Container

In a container, a first distance from an engagement upper end of a male thread of a mouth to a bead portion is larger than a second distance from an engagement lower end of a female thread of a cap to a resiliently deformable portion of a tamper evident band.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a container.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, containers including a container body having a tubular mouth and a cap attached to the mouth are known in which containers a tamper evident band for indicating whether the container has been opened (hereinafter also referred to as a TE band) is provided on the cap (for example, see JP 2008-007130 A (PTL 1)).

Such a TE band has a resiliently deformable portion such as a flap. When capping is performed by applying a predetermined press force (top load) to the cap for example using a capping head of a capper in a production step of the container, the resiliently deformable portion is resiliently deformed by being pressed against a bead portion provided on the mouth, thus the resiliently deformable portion rides over the bead portion.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY

Technical Problem

However, the cap of such a conventional container would be inclined when the resiliently deformable portion of the TE band is pressed against the bead portion of the mouth, and the cap would be screwed on at an angle. Such a skewed attached cap is likely to be caused particularly in the case of a wide mouth container having a mouth with a diameter of 30 mm or more.

In view of the above circumstances, it could be helpful to provide a container which can prevent skewing of an attached cap provided with a tamper evident band.

Solution to Problem

A container of this disclosure includes a container body having a tubular mouth, and a cap attached to the mouth.

The mouth has a male thread and a ring-shaped bead portion provided around a lower portion of the male thread,the cap has a ring-shaped skirt wall on which a female thread threadedly engaged with the male thread is formed, and a ring-shaped tamper evident band provided on a lower end portion of the skirt wall,the tamper evident band has a resiliently deformable portion which is resiliently deformed by being pressed from above against the bead portion to ride over the bead portion downward, anda first distance from an engagement upper end of the male thread of the mouth to the bead portion is larger than a second distance from an engagement lower end of the female thread of the cap to the resiliently deformable portion of the tamper evident band.

An inclination angle of an upper surface of the bead portion is preferably 30° or more.

For the disclosed container, the first distance and the second distance are preferably set so that the resiliently deformable portion of the tamper evident band abuts the bead portion when the female thread is engaged with the male thread over 5 mm or more.

Advantageous Effect

The present disclosure can provide a container which can prevent skewing of an attached cap provided with a tamper evident band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in this specification, vertical directions of the mouth refer to the directions along the central axis of the male thread of the mouth (i.e., upward and downward inFIG.4), and the upper side is the side of an opening of the mouth and the lower side is the trunk side. Further, the term “vertical directions of the cap” refers to the directions along the central axis of the female thread of the cap (i.e., upward and downward inFIG.4), and the upper side is the top wall side and the lower side is the tamper evident band side.

The container of this embodiment includes a container body1as illustrated inFIGS.1A and1Band a cap2as illustrated inFIG.2AtoFIG.3B.

The container body1can be formed, for example, by blow molding using a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a material. The container body1includes a cylindrical mouth3connected to a containment space containing a content, a trunk which is connected to the mouth3and has a larger diameter than the mouth3, and a bottom that stops the lower end of the trunk.

The mouth3includes a cylindrical mouth circumferential wall4, a male thread5formed along an outer circumferential surface of the mouth circumferential wall4, a ring-shaped bead portion6provided around a lower part of the male thread5on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth circumferential wall4, a ring-shaped neck ring7provided around a lower part of the bead portion6on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth circumferential wall4.

In this embodiment, the male thread5is constituted by a multiple thread with two or more starts (a quadruple thread in the illustrated example). Alternatively, the male thread5may be constituted by a single thread. Further, in the illustrated example, each thread of the male thread5includes a thread upper end portion8which is located at an upper end of the thread and has a height (radial dimension) and a width (vertical dimension) gradually reduced toward the upper end; a thread lower end portion9which is located at a lower end of the thread and has a height and width gradually reduced toward the lower end; and a thread body10placed between the thread upper end portion8and the thread lower end portion9.

In the illustrated example, the thread body10has a longitudinal sectional shape (a shape cut along a plane including the central axis O1) which is consistent in the circumferential direction. However, each thread body10may have a longitudinal sectional shape that varies in the circumferential direction. Each thread body10is provided continuously in the circumferential direction in the illustrated example; alternatively, the thread bodies10may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction.

