Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
CONTAINER WITH ANTI-LOSS AND ANTI-IDLE ROTATION
CAP
Technical Field
It] The present invention relates to a container with an anti-loss and anti-
idle-rotation
cap, which maintains the coupling state of a cap body with a container body
even when
the cap has been opened, thus preventing the loss of the cap, and which
prevents the
cap from rotating downwards by gravity when contents are discharged out of the
container, thus preventing the cap from touching a user's face even if he or
she does
not hold the cap with his or her hand, and preventing the cap from being hit
by the
contents when some contents come out of the container.
Background Art
121 Generally, a container, which is used to hold food, beverage and other
liquid
materials, such as potable water or milk, oil, paints, and chemical products,
is provided
with a container body which has a spout, and a cap which opens or closes the
spout of
the container body. The cap is detachably coupled to the spout to open or
close it
through a screw-type coupling method or a pressure-type coupling method using
an
elastic hooking end.
[3] According to the prior art, as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, a cap 130 is
provided with
an annular ring 133 under a cap body 131 in such a way that the annular ring
is not
removed from a container body 110, enabling a user to see whether a container
100 has
been opened or not.
141 The cap body 131 and the ring 133 are connected to each other via a
plurality of
bridges 137 which are provided in a radial direction of the cap. When the cap
has been
opened, the bridges 137 connecting the cap body 131 with the ring 133 are
severed,
thus leaving evidence that the container has been opened.
[5] In such a container, after the cap body 131 is detached from the container
body 110
to open the container when a user desires to take some of the contents out of
the
container, the cap body is coupled to the container body again. The detaching
and
coupling operations are repeatedly conducted. Meanwhile, when the cap body is
completely removed from the ring, the cap may be contaminated or lost. Thus,
in order
to solve this problem, the ring 133 and the container body may be connected to
each
other in such a way that part of the ring is not removed from the container
body.
[6] However, since the ring 133 is coupled to the container body 110 in such a
way as to
be idly rotated, the opened cap body 131 is idly rotated together with the
ring and is
moved to a lower position by gravity when the contents are discharged out of
the
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container.
[7] Thus, when a user puts his or her mouth to the spout of the container body
in order to
drink the contents, the cap contacts his or her mouth or jaw, thus giving the
user an
unpleasant feeling and being cumbersome. Further, when the contents are
transferred
to another container, the contents flow into the cap, so that the cap becomes
dirty and
interferes with the discharge of the contents.
[8] Further, as the cap is repeatedly opened or closed, even the one remaining
bridge is
severed too soon, so that the cap may be undesirably lost.
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[9] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above
problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is
to provide
a container with an anti-loss and anti-idle-rotation cap, which maintains the
coupling
of a cap body with a container body even when the cap has been opened, thus
preventing the cap from being lost, and which prevents gravity from rotating
the cap
downwards when contents are discharged from the container, thus preventing the
cap
from contacting a user's face even though the user does not hold the cap with
his or her
hand when he or she puts his or her mouth on the container, e.g. a beverage
bottle, and
drinks directly from the container, and preventing the cap from being hit by
the
contents when the contents come out of the container, therefore preventing the
con-
tamination of the cap and thereby affording convenience.
Technical Solution
[10] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a
container
with an anti-loss and anti-idle-rotation cap, which is constructed so that a
cap is
fastened to a container body in a threaded manner, the container body having a
ring
stopping step provided under a threaded part of a spout so as to prevent
removal of the
cap, a support step provided under the ring stopping step to be spaced apart
therefrom,
and a support ring seat provided between the ring stopping step and the
support step,
wherein the cap includes a support ring, a cap body and a hinge part which are
integrally connected to each other, the support ring being placed on the
support ring
seat to prevent the cap from being removed from the container body and from
idly
rotating, the cap body opening or closing the container body and having on an
inner
circumference thereof a threaded part, the hinge part coupling the support
ring with the
cap body.
