US20100213158A1

US20100213158A1 - Bottle cap having a first cap member and a second cap member assembled thereto

Info

Publication number: US20100213158A1
Application number: US12/738,441
Authority: US
Inventors: Sang-Hoon Kim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-17
Filing date: 2008-10-14
Publication date: 2010-08-26
Also published as: JP2011500466A; CN101835693A; CN101835693B; KR20090039575A; KR100938437B1

Abstract

The bottle cap of the present invention consists of a first cap and a second cap fitted into the depressed portion of the first cap. The first cap includes a circumference portion formed so as to embrace the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle and a top edge portion formed on the top edge of said circumference portion so as to close the neck of the bottle. The top edge portion includes a depressed portion depressed downward so as to form a sidewall that comes into airtight contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle. The second cap includes an insert portion inserted into the depressed portion and an elongated portion elongated outwardly from a top of the insert portion. Such a bottle cap provides an effect that sealability between the inside and outside of the neck of the bottle and the bottle cap can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bottle cap, and more specifically to a bottle cap for sealing the opening of bottle that accommodates liquids such as medical liquid, drinking water, liquor and other liquids.

BACKGROUND ART

Normally, bottle caps of various shapes are adopted as a means of opening and closing bottles accommodating drinking water or fresh water to prevent leakage or deterioration of the accommodated contents during distribution after input of the contents. Bottle caps that are generally divided into a screw type bottle cap which uses an opening and closing method by screwing and an insert type bottle cap which uses an opening and closing method by insert means.
The screw type bottle cap is of a configuration in which a bottle cap having internal threads formed on the inner circumference is assembled to the opening of bottle having external threads formed on the outer circumference. Therefore, sealability is high, so it is used as a bottle cap of the bottle for accommodating the contents requiring air tightness such as carbonated beverages or beer. But such a bottle cap is of a configuration assembled to the external threads formed on the outer circumference of the bottle, so not only a considerable force is needed to open, but also the bottle cap should be turned repeatedly to open the bottle, so it has an inconvenience that it is difficult to open it at once. Also, in the case that one has to use a bottle cap of high-strength metal material such as iron or aluminum, there is a problem that it takes much cost to manufacture the bottle cap and environment is destroyed due to extraction of iron material, etc. Another problem is that part of the bottle cap remains in the bottle after opening the bottle cap, so extra breakaway work is needed for the recycling of the bottle, making separation work inconvenient for recycling.
The insert type bottle cap is a configuration of fitting the bottle cap into the inner circumference of the neck of bottle, so it has an advantage that it is easy to open and close the bottle cap. But such a bottle cap is not only opened by a weak external force but also the sealability of the bottle cap is low, so it has a problem that it is difficult to adopt it as the bottle cap of the bottle for accommodating the contents that require air tightness such as carbonated beverages or beer, in particular.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

In order to solve such problems as described above, the present invention has an object to provide a bottle cap, which has high enough sealability to be adopted even for the bottle accommodating carbonated beverages, etc. and can be opened and closed by a simple action, and is environmentally friendly and low in manufacturing costs.

