JP7845819B2 - Hinge cap - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a hinge cap.

As this type of hinged cap, a cap body including a mounting cylinder that attaches to the neck of the container body is known, to which the top lid is connected via a hinge, and a spout is opened in a partition attached to the upper end of the mounting cylinder, and a sorting mechanism is provided in the mounting cylinder (Patent Document 1).
The separation mechanism leaves a portion of the mounting cylinder in the circumferential direction as a non-breaking region, and for the remaining portion in the circumferential direction, a slit groove is drilled in the middle of the width direction of the upper end surface of the mounting cylinder, and a circumferential tear line and a longitudinal tear line are provided continuous with this slit groove.
In addition to separate disposal of hinge caps, various other requests have led to the development of structures in which slit grooves are provided on the outer circumference of the upper surface of the cap body (the upper end surface of the mounting cylinder).
For example, Patent Document 2 describes a method in which, when the hinge of a hinge cap is formed by insert molding a film, a recessed groove, which is a slit groove, is provided on the outer circumference of the upper surface of the cap body to prevent synthetic resin from seeping out to the outside of the film (see reference numeral 12 and paragraph 0009 in Figure 1(a)).

Patent No. 5669597 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-121783

In the hinge caps described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when dispensing the contents from the spout of the cap body, there was a risk that some of the dispensed contents would drip onto the partition wall and enter the slit groove. Furthermore, the contents that entered the slit groove were difficult to wipe away with paper or other materials, and were left to accumulate, resulting in a problem of contamination.

The objective of this invention is to provide a hinged cap that can prevent contamination by contents entering grooves (slit grooves) opening on the upper surface of the cap body.

The first means includes a cap body 2 having a mounting cylinder 4 that is attached to the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, and a spout 24 opening in a partition wall 20 connected to the upper end of the mounting cylinder,
The mounting cylinder 4 is equipped with an upper cover 30 connected to its upper end via a hinge 28,
The upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 has a slit groove 8 with an upper opening that extends in the circumferential direction of the mounting cylinder 4.
A closing piece 40 is fitted to the opening 8a of the slit groove 8, positioned on the opposite side of the hinge 28, as a means to prevent contents from entering the slit groove 8.
The closing piece 40 is formed in a range of 30° to 180° with respect to the center O of the mounting cylinder 4, on the opposite side from the hinge 28.

As shown in Figure 1(A), this device is a hinged cap in which a top lid 30 is connected via a hinge 28 to a cap body 2 having a mounting cylinder 4 for the opening neck 102 of the container body 100.
A slit groove 8 with an upper opening extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4. A closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8, positioned on the opposite side from the hinge 28, to close the groove opening 8a of the slit groove (see Figure 1(B)).
This structure prevents the contents from entering the slit groove 8 and causing contamination when the contents are dispensed from the spout 24 of the cap body 2.
Furthermore, in this method, as shown in Figure 2(A), the closing piece 40 is formed in a range of 30° to 180° with respect to the center O of the mounting cylinder 4, on the opposite side of the hinge 28.
The reason for positioning the occluding piece 40 within a range of 30° or more is that when the container is tilted to pour liquid from the spout, it is possible to cover the minimum range in which the liquid flow is expected to enter the slit groove. The reason for setting it to 180° or less is that when inserting the occluding piece 40 into the slit groove, it is easier to insert if the circumferential length of the occluding piece 40 is shorter.

The second means has the first means, and the mounting cylinder 4 has a separation mechanism D for separating it from the mouth/neck portion 102.
The separation mechanism D consists of a non-breaking region U which is a part of the mounting cylinder 4 circumferentially near the hinge 28, a slit groove 8 which extends over the remaining circumferential portion and into the middle of the width direction of the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4, and has a break start end E1 and a break end E2 on both sides in the circumferential direction, a circumferential tear line Tc formed between the inner surface of the mounting cylinder 4 and the slit groove 8, and a longitudinal tear line Tv which is continuous with the break start end E1 and cuts through the mounting cylinder 4 longitudinally .