Advantageous Effects
[ 11 ] A container with an anti-loss and anti-idle-rotation cap according to
the present
invention is advantageous in that it maintains the coupling of a cap body with
a
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container body even when the cap has been opened, thus preventing the cap from
being
lost, and prevents gravity from rotating the cap downwards when contents are
discharged from the container, thus preventing the cap from contacting a
user's face
even though the user does not hold the cap with his or her hand when he or she
puts his
or her mouth on the container, e.g. a beverage bottle, and drinks directly
from the
container, and preventing the cap from being hit by the contents when the
contents
come out of the container, therefore preventing the contamination of the cap
and
thereby affording convenience.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[12] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of a
container
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[131 FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the varying state of the cap of FIG. 1;
[14] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the state in which the cap of FIG. 1 has
been opened;
[15] FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the coupled state of the
container of FIG. 1, in
which some parts of the container are omitted;
[16] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the container which is changed from the
state of FIG. 4
to an open state;
[171 FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the state in which the container of FIG. 4
has been
completely opened;
[18] FIGS. 7 to 9 are views illustrating the construction of caps according to
embodiments
of the present invention;
[19] FIG. 10 is an exploded sectional view illustrating a container according
to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[201 FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating the coupled state of the
container of FIG. 10;
[21] FIG. 12 is a view illustrating the state in which the cap of FIG. 11 has
been opened;
1221 FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of
a container
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[23] FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of FIG. 13;
[24] FIG. 15 is a sectional view illustrating the coupled state of the
container of FIG. 14;
1251 FIG. 16 is a view illustrating the state in which the cap of FIG. 15 has
been opened;
1261 FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 16;
1271 FIG. 18 is a view illustrating the construction of a container according
to an
embodiment of the present invention;
1281 FIG. 19 is a view illustrating the coupled state of the container of FIG.
18, in which a
cap has been opened;
[29] FIG. 20 is a view illustrating the construction of a container according
to another
embodiment corresponding to that of FIG. 19:
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[30] FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of
a container
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[31] FIG. 22 is a sectional view illustrating the state in which the cap of
FIG. 21 has been
opened;
1321 FIG. 23 is a view illustrating the construction of a container according
to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[33] FIG. 24 is a view illustrating the state in which a cap of FTG. 23 has
been opened;
[34] FIG. 25 is a view illustrating the construction of a container according
to an
embodiment of the present invention;
1351 FIG. 26 is a view illustrating the state in which the cap of FIG. 25 has
been opened;
[36] FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustrating a cap according to an
embodiment of the
present invention:
[37] FIG. 28 is a sectional view illustrating the cap which has changed from
the state of
FIG. 27 to an open state;
[38] FIG. 29 is a perspective view illustrating a cap according to an
embodiment of the
present invention;
[39] FIG. 30 is a sectional view illustrating the state in which the cap of
FIG. 29 has been
opened;
[40] FIG. 31 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 30;
1411 FIG. 32 is a view illustrating the construction of a cap according to an
embodiment
of the present invention;
[42] FIG. 33 is a sectional view illustrating the state in which the cap of
FIG. 32 is
coupled to the container
[43] FIG. 34 is a view illustrating the state in which the cap of FIG. 33 has
been opened;
[44] FIG. 35 is a view illustrating the construction of a conventional
container; and
[45] FIG. 36 is a perspective view illustrating the state in which the
container of FIG. 35
has been opened;
[46] `Description of reference characters of important parts
[47] 1: container with anti-loss and anti-idle-rotation cap according to the
present
invention
[48] 10: container body 13: stopping step
1491 14: support ring seat 14L: long neck part
1501 15: support step 151: locking hole
[51] 30: cap 31: cap body 33: support ring
[521 35: hinge part 37: bridge 39: indication ring
[53] S; locking protrusion K 1,K2: wedge
Mode for the Invention
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[54] Hereinafter, a container with an anti-loss and anti-idle-rotation cap
according to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[55] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of a
container
according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view
illustrating the
varying state of a cap of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the state in
which the cap
of FIG. I has been opened, FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the coupled
state of
the container of FIG. 1, in which some parts of the container are omitted,
FIG. 5 is a
view illustrating the container which has changed from the state of FIG. 4 to
an open
state, and FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the state in which the container of
FIG. 4 has
been completely opened.
[56] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a container 1 with an anti-loss and anti-idle-
rotation cap
according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed so that a
cap 30 is
fastened to a container body 10 in a threaded manner. The container body
includes a
ring stopping step 13 provided under a threaded part 11 of a spout so as to
prevent the
removal of the cap, a support step 15 provided under the ring stopping step 13
to be
spaced apart therefrom, and a support ring seat 14 provided between the ring
stopping
step and the support step. Here, the cap 30 includes a support ring 33, a cap
body 31
and a hinge part 35 which are integrally connected to each other. The support
ring is
placed on the support ring seat 14 to prevent the cap from being removed from
the
container body 10 and from being idly rotated. The cap body opens or closes
the
container body 10 and has on an inner circumference thereof a threaded part
311. The
hinge part couples the support ring 33 with the cap body 31.
[57] The support ring 33 includes a cut line 34 at a position adjacent to the
hinge part 35
to extend the coupling length of the supporting ring with the cap body 31.
[58] The cut line 34 is formed within the range of from 45 to 65% of the
circumference of
the support ring 33 around the hinge part 35. The cut line is formed such that
it is not
too short or long.