Technical Solution

To accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided a bottle cap installed in the opening of a bottle, comprising: a first cap which includes a circumference portion formed in a cylindrical shape so as to embrace the outer circumference of a opening of a bottle, and a top edge portion having a depressed portion formed in downward recess so as to form a sidewall that comes into air-tight contact with the inner circumference of opening of the bottle; and a second cap which is fitted into depressed portion of first cap. Therefore, the bottle cap of the present invention is formed in a dual structure so as to improve the sealability between the inside or outside of the opening of bottle and the bottle cap.
In accordance with the present invention, the first cap has a first catch portion formed in one part of an inner sidewall of the depressed portion, and the second cap has a second catch portion formed in one part of the outer circumference thereof to catch the first catch portion. Therefore, the fitting forces of the first cap and the second cap are improved.
In accordance with the present invention, the second cap includes an insert portion which is inserted into the depressed portion, and an elongated portion which is elongated outwardly from a top of the insert portion. And, the insert portion is provided with a support formed therein to apply a lateral support force. the elongated portion has a protrusion or slot for stripping formed on one part of the outer circumference. Preferably, the depressed portion of the first cap includes a stepped portion formed in stepped recess so that the elongated portion of the second cap is placed at the upper end of the inner sidewall. Therefore, It is easy to attach and detach between the first cap and the second cap.
In accordance with the present invention, the second cap is made of a material harder than that of the first cap. Therefore, the pressing force of the second cap on the first cap is easily obtained.
In accordance with the present invention, the depressed portion of the first cap has the thickness of the sidewall formed thinner than the other portions in a predetermined portion. And, the portion where the thickness of the sidewall is formed thin is the lower section of the sidewall. Preferably, the sidewall of the depressed portion has its inside depressed, so that its thickness is formed thin. Therefore, The pressing force of the protruded portion on the inner wall of the depressed portion is easily obtained.
In accordance with the present invention, the first cap includes a circular protrusion for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of the circumference portion. And, the first cap includes a circular slot for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of the circumference portion. Preferably, the first cap includes a circular protrusion for sealing formed along the outer circumference of the sidewall. Therefore, Breakaway prevention and sealability of the first cap for the opening of a bottle is improved.
In accordance with the present invention, a portion that connects the lower section of the depressed portion of the first cap and the bottom of thereof is curved. And, one or more of concave shaped air passages, which connect the lower section of the depressed portion and the bottom thereof, is formed on the outer surface so that air in the bottle can be discharged when the bottle is opened. Preferably, each of the air passages has the width of passage formed wider in the lower section of the depressed portion than in the bottom section thereof. Accordingly, when opening the first cap, the depressed portion is easily stripped from the inner circumference of the bottle opening. In addition, the sidewall includes a skirt portion elongated downward to the bottom end outer circumference section. Therefore, the sealability of the first cap for the bottle opening is improved.
In accordance with the present invention, the lower end of the circumference portion of the first cap is depressed so as to be formed thinner than the other portion of the circumference portion. Therefore, Unintended stripping of the first cap by another member while carrying is prevented, and abnormal forced required for opening using a tool or fingernail is prevented.
In accordance with the present invention, the first cap further includes a plurality of tamper indication portions extended to the bottom end from the central portion of the circumference portion; a bended portion that connects the upper ends of the plurality of tamper indication portions in a line; an opening piece portion that is defined by the plurality of tamper indication portions and the bended portion; an opening knob that is protruded outward of the outer surface of the opening piece portion; and a supporting protrusion that is protruded from a top of the bended portion so as to touch each other with the top edge of the opening knob of the opening piece portion when the opening piece portion is moved upward by the breaking of the tamper indication portions. Therefore, It is easy to open the first cap.
In accordance with the present invention, the tamper indication portions is formed of breaking lines of a dotted-line type or cutting lines with a thickness thinner than the other portions. Therefore, it is easy to break the tamper indication portions.
In accordance with the present invention, the circumference portion is cut in such a way that the bottom end portion is curved upward in the portion where the opening knob is formed. Therefore, not only the sealability by the circumference portion is improved but also it is easy to operate the opening knob.
In accordance with the present invention, one or a plurality of breaking lines of a dotted-line type or cutting lines with thickness thinner than the other portions are formed along the upward and downward directions of the circumference portion in the circumference portion on the opposite side of the portion where the opening knob is formed. Therefore, in the case of opening the bottle cap by the cut-and-open portion, it is easy to cut the circumference portion of the opposite side, so it is easy to open the bottle cap.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

Since the bottle cap of the present invention is formed in a dual structure, it has an effect that sealability can be improved between the inside or outside of the opening of bottle and the bottle cap.
Also, the present invention improves the sealability of the bottle and provides an effect that sealability can be maintained even at the time of re-use after the bottle cap is opened.
In particular, the portion for connecting the lower end of the depressed portion of the first cap and the bottom thereof is formed in a curve, so the bottle cap stripping work is easy.
A protrusion and slot for sealing are formed in the first cap and the second cap so as to improve the sealability of the bottle cap.
In addition, the present invention enables the bottle cap to be opened by simple action by dint of the cut-and-open portion and the bottle cap is completely removed without part of it remaining on the bottle, so separation work for recycling is easy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the related art in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottle cap according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are enlarged sectional views showing “A” portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the bottom of the second cap of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing one example in which the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the bottle;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another example in which the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the bottle;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of opening the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a bottle cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing one example in which the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing another example in which the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed;