In this configuration, the mounting cylinder 4 has a separation mechanism D for separating it from the mouth/neck portion 102.
As shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(B), the separation mechanism D consists of a non-breaking region U which is a part of the mounting cylinder 4 near the hinge 28 in the circumferential direction, a slit groove 8 which extends over the remaining circumferential portion and along the middle of the width direction of the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4, and has a break start end E1 and a break end end E2 on both sides in the circumferential direction, a circumferential tear line Tc formed between the inner surface of the mounting cylinder 4 and the slit groove 8, and a longitudinal tear line Tv which is continuous with the break start end E1 and cuts the mounting cylinder 4 longitudinally.
This structure allows the hinge cap to be easily separated from the container body even when the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8.

The third means comprises the first means or the second means, and the cap body 2 and the upper lid 30 are integrally molded in the open state.
The closing piece 40 is connected to the upper cover 30 via a weakening portion 38.
The closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8 so as not to come out when the top lid 30 moves to the closed position due to the rotation of the top lid 30 around the hinge 28, and the weakened portion 38 is broken when the top lid 30 is opened.

In this method, as shown in Figure 3, the cap body 2 and the upper lid 30 are integrally molded in an open state, and the closing piece 40 is connected to the upper lid 30 via a weakening portion 38.
Furthermore, the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8 so as not to come out when the top lid 30 moves to the closed position due to the rotation of the top lid 30 around the hinge 28 (see Figure 1(A)), and the weakened portion 38 breaks when the top lid 30 is opened (see Figure 4(A)).
This structure is convenient because it allows the closing operation and the fitting of the closing piece 40 into the slit groove 8 to be performed in a single operation.

The fourth means has any of the first to third means, and one of the closing piece 40 and the slit groove 8 has a locking projection 42 for preventing the closing piece from coming off, and the other has a projection receiving portion 10 that engages with the locking projection 42.

In this method, as shown in Figure 1(B), a locking projection 42 for preventing the closing piece from being removed is formed on one of the closing piece 40 and the slit groove 8, and a projection receiving portion 10 that engages with the locking projection 42 is formed on the other.
This structure reliably prevents the unexpected detachment of the blocking piece 40 from inside the slit groove 8.

The fifth means has any of the first to fourth means, and the closing piece 40 has a horizontal upper end face 40a, and is formed so that when the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8, the upper end face 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 and the upper end face 40a of the closing piece 40 are substantially flush.

In this method, as shown in Figure 1(B), the closing piece 40 has a horizontal upper end surface 40a, and is formed so that when the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8, the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 and the upper end surface 40a of the closing piece 40 are substantially flush.
This structure makes it easy to wipe off any contents adhering to the upper end of the mounting cylinder 4 with a cloth or similar material.

According to the invention relating to the first means, the top lid 30 is connected to the upper end side of the mounting cylinder 4 of the cap body 2 via a hinge 28, and a circumferentially extending slit groove 8 with an upper opening is formed on the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4, and a closing piece 40 that closes the groove opening 8a of the slit groove is fitted into the slit groove 8 at the opposite side of the hinge 28, thereby preventing the contents from entering the slit groove 8 and causing contamination when the contents are poured out from the spout 24 of the cap body 2.
Furthermore, according to the invention relating to the first means, since the closing piece 40 is formed in a range of 30° to 180° on the opposite side of the hinge 28 from the center O of the mounting cylinder 4, it is possible to efficiently cover the minimum range in which the contents will enter the slit groove 8 during the dispensing operation, and to easily insert the closing piece 40 into the slit groove 8.
According to the invention relating to the second means, the hinge cap can be easily separated even when the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8.
According to the invention relating to the third means, the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8 so as not to come out when the top lid 30 moves to the closed position due to the rotation of the top lid 30 around the hinge 28, and the weakened portion 38 is broken when the top lid 30 is opened. Therefore, the operation of closing the lid and the operation of fitting the closing piece 40 into the slit groove 8 can be performed in a single operation, which is convenient.
According to the invention relating to the fourth means, a locking projection 42 for preventing the closing piece from coming out is formed on one of the closing piece 40 and the slit groove 8, and a projection receiving portion 10 that engages with the locking projection 42 is formed on the other, so that accidental detachment of the closing piece 40 from the slit groove 8 can be reliably prevented.
According to the invention relating to the fifth means, the closing piece 40 has a horizontal upper end surface 40a, and when the closing piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8, the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 and the upper end surface 40a of the closing piece 40 are formed to be substantially flush, making it easy to wipe off contents adhering to the upper end of the mounting cylinder 4.