Note that each thread may be constituted only by the thread body10without being provided with the thread upper end portion8or the thread lower end portion9. Alternatively, each thread may be constituted by the thread body10and one of the thread upper end portion8and the thread lower end portion9.

The bead portion6protrudes in a radial direction from the outer circumferential surface of the mouth circumferential wall4and is shaped like a ring centered around the central axis O1. The bead portion6is provided to be continuous in the circumferential direction in the illustrated example; alternatively, the bead portion6may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction. Further, the bead portion6has a conical upper surface11at an inclination angle θ (46° in the illustrated example) with respect to a horizontal surface, a lower surface12parallel to a horizontal surface, and a side surface13connecting the upper surface11and the lower surface12. Note that the shape of the upper surface11of the bead portion6can be changed as appropriate. For example, the longitudinal sectional shape of the upper surface11(the shape in a cross section cut along the plane including the central axis O1) may be a curved shape or may be a combination of a straight line and a curved line without limitation to the straight line shape.

In this embodiment, the container body1is formed as a wide mouth container in which the diameter of the outer circumferential surface of the mouth circumferential wall4is 30 mm or more (60 mm in the illustrated example). The container body1is used to contain a beverage or food; alternatively, the container body1may be adapted to contain a variety of contents such as a pharmaceutical product.

As depicted inFIG.2AtoFIG.3B, the cap2has a ring-shaped skirt wall15on which a female thread14threadedly engaged with the male thread5is formed. More specifically, the female thread14is formed along an inner circumferential surface of the skirt wall15having a cylindrical shape centered around a central axis O2of the female thread14. The outer periphery of a disk-shaped top wall16is integrally connected to an upper end portion of the skirt wall15. The bottom surface of the top wall16is provided with packing17.

The female thread14is formed as a quadruple thread corresponding to the male thread5in the illustrated example. Further, in the illustrated example, each thread of the female thread14includes a thread upper end portion18which is located at an upper end of the thread and has a height (radial dimension) and a width (vertical dimension) gradually reduced toward the upper end; a thread lower end portion19which is located at a lower end of the thread and has a height and width gradually reduced toward the lower end; and a thread body20placed between the thread upper end portion18and the thread lower end portion19.

In the illustrated example, the thread body20has a longitudinal sectional shape (a shape cut along a plane including the central axis O2) which is consistent in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, each thread body20may have a longitudinal sectional shape that varies in the circumferential direction. Each thread body20is provided to be continuous in the circumferential direction in the illustrated example; alternatively, the thread body20may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction.

Note that each thread may be constituted only by the thread body20without being provided with the thread upper end portion18or the thread lower end portion19. Alternatively, each thread may be constituted by the thread body20and one of the thread upper end portion18and the thread lower end portion19.

A lower end portion of the skirt wall15is provided with a ring-shaped tamper evident band21. The tamper evident band21has a cylindrical band body22and a flap23folded at the lower end portion of the band body22back to the inner circumferential side and extended upward to the radially inner side. The upper end portion of the band body22is connected to the lower end portion of the skirt wall15with a breakage-expected portion24therebetween, the breakage-expected portion24being constituted by a plurality of breakable bridges spaced around the central axis O2.

In this embodiment, the flap23serves as a resiliently deformable portion25which is resiliently deformed by being pressed from above by the bead portion6to ride over the bead portion6downward. Note that the shape of the flap23is not limited to that in the illustrated example, and a structure other than the flap23may be used as the resiliently deformable portion25.

In this embodiment, the cap2is assembled from two components consisting of the cap body26including the top wall16, the skirt wall15, and the tamper evident band21and the packing17; alternatively, the cap2may be one unit in which the packing17is integrated with the cap body26. Moreover, the form of the top wall16is not limited to that in the illustrated example. For example, an opening having a circular shape for example may be formed in the middle of the top wall16, and the opening may be stopped by the packing17. Note that the cap2can be formed for example by injection molding using a resin material.

FIGS.4to5illustrate a state where the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21abuts the bead portion6for the first time due to the screwing on of the cap2when the cap2is attached to the mouth3using for example a capping head of a capper (not shown). As illustrated inFIG.5which is a partial enlarged view ofFIG.4, in this embodiment, a first distance D1from an engagement upper end Up of the male thread5of the mouth3to the bead portion6is larger than a second distance D2from an engagement lower end Lp of the female thread14of the cap2to the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21.