[59] As an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the
hinge
part 35 comprises a foldable hinge which has a foldable line 351 to extend a
length
between the cap body 31 and the supporting ring 33 when the cap 30 has been
opened.
1601 The foldable hinge is folded by the foldable line 351 when the cap is
closed, and is
unfolded when the cap is opened, thus ensuring a length which allows the cap
body 31
to be separated from the container body.
[611 The hinge part 35 may comprise two or more hinges (see FIG. 9).
[62] In the present invention constructed as described above, the cap body 31
is connected
to the support ring 33 via the hinge part 35. The support ring 33 is fitted
somewhat
tightly over the container body 10 so as to prevent the removal and idle
rotation of the
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cap. Thereby, the loss and idle rotation of the cap can be prevented without
using a
wedge.
[63] Further, in order to separate the cap body 31 from the container body
when the cap is
opened, a spacing length from the support ring 33 is required. To this end,
the cut line
34 or the foldable hinge is provided on the support ring 33.
[64] The cap 30 of the present invention is manufactured through injection
molding, in the
state where the hinge part 35 is unfolded between the support ring 33 and the
cap body
31 (see FIGS. 3 and 7).
[65] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 10
to 12,
the support ring seat 14 of the container body 10 comprises a long neck part
14L such
that the support ring is movable up and down. The cap body 31 includes a step
receiving end 313 under the threaded part 311. The inner diameter of the step
receiving
end is larger than that of the threaded part 3 11 to allow the step receiving
end to pass
over the ring stopping step 13 of the container body.
[66] Here, the long neck part 14L includes a smaller diameter part 141 and a
larger
diameter part 143. The smaller diameter part is provided on the lower portion
of the
long neck part, the outer diameter of the smaller diameter part being formed
to be
smaller than the inner diameter of the support ring to permit the free
rotation of the
support ring 33. The larger diameter part is provided above the smaller
diameter part
141 to prevent the support ring 33 from rotating as long as external force is
not
applied.
[67] Further, the outer diameter of the support ring seat 14 is set to prevent
the support
ring 33 from rotating as long as external force is not applied. In other
words, the
support ring 33 is fitted somewhat tightly over the support ring seat 14, thus
preventing
the idle rotation of the cap.
[68] Since the support ring seat 14 comprises the long neck part 14L as such,
the support
ring 33 can move vertically in a predetermined range while being coupled to
the cap
body 31 when the cap is opened, thus maintaining the coupled state of the cap
body 31
with the support ring 33. Further, as long as external force, namely, the
rotating force
for opening or closing the cap is not applied, the rotation of the support
ring 33 relative
to the support ring seat 14 is prevented, thus preventing the rotation of the
cap by
gravity. That is, the support ring 33 is movable up and down along the support
ring
seat 14 of the container body. Thus, when the cap is opened, the support ring
is moved
up along the cap body. The opening of the cap is performed while the coupling
state is
maintained by the hinge part 35.
[69] Further, the support ring seat 14 provided on the spout of the container
body 10 is
constructed so that the smaller diameter part 141 is provided on the lower
portion of
the support ring seat to cause the support ring to be loosely fitted, and the
larger
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diameter part 143 is provided on the upper portion of the support ring seat to
cause the
support ring to be tightly fitted. In this construction, as long as external
force is not
applied when the support ring 33 is moved up to the larger diameter part 143,
the cap
does not rotate, thus preventing the rotation of the cap by gravity when the
cap is
opened. In the case where the entire portion of the support ring seat 14 is
formed to
have the same diameter as the larger diameter part 143, the support ring 33 is
rotated
and moved up while pressure is applied to rotate and open the cap because the
container body 10 and the cap 30 are made of a resin material having
elasticity.
Meanwhile, when external force is not present, the rotation of the cap is
prevented
regardless of position.
[70] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cap 30 includes
a plurality
of bridges 37 which are connected integrally between the cap body 31 and the
support
ring 33 and are severed when the cap has been opened (see FIGS. 10 to 13). The
bridges allow a user to see whether the container has been opened or not.
[71] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 13
to 20,
the support ring 33 has on an inner circumference thereof locking protrusions
S for
preventing the idle rotation of the cap.
1721 The locking protrusions S may comprise steps which are formed to allow
the support
ring 33 to be easily fitted over the container body and prevent the removal of
the
support ring in cooperation with the ring stopping step 13. The locking
protrusions
may comprise radial wings SI (see FIGS. 13 to 17) which protrude inwards in a
radial
direction and are locked by locking grooves 147 formed in a corresponding
portion of
the container body.
[73] The locking protrusions S and the locking grooves 147 may be vertically
formed as
shown in FIGS. 13 to 17, or may comprise horizontal locking protrusions S2 and
locking grooves 147 as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19.
