Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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S P E C I F I C A T I O N
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Cap Structure with Elastically Turnover Cover
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a cap structure
having an elastically turnover cover. The "cap struc-
ture" used herein is meant to include a cap and a con-
tainer with a cap.
BACKGROUND ART
As the cap having the elastically turnover cover,
there is known a cap which is integrally molded o~ a
synthetic resin and having its cap body and cover
hinged at three points, as called so, as is used in
the container of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.
34049/1988, for example. This cap is formed by in-
tegrally connecting a cap body and a cap opening cover
into one piece by means of the three-point hinge.
This three-point hinge structure is composed o~: first
two hinges for connecting the upper end of the rear
portion of the circumferential wall of the cap body
and the lower end of the rear portion of the circum-
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ferential wall of the cover placed on the cap body;and second and third hinges for connecting L-shaped
elastic plates between the first circumferential wall
portion below those the first hinges and the front
portion of the top wall of the cover at the upper end
of the circumferential wall portion of the cover be-
tween the two hinges.
In order that the three-point hinged cap may be
integrally molded o~ a synthetic resin, both the cir-
cumferential wall portion of the cover in front of the
rising portions of the L-shaped elastic plates and the
top wall portion of the cover below the horizontal
portion are notched for parting the mold. Especially,
the notched portions of the top wall of the cover de-
teriorate the appearance of the cover. Still the
worse, the notches makes it incomplete to shut off the
mouth of the cap body with the cover.
In order to eliminate the defects of the afore-
mentioned example of the prior art, in which the hor-
izontal plates are attached to the elastic plates and
are extended to the central portion of the top wall of
the cover, the present invention contemplates to pro-
vide a cap structure which can be formed of only the
individual rear portions of the circumferential walls
of the cap body and the cover without notching the
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clrcumferentlal wall and top wall of the cover, so that the
cover may have lts appearance lmproved and may seal up the
mouth of the cap body when ln the closlng operatlon.
In summary, accordlng to a flrst broad aspect, the
present lnventlon provldes a snap-type cap structure made of
synthetic resln comprlslng: a body havlng a flrst
clrcumferentlal wall; a cover havlng a second clrcumferentlal
wall whlch ls placed on the flrst clrcumferentlal wall, sald
flrst and second clrcumferentlal walls belng connected by a
pair of hlnges, and an elastlc band connectlng the body and
the cover; characterlzed ln that sald flrst and second
clrcumferentlal walls each havlng a vertlcal wall at one slde
thereof, and a groove extendlng vertlcally at the wldthwlse
center of the vertlcal wall, whereln sald vertlcal walls meet
each other and are connected by the hlnges at both sldes of
the grooves, and bottom walls of the grooves merge lnto sald
elastlc band.
Accordlng to a second broad aspect, the present
lnventlon provldes a snap-type cap structure made of
synthetlc resln comprlslng a body havlng a flrst
clrcumferentlal wall, a cover havlng a second clrcumferentlal
wall placed on the flrst clrcumferentlal wall, a flrst hlnge
for connectlng sald flrst and second clrcumferentlal walls,
and a pair of elastlc bands whlch are provlded on both sldes
of the flrst hlnge for connectlng sald flrst and second
clrcumferentlal walls, characterlzed by a palr of recesses
each belng formed by a lower recess portlon on the flrst
clrcumferentlal wall and an upper recess portlon on the
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second circumferential wall, which are provlded at positions
corresponding to said elastlc bands, whereln ends of the
elastlc bands are connected through second and thlrd hlnges
to outer edges of the upper and lower ends of the recesses,
and the elastlc bands have C-shaped longitudinal sections in
a closed state and an open state in which the cover is turned
over, while the elastic bands being fitted into the recesses
in the closed state.
BRIEF DES~RIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Of Flgs. 1 to 5 showlng one embodlment of the cap
structure of the present invention: Fig. 1 is a perspective
view showing the open state; Fig. 2 is a perspective view
showing the closed state from the back; Fig. 3 is a top plan
vlew showing the same; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectlon showlng
an essential portion; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged section
showing an essential portion in the open state. Of Flgs. 6
to 8 showing a second embodlment Flg. 6 ls a perspective
vlew showlng the closed state from the back; Flg. 7 ls a
perspectlve vlew showlng the open state; and Flg. 8 is an
enlarged sectlon showlng an essentlal portlon. Of Flgs. 9 to
11 showlng a thlrd embodlment: Flg. 9 is a perspective view
showing the open state; Flg. 10 is a perspective vlew showing
the closed state from the back; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged
side elevatlon showing an essential portion.
In case of an embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5, if
a cover 5 is pushed up from the open state of Fig. 5, each of
curved elastic bands 12 is to have its cover slde end 12b
moved along an arc a, whlch has a radlus of a stralght
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distance from the body side end 12a to the cover side end 12b
of the elastic band 12. Since, however, the cover 5 ls
turned on hlnges 10, lt ls allowed to move along an arc b
whlch has a radlus of a stralght dlstance from the hlnges 10
to the cover slde end 12b. If the polnt of intersection
between a stralght llne c contalnlng the body slde end 12a
and the hinges 10 and the aforementloned arc b is designated
at a dead center A, the elastic band 12 is extended tlll the
dead center A agalnst lts elastlclty and is shrunken after
the dead center A by its elastic controlllng force so that
the cover ls elastlcally turned over to establlsh the closed
state. The cover openlng operatlon could be llkewlse
understood.
Incldentally, the elastic band 12 may have its
lntermedlate portlon curved to the front ln the closed state
of Flg. 4.
Another embodlment shown ln Flgs. 6 to 8 mlght be
thought llke the case of the foregolng flrst embodlment.