FIGS. 15 to 19 are schematic views showing examples of opening bottle caps according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a bottom view showing a modified example of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view showing a modified example of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a detail view showing “B” portion of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a bottom view showing another modified example of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing another modified example of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a detail view showing “C” portion of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a sectional view showing a modified example of the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a sectional view showing another modified example of the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a side view showing a depressed portion formed on the circumference portion of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a sectional view showing a cutting line formed on the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 30 is a bottom view showing the cutting line formed on the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a schematic view showing the state in which the cutting line on the circumference portion of the bottle cap of FIG. 29 is cut;

FIG. 32 is a sectional view showing another cutting line formed on the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 33 is a bottom view showing another cutting line formed on the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 34 is a sectional view showing a fracture line formed on the circumference portion of the first cap of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Below a bottle cap according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottle cap according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are enlarged sectional views showing “A” portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the bottom of the second cap of the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the bottle cap according to the first embodiment has a dual structure consisting of a cylindrical first cap 10 and a circular second cap 20 to be inserted in the first cap 10. Such a bottle cap closes the opening of a bottle 100 in close contact with the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the bottle 100.
The first cap 10 consists of a circumference portion 11, a top edge portion 12 and a depressed portion 14.
The circumference portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to embrace the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100, and on the inner circumference 11 is formed a circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention. The top edge portion 12 is formed on the top edge of the circumference portion 11 so as to seal and close the top edge of the opening of the bottle 100. The depressed portion 14 is formed in recess downward from the top edge portion 12 so as to form a sidewall that is in air-tight contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100.
At the upper end of the inner wall of the depressed portion 14 is formed a stepped portion 13. On one part of the inner wall of the depressed portion 14 is formed a first catch portion 15 of a protrusion shape.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, on the lower surface of the depressed portion 14 is formed a convex portion 18 that is protruded upwards. And on the inner surface near the lower portion of the sidewall forming the depressed portion 14 is formed a concave portion 17.
On the depressed portion 14 are formed circular protrusions 14 a for sealing along the outer circumference of the sidewall. And the first cap 10 is provided with a curved portion 14 b curved toward the portion that connects the lower end of the depressed portion 14 and the bottom thereof.
As material of the first cap 10, it is preferable to use soft resins that are easy to be deformed by pressing force, such as silicon rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE).
The circular second cap 20 is to be fitted in the depressed portion 14 of the first cap 10 and has an insert portion 23 and an elongated portion 21.
The insert portion 23 is formed in a barrel shape, and on one part of the insert portion 23 is formed a second catch portion 24 of a protrusion shape. The insert portion 23 of the second cap is provided with a support 23 a formed therein for improving the horizontal support force in the insert portion 23.
The elongated portion 21 of the second cap is formed in a circular rim shape to be elongated outwardly from the top of the insert portion 23, and on one part of the outer circumference of the elongated portion 21 is formed a protrusion protruded downward or a recess 22 for stripping the second cap. And the elongated portion 21 can be made in various shapes such as star shape, hexagonal shape and octagonal shape besides the circular rim shape.
As material of the second cap 20, it is preferable to use hard resins such as polycarbonate, acrylic material, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE).
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing one example in which the bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the bottle.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the first cap 10 is inserted to be assembled in the opening (i.e. neck) of the bottle 100 in close contact with the inner circumference and the outer circumference thereof. The insert portion 23 of the second cap 20 is fitted to be assembled in the depressed portion 14 of the first cap 10. The insert portion 23 is fixed in the depressed portion 14 by engaged fitting of the first catch portion 15 and the second catch portion 24. The circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of the circumference portion 11 of the first cap 10 is assembled to the recess formed on the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100. Namely, the opening of the bottle is closed with the first cap 10 assembled to the second cap 20.
With the insert portion 23 assembled like this in the depressed portion 14, the inner wall of the depressed portion 14 is expanded outward. Accordingly, the insert portion 23 presses the depressed portion 14 so as to give a pressing force in an outwardly expanded direction, so the sealability between the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the depressed portion of the first cap 10 is improved.