174 Further, as shown in FIG. 20, the locking protrusions S may comprise screw-
type
wings S3 which are inclined in one direction to interfere with the cap only
when it is
rotated in a cap opening direction. As such, the locking protrusions may have
various
shapes.
1751 In the case of applying external force, the locking protrusions S allow
the support
ring 33 or an indication ring 39 to be rotatable with respect to the container
body 10. In
contrast, when there is no external force, the locking protrusions prevent the
support
ring or indication ring from rotating, thus preventing the idle rotation of
the cap.
Especially, the screw-type wings S3 are folded and closed when the cap is
rotated in a
closure direction, thus enabling the smooth rotation of the cap. Meanwhile,
the screw-
type wings are unfolded and opened when the cap is rotated in a direction
distant from
the container body, thus interfering with the rotation of the cap, therefore
preventing
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the idle rotation of the cap.
[76] According to an embodiment of the present invention, uneven coupling
parts 321 and
322 are provided on the cap body 31 and the support ring 33 and are coupled to
each
other at a position adjacent to the hinge part 35 so that the cap body 31 is
bent and
secured to the support ring 33 when the cap has been opened (see FIGS. 13 and
16).
[77] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 21
to 28, a
wedge K I is provided on the cap 30 to be positioned above the hinge part 35.
The
wedge K1 passes over the support ring 33 to be supported by the support step
15 when
the cap has been opened, thus straining the cap so as to prevent the support
ring 33
from being idly rotated.
[78] Here, a locking hole 151 having the shape of a concentric circle is
formed in the
upper or lower surface of the support step 15, and the wedge K I protrudes in
the form
of a hook which is fitted into the locking hole 151.
[79] The locking hole 151 may be formed in both upper and lower surfaces of
the support
step. The wedge K1 is inclined upwards (see FIG. 24) or downwards (see FIGS.
25 to
27) to correspond to the locking hole 151.
[80] In this case, the support ring 33 is loosely coupled to the container
body 10, so that
the idle rotation of the cap is possible. As the wedge KI is supported by the
ring
stopping step 13, the wedge is pulled to one side and tension for preventing
the rotation
of the cap is generated, thus supporting the cap 30 and preventing the idle
rotation of
the cap.
[81] As such, when the locking hole 151 is formed in the support step 15 and
the wedge
KI is formed in the shape of a hook, a projection of the wedge is fitted into
the locking
hole 15 1, so that the cap is more firmly supported.
[82] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 29
to 3 1, a
wedge K2 is provided on the hinge part 35 and is supported by the ring
stopping step
13 when the cap has been opened so as to prevent the cap from rotating.
1831 Here, the hinge part 35 is formed to be longer than a general length. A
portion of the
hinge part 35 is cut and protruded, thus providing the wedge K2.
[84] In the construction having the wedge K2, the outer diameter of the entire
portion of
the support ring seat 14 is set to have the same diameter as the smaller
diameter part
141 which allows the support ring 33 to be loosely rotated.
1851 The wedge K2 is formed to be pushed into the support ring 33. Thus, when
the cap
body 31 is bent backwards, the wedge is caught between the container body 10
and the
support ring 33, so that the cap is held on the container body. The wedge K2
may
comprise a plurality of wedges.
[86] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 32
to 34,
the cap 30 further includes an indication ring 39 under the support ring 33.
The
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indication ring is integrally coupled to the support ring via the bridges 37
which are
severed when the cap is opened.
[87] Further, the indication ring 39 may have on the inner circumference
thereof a locking
protrusion for preventing the idle rotation of the cap.
1881 As such, the present invention provides a container with an anti-loss and
anti-
idle-rotation cap, which maintains the coupling state of a cap body with a
container
body even when the cap has been opened, thus preventing the loss of the cap,
and
which prevents gravity from rotating the cap downwards when contents are
discharged
out of the container, thus preventing the cap from touching a user's face when
the user
drinks directly from the container even if he or she does not hold the cap
with his or
her hand, and preventing the cap from being hit by the contents when some
contents
come out of the container, therefore preventing the contamination of the cap
and
thereby affording convenience.
Industrial Applicability
[89] As described above, the present invention provides a container with an
anti-loss and
anti-idle-rotation cap, which maintains the coupling of a cap body with a
container
body even when the cap has been opened, thus preventing the cap from being
lost, and
which prevents gravity from rotating the cap downwards when contents are
discharged
from the container, thus preventing the cap from contacting a user's face even
though
the user does not hold the cap with his or her hand when he or she puts his or
her
mouth on the container, e.g. a beverage bottle, and drinks directly from the
container,
and preventing the cap from being hit by the contents when the contents come
out of
the container, therefore preventing the contamination of the cap and thereby
affording
convenience.
[90]
1911
