for applying stress include, for example, poking the measuring cap 1 in the mold 40 after injection molding with an air cylinder, applying stress to the measuring cap 1 by forcibly removing it when releasing it from the mold 40, or whitening it using the pressure during injection.

In the above method, the scale lines M can be formed not only on the colored side wall 3 but also on the transparent window portion 8, and can be formed radially across the inner and outer surfaces of these, thereby improving the visibility of the scale lines M.
Furthermore, since the scale lines M can be formed simultaneously with the injection molding of the measuring cap 1, the process for forming the scale lines M (printing process, etc.) as in the prior art can be eliminated.
In addition, in a configuration in which the window portion 8 is formed around the entire circumference of the side wall 3, the scale lines M are formed only in the window portion 8.

The configuration and effects of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the examples, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples.
For example, in the above embodiment, the side wall 3 is cylindrical, but it may be polygonal.

In the above example, a crystalline synthetic resin was used to form the measuring cap in order to utilize the whitening phenomenon to form the scale lines M. However, if no scale lines M are to be formed or if the scale lines are formed using a method other than whitening, the measuring cap may be formed using a non-crystalline synthetic resin.

In addition, in the above example, a white color, which is less noticeable, was used as the colorant to utilize the whitening phenomenon, but colorants of other colors may also be used.

This invention will enable the expansion of applications in the field of measuring caps to an even wider range of areas.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Measuring cap 1A: Cap body 2: Top wall 3: Side wall 4: Tamper-evident ring 5: Connecting piece 6: Inner cylindrical portion 7: Female thread 8: Window portion 9: Locking protrusion 10: Container body 11: Mouth tube portion 12: Male thread 20: Nozzle portion 21: Inner mandrel 22: Outer mandrel 25: Cylindrical flow path 26: Reducing diameter flow path 27: Vertical groove flow path 29: Merging flow path 30: Shut-off pin 30t: Conical tip portion 31: Pin gate 40: Mold 41: Pin gate 42: Cavity 42a: Ring forming portion 42b: Intermediate wall portion 42c: Top wall forming portion 42d: Connecting piece forming portion Ax: Central axis M: Scale line R: Transparent resin Ra: Colored resin Rb: Transparent resin a: Section b: Section c: Section

Claims (3)

A cylindrical measuring cap with a top made of an opaque colored resin (Ra) has a top wall (2) and a cylindrical side wall (3) extending downward from the outer edge of the top wall (2),
The side wall (3) is provided with a window portion (8) made of a transparent resin (Rb) ,
A measuring cap characterized in that scale lines (M) consisting of whitened lines utilizing a whitening phenomenon are formed on one or both of the side wall (3) and the window portion (8) . The measuring cap according to claim 1, wherein the window portion (8) is formed in a vertical strip shape, or along half or the entire circumference of the side wall (3). A measuring cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tamper-evident ring 4 is provided at the lower end of the side wall (3), connected via a plurality of breakable connecting pieces (5).