Meanwhile, the support 23 a formed in the insert portion 23 has a shape in which two plates are arranged to cross each other in a raised condition so that the transverse cross section has a cross shape. This support 23 a is molded monolithically with the second cap 20 when the second cap 20 is manufactured. This support 23 a has a function of supporting the insert portion 23 by resisting the contraction pressure against the insert portion 23 of the second cap 20, when the insert portion 23 of the second cap 20 receives contraction pressure by the depressed portion 14 of the first cap 10 with the second cap 20 inserted into the first cap 10. Accordingly, the inner support force of the insert portion 23 is increased and the support force of outward expansion is also increased, so that the condition of applying lateral support force to the sidewall of the depressed portion is firmly maintained. Such a support 23 a may be formed in various shapes so that the cross section has a cross shape, radial shape, honeycomb shape, etc.
Meanwhile, if pressing force is given upward by gas pressure of carbonated beverages, beer, etc. to the convex portion 18 of the first cap 10, the convex portion 18 presses the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 from a bottom end to an upper side. At this time, the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 is not uniform in its thickness, and as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the thickness is thinner in a specific portion, namely, in the portion where the concave portion 17 is formed, than in the other portions. Accordingly, by the upward pressing force applied to the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 through the convex portion 18, the portion where the concave portion 17 is formed is contracted, so the concave portion receives an outwardly protruded force, as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 is expanded outwardly in the section where the concave portion 17 is formed, so that it comes into close contact strongly with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100. Therefore, the sealability between the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the depressed portion of the first cap 10 is further improved.
The portion where the thickness of the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 is formed thin is not limited to the lower section, and it is obvious that it may be formed in the middle section of the sidewall or the upper end section of the sidewall. Also, the sidewall of the depressed portion 14 may have the thickness of the sidewall formed thinner than the other portions as the outer surface is depressed, but it is preferable that the inner surface of the sidewall is depressed so that the pressing force applied by the convex portion 18 can be given outward of the sidewall.
And in the depressed portion 14 are formed circular protrusions 14 a for sealing along the outer circumference of the sidewall, so that the sealability between the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the depressed portion of the first cap 10 is improved. However, it is not necessary to form circular protrusions 14 a for sealing by all means. And one or more of the circular protrusions 14 a may be formed.
The circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention is assembled to the recess formed on the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 so as to prevent the first cap 10 from breaking away from the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100. The circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention has also a function of improving the sealability of the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the inner circumference of the first cap 10. And the circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention may have its cross section formed in various shapes such as trapezoidal shape, semicircular shape and triangular shape, and makes stripping easy when opening the first cap 10.
It is preferable to make the second cap 20 with a material harder than that of the first cap 10 so that the first cap 10 is deformed easily by the second cap 20. Accordingly, the insert portion 23 of hard material is fitted into or stripped from the depressed portion 14 of soft material that is easy to be deformed, so the fitting and stripping of the second cap 20 into and from the first cap 10 are easy.
In addition, it is also possible to form the material and strength of the first cap 10 and the second cap 20 differently from each other for the strengthening of sealability and the easiness of opening.
And in the case of stripping the insert portion 23 from the depressed portion 14, stripping work is easy if the protrusion or slot 22 for stripping formed on one side of the elongated portion 21 is used. Usually, stripping is done from the opening of the bottle 100 with the first cap 10 inclined, so friction force between the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the depressed portion of the first cap 10 is reduced by the curved portion 14 b of the first cap 10 so as to minimize the deformation of the first cap 10. Since the deformation of the first cap 10 is minimized when the first cap 10 is stripped, action force necessary for stripping work decreases to make stripping work easy.
In the present embodiment, after assembling the first cap 10 to the opening of the bottle 100, the second cap 20 is assembled to the first cap 10, but it is obvious that the first cap 10 is assembled to the opening of the bottle 100 after the second cap 20 is assembled to the first cap 10.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another example in which a bottle cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed.
As shown in FIG. 8, a protrusion formed on the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 is inserted in a circular recess 19 for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of the circumference portion 11 of the first cap 10. Accordingly, breakaway of the first cap 10 from the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 is prevented. The circular recess 19 for breakaway prevention also has a function of improving sealability between the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the first cap 10. And it is preferable that the circular recess 19 for breakaway prevention has its cross section formed in various shapes such as a trapezoidal shape, semicircular shape and triangular shape to make stripping easy when opening the first cap 10.