Figure (A) shows the structure of a hinge cap as seen from the side according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with Figure (B) being a cross-sectional view of the entire cap and Figure (B) being a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cap. Figure 1 shows the structure of the hinge cap as seen from above. Figure (A) is a plan view showing the entire cap with a portion cut out, and Figure (B) is a magnified view showing a part of the cap as seen through the top cover. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the molded structure of the hinge cap from the side. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the hinge cap's operation. Figure (A) shows the state after opening the top lid from the state in Figure 1, and Figure (B) shows the state after opening the top lid and tilting the container to pour out the contents. The figures show the structure of a hinge cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure (A) is a cross-sectional view of the entire cap, Figure (B) is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cap, and Figure (C) is a cross-sectional view of the molded structure of the cap as seen from the side. The figures show the structure of a hinge cap according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure (A) is a cross-sectional view of the entire cap, Figure (B) is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cap, and Figure (C) is a cross-sectional view of the molded structure of the cap as seen from the side.

Figures 1 to 4 show hinge caps according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
This hinged cap is formed from a cap body 2 and an upper lid 30.
For the sake of explanation, we will first describe the basic structure of the hinge cap of the present invention.
The cap body 2 and the top lid 30 can be formed from synthetic resin and can be integrally molded via the hinge 28 described later. In this case, it is preferable to mold them in the open lid state as shown in Figure 3.
In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the right side of Figure 1(A) will be referred to as "rear," the left side as "front," and the directions perpendicular to the plane of the paper as "left and right."
In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 2(A), the planar shapes of the cap body 2 and the top lid 30 are perfect circles, but their shapes can be changed as appropriate.

The cap body 2 has a mounting cylinder 4 for attaching to the outer surface of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100, and a spout 24 is opened in a partition wall 20 connected to the upper end of this mounting cylinder.

The mounting cylinder 4 has retaining ribs 11 circumferentially located on the lower inner surface of the vertical cylinder wall (a cylindrical wall in the illustrated example), and these retaining ribs 11 are provided so as to be able to engage with the outer ribs 104 attached to the neck portion 102.
Furthermore, the upper cover 30 is connected to the upper end of the rear wall of the mounting cylinder 4 via a hinge 28.
In this embodiment, the mounting cylinder 4 has a separation mechanism D for separating the hinge cap from the neck portion 102 of the container body 100. This separation mechanism D will be described later.

The partition wall 20 is attached to the upper end of the mounting cylinder 4 so as to cover the opening surface of the neck portion 102 of the container body 100.
In a preferred illustrated example, an annular engagement projection 22 is provided on the outer circumference of the partition wall 20 for engaging with the upper cover 30.
Furthermore, a fitting cylinder portion 21 is provided hanging from the outer circumference for fitting onto the inner surface of the mouth neck portion 102.
Furthermore, the partition wall 20 has an opening for the spout 24, positioned inside the fitting cylinder portion 21.
In the illustrated example, the spout 24 is positioned on the side opposite to the hinge 28, but its position can be changed as appropriate.
In this embodiment, the spout 24 is opened at the upper end of the dispensing cylinder 26 that rises from the partition wall 20. In a preferred illustrated example, the base end of the dispensing cylinder 26 is formed as a small inner diameter portion 26b, and the remaining cylinder wall portion is formed as a large inner diameter portion 26a.