Here, the “engagement upper end Up of the male thread5” means a point located at the center in the radial direction of an engagement upper end side contact area Ur as illustrated inFIG.5. Here, the engagement upper end side contact area Ur is a part of a linear region consisting of the line of intersection between a plane including the upper end of the thread body10of the male thread5(upper end in a direction along the central axis O1) and the central axis O1, and the upper surface of another thread body10of the male thread5(“the said” thread body10in the case where the male thread5is formed as a single thread) placed directly under “the said” thread body10, and is an area in contact with the lower surface of the thread body20of the female thread14when the cap2is screwed on. Further, “the first distance D1to the bead portion6” means a vertical distance to the portion on the upper surface11of the bead portion6on which the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21abuts for the first time.

Moreover, “the engagement lower end Lp of the female thread14of the cap2” means a point located at the center in the radial direction of a engagement lower end side contact area Lr as illustrated inFIG.7. Here, the engagement lower end side contact area Lr is a part of a linear region consisting of the line of intersection between a plane including the lower end of the thread body20of the female thread14(the lower end in a direction along the central axis O2) and the central axis O2, and the lower surface of the said thread body20, and is an area in contact with the upper surface of the thread body10of the male thread5. Further, “the second distance D2to the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21” means a vertical distance to the portion on the lower surface of the resiliently deformable portion25which abuts the bead portion6for the first time.

Thus, in this embodiment, the first distance D1is made larger than the second distance D2so that the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21abuts the bead portion6for the first time when the female thread14is engaged with the male thread5(that is, when the thread body20of the female thread14is engaged with the thread body10of the male thread5).

In other words, at the point of time when the thread body20of the female thread14of the cap2starts to be engaged with the thread body10of the male thread5of the container body1, the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21does not abut the bead portion6as illustrated inFIG.6toFIG.7.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the female thread14of the cap2and the male thread5of the container body1are engaged first before the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21touches the bead portion6, and the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21is pressed against the bead portion6by the support of the thread to ride over the portion6, thus the cap2can be attached as illustrated inFIG.8.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the resiliently deformable portion25is pressed against the bead portion6, the male thread5and the female thread14are engaged, so that the inclination of the cap due to the pressing of the resiliently deformable portion25against the bead portion6is suppressed, thus skewing of the cap2can be suppressed.

In addition, the first distance D1and the second distance D2are preferably set so that the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21abuts the bead portion6when the female thread14is engaged with the male thread5over 5 mm or more (i.e., when the thread body20of the female thread14and the thread body10of the male thread5are engaged over 5 mm or more in the circumferential direction).

Specifically, as illustrated inFIG.5, an engagement length L (i.e., the distance between the engagement upper end Up of the male thread5and the engagement lower end Lp of the female thread14in a direction along the circumferential direction) is preferably 5 mm or more when the resiliently deformable portion25abuts the bead portion6for the first time. When the engagement length L is 5 mm or more as described above, skewing of the cap2can be effectively suppressed even in the case of a wide mouth container. Further, the engagement length L is more preferably 13 mm or more, and such an engagement length L of 13 mm or more can have a more advantageous effect.

Further, in this embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the upper surface11of the bead portion6(seeFIG.1B) is preferably 30° or more. When the inclination angle θ is 30° or more as described above, the position of a portion of the upper surface11of the bead portion6on which the resiliently deformable portion25of the tamper evident band21abuts for the first time can be made lower than normal. Thus, since the first distance D1can be made larger than normal without affecting the second distance D2, sufficient engagement latitude can be ensured when the resiliently deformable portion25abuts the bead portion6for the first time.

The above is only an embodiment of this disclosure, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1Container body2Cap3Mouth4Mouth circumferential wall5Male thread6Bead portion7Neck ring8Thread upper end of male thread9Thread lower end of male thread10Thread body of male thread11Upper surface of bead portion12Lower surface of bead portion13Side surface of bead portion14Female thread15Skirt wall16Top wall17Packing18Thread upper end of female thread19Thread lower end of female thread20Thread body of female thread21Tamper evident band22Band body23Flap24Breakage-expected portion25Resiliently deformable portion26Cap bodyO1Central axis of male thread of mouthO2Central axis of female thread of capUp Engagement upper end of male threadUr Engagement upper end side contact areaLp Engagement lower end of female threadLr Engagement lower end side contact areaD1First distanceD2Second distanceL Engagement length