A slmllar dlscussion applles to the case of a thlrd
embodlment shown ln Flgs. g to 11. In thls embodlment, each
of the elastlc bands 12 ls curved ln a letter "C" not only ln
the open state but also ln the closed state, ln whlch lt ls
recelved ln a recess 13. Accordlng to thls embodlment, the
elastlc bands can be prevented from belng forclbly extended
more than thelr llmlts even when they pass through the dead
center A at whlch they are extended to thelr maxlmum strokes.
Flrst of all, the flrst embodlment wlll be
descrlbed wlth reference to Flgs. 1 to 5.
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Reference numeral 1 designates the body of a cap
structure havlng a first clrcumferential wall 2. Thls flrst
clrcumferentlal wall 2 ls formed lnto a clrcumferentlal wall
to be fltted on the outer clrcumference of the neck of a
container, ln case the body 1 is a cap, and has lts lower end
shut out with a bottom wall in case the cap structure ls a
contalner body. In the shown embodlment, the flrst
clrcumferentlal wall has lts top covered wlth a top plate 4
havlng a pourlng port 3, but thls top plate 4 can be
elimlnated.
Indlcated at reference numeral 5 ls a cover whlch
ls molded of polyethylene or the llke lntegrally wlth the
aforementloned body 1. Thls cover 5 can be turned
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on later-descrlbed hlnges to open or elose the top o~
the first elreumferenee. In the cover 5, a seeond
eireumferentlal wall 7 depends from the outer elreum-
ferenee of a top wall 6 and ean have its lower end
plaeed on the upper end o~ the flrst elreumferentlal
wall 2. The flrst circum-~erentlal wall 2 and the
seeond elrcumferentlal wall 7 are shaped lnto a true
clrele, as seen ln a top plan view, and have thelr
baeks formed lnto a vertlcal wall 8 whlch ln turn ls
~ormed wlth a groove 9 at lts wldthwlse eenter.
The vertieal walls of the flrst and seeond elr-
eumferentlal walls 2 and 7, whlch are divided by the
groove, have tllelr respectlve upper and lower ends
conneeted by eurved hlnges 10 and 10, as better seen
from Fig. 4. Moreover, the upper end o~ the groove
bottom of the flrst elrcumferentlal wall and the lower
end of the groove bottom of the second clrcumferentlal
wall are formed to merge lnto each other, and the
~lrst and second clrcum~erentlal wall portlons are
formed in front of thelr merging portions wlth holes
11 and 11, whlch are extended downward and upward from
the upper and lower ends o~ ~he lndlvldual circum-
ferential walls to leave an elastlc band 12 at the
bottom of the groove 9 at tlle back Or the holes 11 and
11. This elastie band 12 is prellminarily eurved sueh
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that the body 1 and the cover 5 are integrally molded
o~ a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, as shown in
Fig. 5, with the cover 5 being opened with respect to
the body 1 and with the elastic band 12 being curved
upward. The connecting portions between the upper and
lower ends of the elastic band and the second and
~irst circum~erentlal walls are so ~ormed that they
cannot be bent angularly.
The second embodiment, as shown in Figs. 6 to 8,
is not ~ormed with the a~orementioned vertical wall 8
and groove 9 of the ~oregoing ~irst embodiment. In
this second embodiment, the righthand and le~thand
portions o~ the back o~ the ~irst and second circum-
ferential walls 2 and 7, which are shaped into a true
circle in a top plan view, are pro~ected backward ~rom
their upper end lower end portions to ~orm triangular
pro~ections 13 and 13. These pro~ections 13 and 13
are connected at their rear ends by the hinges 10 and
10 to connect the upper and lower ends o~ the first
and second circum~erential walls. Moreover, the elas-
tic band 12 is extended between the hinges 10 and 10
and so tensed between the lower ~irst circum~erential
portion and the upper second circumferential portion
that its upper and lower ends merge into the two cir-
cum~erential walls in an unbendable manner. Like the
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case of the first embodiment, the second embodiment
has its cap structure molded of the body and the cover
in the closed state.
Figs. 9 to 11 show the third embodiment. In this
embodiment, the first and second circumferential walls
2 and 7 having a top plan view of a true circle are
connected at their rear upper and lower ends by the
hinge 10 and at the righthand and lefthand sides of
the hinge 10 by a pair of C-shaped elastic bands 12
and 12. These elastic bands are fitted in the re-
cesses 13, which are formed to extend between the up-
per and lower portions of the individual backs of the
first and second circumferential walls 2 and 7, The
recesses 13 have their lower end rear edges and upper
end rear edges connected to the lower and upper ends
of the elastic bands 12 through second and third hin-
ges 14 and 15.
Like the foregoing other embodiments, the third
embodiment is also formed in the open state, as shown
in Fig. 9.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
According to the construction thus far described,
the cap structure of the present invention can be pre-
vented from having its appearance deteriorated because
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of no notch and can have lts body top sealed up by the cover.
Unllke the three-polnt hlnged cap of the prlor art, the
elastlc plates need not be mounted by notchlng the back of
the clrcumferentlal wall of the cover and the top wall of the
cover partlally. Moreover, ln one embodlment the elastlc
bands are glven the C-shaped longltudlnal sectlons so that
they can have thelr cover slde ends passlng over the dead
centers whlle leavlng a margln of further elastlc
deformatlons. Slnce, moveover, the C-shaped elastlc bands
are fltted ln the recesses 13 formed ln the backs of the
flrst and second clrcumferentlal walls of the body and the
cover when ln the closed state, the elastic bands wlll not
deterlorate the appearance of the cap structure.
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