As shown in Figure 2(B), the separation mechanism D consists of a non-breaking region U, a slit groove 8, a circumferential tear line Tc, and a longitudinal tear line Tv.
Specifically, as shown in Figure 2(A), the non-breaking region U is located in a part of the circumferential direction of the mounting cylinder 4, closer to the hinge 28, and the slit groove 8 extends along the entire length of the remaining circumferential portion.
As shown in Figure 1(B), the slit groove 8 is defined by an outer groove side surface 8b, an inner groove side surface 8c, and a groove bottom 8d, and has an opening (groove opening 8a) on the upper side.
Of the two ends of the slit groove 8 in the circumferential direction, the end closer to the hinge 28 is called the fracture start end E1, and the other end further from the hinge 28 is called the fracture end end E2. This simply refers to the locations where fracture begins and ends in the slit groove 8.
As shown in Figure 2(B), the fracture initiation end E1 is formed in an acute angle when viewed from above and is positioned close to the outer peripheral notch 12, which will be described later.
A longitudinal tear line Tv is provided that runs lengthwise through the mounting cylinder 4, continuous with the fracture initiation end E1, while a circumferential tear line Tc is formed between the groove bottom 8d of the slit groove and the inner surface of the mounting cylinder 4 along the entire length of the slit groove 8.
In the illustrated example, the slit groove 8 is drilled in the middle of the width direction of the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4, as shown in Figure 1(A), dividing the upper part of the mounting cylinder 4 into an inner cylindrical portion 4a and an outer cylindrical portion 4b.
Furthermore, by forming the inner cylindrical portion 4a with a thin wall near the bottom 8d of the slit groove, a circumferential tear line Tc, which is a weakening line, is provided.
Then, when the top cover 30 is pulled outward, the mounting cylinder 4 first breaks along the longitudinal tear line Tv, and then the circumferential tear line Tc breaks from the break start end E1 towards the break end E2. The non-breaking region U acts as a connecting portion between the partition wall 20 and the mounting cylinder 4 at the point when these two tear lines break. After the breaking process, when the top cover 30 is pulled up, the fitting cylinder portion 21 of the partition wall 20 is pulled out from the neck portion 102 via the non-breaking region U.
The longitudinal tear line Tv is formed on the outer surface of the mounting cylinder 4 by drilling an outer peripheral notch 12 that tapers from the outside to the inside when viewed from above (in the illustrated example, it is a trapezoidal shape close to a triangle) as shown in Figure 2(B). The outer peripheral notch 12 is vertically positioned downward from the upper end of the mounting cylinder 4. Furthermore, when a retaining rib 11 is provided around the lower inner surface of the mounting cylinder 4 as shown in the illustrated example, it is preferable to cut out the retaining rib 11 at a point located inside the outer peripheral notch 12, so that the longitudinal tear line Tv breaks passing outside this notch (inner peripheral notch 14). However, these structures can be modified as appropriate.
Furthermore, the sorting mechanism D is not essential in this invention, and the present invention can be applied to a slit groove 8 formed on the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 for reasons other than the separate disposal of the cap.
For example, if the slit groove 8 is formed deep enough to reach near the lower end of the mounting cylinder 4, the fitting strength with the mouth/neck portion 102 can be increased. This is because the inner cylindrical portion 4a of the mounting cylinder 4 that fits into the mouth/neck portion bulges outward, and the outer cylindrical portion 4b holds it in place.

In this embodiment, the slit groove 8 is a groove drilled in the middle of the width direction of the mounting cylinder 4, and extends in the circumferential direction over the area excluding the non-breaking region U.
In the illustrated example, the planar shapes of the outer groove side surface 8b and the inner groove side surface 8c of the slit groove 8 are arc-shaped when viewed from above, corresponding to the contour of the mounting cylinder 4 when viewed from above.

The top cover 30 has a lid periphery wall 34 that extends downward from the periphery of the top plate 32. The lower end of this lid periphery wall 34 is connected to the upper part of the mounting cylinder 4 via a hinge 28.
A handle 35 is attached to the front part of the lid perimeter wall 34.
Furthermore, the lower inner surface of the lid periphery wall 34 is provided with an engagement recess 36 for tightly fitting the engagement projection 22.
A sealing cylinder 37 hangs down from the top plate 32, which is tightly fitted inside the dispensing cylinder 26.
In the illustrated example, a main sealing portion S1 and an auxiliary sealing portion S2 are provided to prevent the sealing performance from being impaired by the impact of dropping the container with the hinge cap attached onto the floor or other surface.
Specifically, the outer surface of the lower end of the seal cylinder 37 is formed as a small-diameter seal surface portion 37b, and the outer surface of the remaining cylinder wall portion is formed as a large-diameter seal surface portion 37a.
The main sealing portion S1 consists of a large-diameter sealing surface portion 37a and a large-diameter inner portion 26a of the dispensing cylinder 26, and in normal conditions, it seals the cylindrical opening of the dispensing cylinder 26.
The auxiliary sealing portion S2 consists of a small-diameter sealing surface portion 37b and a small-diameter inner portion 26b of the dispensing cylinder 26.
The reason for providing the auxiliary sealing portion S2 is that the hinge cap is sealed by a two-stage seal consisting of the main sealing portion S1 and the auxiliary sealing portion S2, so even if one seal comes off due to impact, the other sealing portion will seal it, preventing leakage of the contents. In addition, a space L is provided between the main sealing portion S1 and the auxiliary sealing portion S2, so if a small amount of contents enters the auxiliary sealing portion S2 due to impact such as dropping the container, the contents can be contained in space L.

In the present invention, a closing piece 40 is fitted to the portion of the slit groove 8 opposite to the hinge 28 (the front half in the illustrated example) to close the groove opening 8a of the slit groove.
The blocking piece 40 has the role of preventing the contents from entering the slit groove 8.
In this specification, "closing the groove opening 8a" means that the groove opening is closed only at the location where the closing piece 40 is positioned within the circumferential length of the slit groove, and it is not necessary to close the groove opening over the entire circumferential length of the slit groove.
The reason for specifying "the part opposite the hinge 28" is that when pouring liquid from the spout 24 of this type of hinge cap, the container is usually tilted to the side opposite the hinge 28, as shown in Figure 4(B).
The outer surface 40c and inner surface 40d of the closing piece 40 have a plan view shape (an arc shape in the illustrated example) that follows the contour of the slit groove 8, and are formed to block the groove opening 8a of the slit groove 8 in a substantially sealed state.
"Effectively sealed" means that the contents are blocked so that almost none of them enter the slit groove 8.
Therefore, within the limits that do not hinder this closing function, as shown in Figure 1(B), a gap (insertion allowance) g may be provided between the outer groove side surface 8b of the slit groove 8 and the outer surface surface 40c of the closing piece 40, and between the inner groove side surface 8c of the slit groove 8 and the inner surface surface 40d of the closing piece 40, to allow the closing piece 40 to be inserted into the slit groove 8.
In the illustrated example, as shown in Figure 2(A), the closing piece 40 extends circumferentially within a range of 180°, where the angle θ it makes with respect to the center O of the mounting cylinder 4 is on the opposite side of the hinge 28.
This allows the slit groove 8 to fully perform its closing function.
However, the angle θ can be changed as appropriate. Preferably, the angle is 180° or less, and should be formed in the range of at least 30 to 45 degrees.
The reason for setting the angle range to 30° or more is to ensure that, in the normal operation of tilting the container forward to pour liquid from the spout, the minimum range in which the liquid flow is expected to enter the slit groove 8 is covered.
The reason for setting the preferred angle range to 180° or less is that when inserting the closing piece 40 into the slit groove 8, it is easier to insert the closing piece if its circumferential length is shorter.
In particular, in the configuration shown in Figure 3, where the closing piece 40 connected to the top lid 30 is fitted into the slit groove 8 by a lid-closing operation, it is advantageous to ensure that the piece is reliably fitted in a single operation when this lid-closing operation is performed by a machine.
However, since it is possible in practice for the container to be tilted in a direction not anticipated by the designer when dispensing, the blocking piece 40 may be placed along the entire length of the slit groove (or the entire circumference of the mounting cylinder if the slit groove is provided around the entire circumference of the mounting cylinder).
The upper end surface 40a of the closing piece 40 is formed to be substantially flush with the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 (the upper end surfaces of the inner cylindrical portion 4a and the outer cylindrical portion 4b in the illustrated example). The lower end surface 40b of the closing piece 40 is provided to be close to or in contact with the bottom 8d of the slit groove 8.

In this embodiment, the closing piece 40 is connected to the lower end of the lid peripheral wall 34 via a weakening portion 38, as shown in Figure 1(B).
More specifically, the closing piece 40 is connected to the upper lid 30 via a plurality of weakening portions 38 when the hinge cap is molded in the open lid state shown in Figure 3. Then, when the lid is closed, it is fitted into the slit groove 8 in the closed lid state shown in Figure 1(A).
When the top lid 30 is opened from the closed state, the weakened portion 38 breaks, as shown in Figure 4(A), and the closing piece 40 separates from the top lid 30 and remains in the slit groove 8.
This configuration makes it convenient because the process of fitting the closing piece 40 into the slit groove 8 can be performed by closing the lid.
The weakened portion may be broken by the manufacturer during the process of closing the top lid 30 onto the cap body 2 after molding the hinge cap, or it may be broken when the consumer uses it (when opening the top lid 30).
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(B), a locking projection 42 is formed on a part of the outer circumferential surface of the closing piece 40 (outer surface 40c in the illustrated example), and a projection receiving portion 10 that engages with the locking projection 42 is formed on the corresponding portion of the inner surface of the slit groove 8 (outer groove surface 8b in the illustrated example).
In the illustrated example, the projection receiving portion 10 is a receiving surface formed as the lower surface of an undercut perpendicular or acute angle to the outer groove side surface 8b, and the locking projection has a horizontal engaging surface that engages with the undercut.
This structure allows the closing piece 40, which is fitted into the slit groove 8, to be prevented from coming out, and when the top cover 30 is opened again, it is possible to ensure that the weakened portion 38 is cut and the top cover 30 and the closing piece 40 are separated.
The above configuration can be modified as appropriate. For example, a locking projection 42 may be formed on the outer groove side surface 8b of the slit groove 8, and a projection receiving portion 10 may be formed on the outer surface 40c of the closing piece 40. Alternatively, a locking projection 42 may be provided on one of the inner groove side surface 8c of the slit groove 8 and the inner surface 40d of the closing piece 40, and a projection receiving portion 10 may be provided on the other.

In the above configuration, when the top lid 30 is opened from the state shown in Figure 1, as shown in Figure 4(A), the weakened portion 38 breaks as described above, and the closing piece 40 fitted into the slit groove 8 separates from the top lid 30.
In this state, the container body 100 is tilted and liquid is dispensed from the dispensing cylinder 26. Even if some of the liquid flow falls onto the upper end surface 6 of the mounting cylinder 4 at this time, the blocking piece 40 is fitted into the slit groove 8, so it is possible to prevent the liquid from entering the inside of the slit groove 8.
Next, after returning the container body 100 to an upright position, when attempting to wipe off the liquid adhering to the front wall of the mounting cylinder 4, the upper end surface of the mounting cylinder 4 and the upper end surface 40a of the closing piece 40 are flush, so the liquid adhering to both surfaces can be easily wiped off with a cloth or the like.
When the liquid inside the container 100 is used up, the top lid 30 can be pulled from the open position as described above, sequentially breaking the longitudinal tear line Tv and the circumferential tear line Tc. After the breaking process is complete, the top lid 30 is pulled up, and the cap body 2 is removed from the neck portion 102. In this way, the hinge cap can be separated from the container and disposed of.

The following describes other embodiments of the present invention. In these descriptions, the same structures as those in the first embodiment will not be explained.

Figure 5 shows a hinge cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5(A), the groove bottom 8d of the slit groove 8 is formed at a lower position in the front half 8F of the slit groove 8 compared to the rear half 8B of the slit groove 8.
Furthermore, the closing piece 40 is formed to be elongated in the vertical direction to a position that abuts against or is close to the bottom of the groove 8d.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5(B), the inner cylindrical portion 4a of the mounting cylinder 4 is formed with a thin wall at an intermediate position in the vertical direction. This position corresponds to the same height as the groove bottom 8d in the rear half portion 8B of the slit groove 8 (see Figure 5(A)). A circumferential tear line Tc is formed at the thin wall portion.
In the illustrated example, the upper half of the outer groove side surface 8b and the lower half of the inner groove side surface 8c of the closing piece 40 are formed as tapered inclined surfaces that approach each other downwards. The locking projection 42 is formed on the lower half of the outer groove side surface 8b. However, these shapes can be changed as appropriate.
With this structure, compared to the embodiment in Figure 1, the closing piece 40 is fitted to a deeper position, making it less likely to come off.

Figure 6 shows a hinge cap according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the upper end of the outer cylindrical portion 4b is recessed in the rear half of the mounting cylinder 4 to form a recessed portion 16.
Furthermore, an outwardly protruding portion 44 that protrudes into the recessed portion 16 is attached to the upper part of the main body 41 of the closing piece 40. The main body 41 refers to the vertical wall portion having a planar shape (arc-shaped in the illustrated example) along the slit groove.
A concave receiving portion 18 is formed at the outer end of the recessed portion 16, and an auxiliary engaging portion 46 that engages with the concave receiving portion 18 is formed at the lower end of the outward protruding portion 44.
Furthermore, a recess 47 is formed on the front surface of the outwardly protruding portion 44.
With this structure, as shown in Figure 6(B), the outer cylindrical portion 4b of the mounting cylinder 4 is held between the main body 41 and the auxiliary engaging portion 46 of the closing piece 40, and furthermore, since the auxiliary engaging portion 46 is fitted into the recessed portion 16, the closing piece 40 is less likely to come out of the slit groove.

2...Cap body 4...Mounting cylinder 4a...Inner cylindrical part 4b...Outer cylindrical part 6...Upper end surface 8...Slit groove 8F...Front part 8B...Rear part 8a...Groove opening 8b...Outer groove side surface 8c...Inner groove side surface 8d...Groove bottom 10...Projection receiving part 11...Retaining rib 12...Outer circumference notch 14...Inner circumference notch 16...Recessed part 18...Concave receiving part
20...Partition 21...Fitting cylinder section 22...Engaging projection 24...Spout 26...Dispensing cylinder 26a...Large inner diameter section 26b...Small inner diameter section 28...Hinge 30...Top lid 32...Top plate 34...Lid periphery wall 35...Knob section 36...Engaging recess 37...Seal cylinder 37a...Large diameter sealing surface section 37b...Small diameter sealing surface section 38...Weakening section 40...Closing piece 40a...Upper end surface 40b...Lower end surface 40c...Outer surface 40d...Inner surface 41...Main body 42...Locking projection 44...Outer overhang section 46...Auxiliary engaging section 47...Recess 100...Container body 102...Neck section 104...Outer rib E1...Break start end section E2...Break end end section O...Center D...Separation mechanism g... play
L...Space (liquid reservoir) S1...Main seal area S2...Auxiliary seal area Tc...Circumferential tear line Tv...Longitudinal tear line U...Non-breaking area

Claims (5)

The cap body (2) has a mounting cylinder (4) that is attached to the neck (102) of the container body (100), and a spout (24) is opened in a partition wall (20) connected to the upper end of the mounting cylinder,
The mounting cylinder (4) is equipped with an upper cover (30) connected to its upper end via a hinge (28),
The upper end surface (6) of the mounting cylinder (4) has a slit groove (8) with an upper opening that extends in the circumferential direction of the mounting cylinder (4).
A closing piece (40) is fitted to the groove opening (8a) of the slit groove (8) as a means to prevent contents from entering the slit groove (8) by positioning it on the opposite side of the hinge (28).
The hinge cap is characterized in that the closing piece (40) is formed in a range of 30° to 180° with respect to the center (O) of the mounting cylinder (4) and on the opposite side from the hinge (28). The mounting cylinder (4) has a separation mechanism (D) for separating it from the mouth/neck portion (102),
The hinge cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the separation mechanism (D) comprises a non-breaking region (U) which is a part of the mounting cylinder (4) circumferentially near the hinge (28), a slit groove (8) which extends over the remaining circumferential portion and into the middle of the width direction of the upper end surface (6) of the mounting cylinder (4), and has a break start end (E1) and a break end (E2) on both sides in the circumferential direction, a circumferential tear line (Tc) formed between the inner surface of the mounting cylinder (4) and the slit groove (8), and a longitudinal tear line (Tv) which is continuous with the break start end (E1) and cuts the mounting cylinder (4) longitudinally. The cap body (2) and the top lid (30) are integrally molded in the open state.
The upper cover (30) is connected to the closing piece (40) via a weakening portion (38),
The hinge cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the closing piece (40) is fitted into the slit groove (8) so as not to come out when the upper lid (30) moves to the closed position due to the rotation of the upper lid (30) around the hinge (28), and the weakened portion (38) breaks when the upper lid (30) is opened. A hinge cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one of the closing piece (40) and the slit groove (8) has a locking projection (42) for preventing the closing piece from being removed, and the other has a projection receiving portion (10) that engages with the locking projection (42). The hinge cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closing piece (40) has a horizontal upper end surface (40a), and when the closing piece (40) is fitted into the slit groove (8), the upper end surface (6) of the mounting cylinder (4) and the upper end surface (40a) of the closing piece (40) are formed to be substantially flush.