To open the bottle cap of the present embodiment, the first cap 10 to which the second cap 20 is assembled in the opening of the bottle is stripped obliquely upward to open the opening of the bottle.
And as shown in FIG. 9, since the first cap 10 and the second cap 20 are assembled to the opening of the bottle, it is also possible of course to open the bottle by stripping the first cap 10 after stripping the second cap 20 first.
Below a bottle cap according to a preferred second embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a bottle cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing one example in which the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing another example in which the bottle cap according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed.
The bottle cap of the present embodiment is identical with the bottle cap of the first embodiment described above except for the configuration in which a cut-and-open portion 30 is further provided. Accordingly, the same numerals in drawings are given to the portions that are the same with the first embodiment and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, the first cap 10 of the present embodiment is further provided on one part of the circumference portion 11 with a cut-and-open portion 30 of the invention disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2004/002165 filed by the present inventor.
The cut-and-open portion 30 includes tamper indication portions 31, a bended portion 32, an opening piece portion 33, an opening knob 34, and a supporting protrusion 35.
A plurality of the tamper indication portions 31 are formed extending from the central portion to the bottom end of the circumference portion 11. The bended portion 32 connects the upper ends of a plurality of the tamper indication portions 31 in a line. The opening piece portion 33 is defined by a plurality of the tamper indication portions 31 and the bended portion 32. The opening knob 34 is formed in protrusion outward of the outer surface of the opening piece portion.
The tamper indication portions 31 have a structure for confirming whether the bottle cap is opened for the first time, and it is formed of a breaking line of dotted-line form or a cutting line with a thickness thinner than the other portions so as to make breaking or cutting easy when the opening piece portion 33 is moved upward.
The supporting protrusion 35 is formed in protrusion above the bended portion 32 so as to touch each other with the top surface of the opening knob 34 of the opening piece portion 33 when the opening piece portion 33 is moved upward by the breaking of the tamper indication portions 31.
When the user holds the bottom side of the bottle cap with one hand and takes action of moving the bottom end of the opening piece portion 33 upward with the thumb, etc., the opening piece portion is lifted up with the axis on the bended portion 32 to break the tamper indication portions 31. Next, the bottle cap is broken away from the opening of the bottle 100. Accordingly, it is possible for the user to open the first cap 10 from the opening of the bottle 100 with one hand.
As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, like the aforementioned embodiment, the bottle cap of the present embodiment also has a circular protrusion 16 for breakaway prevention or a circular recess 19 for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of the circumference portion 11 of the first cap 10, so that it prevents the first cap 10 from breaking away from the outer circumference of the neck of the bottle 100.
Below the operation of the opening example of the bottle cap of the present embodiment will be described specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 15 to 19 illustrate how the bottle caps according to the second embodiment of the present invention are opened.
FIG. 15 illustrates how the first cap 10 and the second cap 20 are fitted into the opening of the bottle to seal the bottle. As shown in FIG. 16, the user places the end portion of his thumb on the opening knob 34 of the opening piece portion 33 to lift it upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, breaking occurs in the tamper indication portions 31.
As shown in FIG. 18, when the opening piece portion 33 and the supporting protrusion 35 touch each other, the bottom portion of the thumb comes naturally into contact with the broken portion of the opening knob 34. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the opening piece portion turns centering on the supporting protrusion while angular moment is generated on the whole of the bottle cap by dint of upward force due to the thumb so as to open the opening of the bottle.
In particular, since a curved portion 14 b with a curve-shape is formed in the portion in the first cap 10 where the sidewall lower section of the depressed portion 14 is connected with the bottom surface thereof, the outer wall lower section of the depressed portion 14 can easily slip out of the opening of the bottle when the bottle cap is opened.
To open the bottle cap of the present embodiment, the cut-and-open portion 30 of the first cap 10 having the second cap 20 assembled thereto is used to strip the first cap upward obliquely from the opening of the bottle so as to have the opening of the bottle opened.
Also, since the first cap 10 is fitted in close contact with the opening of the bottle by the second cap 20, it is of course possible to open the bottle by stripping the first cap 10 from the opening of the bottle using the cut-and-open portion 30 after stripping the second cap 20 first.
FIGS. 20 to 22 illustrate modified examples of the bottle caps according to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 20 is a bottom view showing an air passage 14 c formed in the first cap 10, and FIG. 21 is a sectional view showing the air passage 14 c formed in the first cap 10, and FIG. 22 is an enlarged view showing “B” portion of FIG. 21.
As shown in these drawings, on the outer surface of the curved portion 14 b that connects the lower end of the depressed portion 14 and the bottom thereof is formed an air passage 14 c of a concave slot shape that connects the lower end of the depressed portion 14 and the bottom thereof so that air inside the bottle can be discharged. As for such an air passage 14 c, one or more air passages having a uniform width of passage and formed in a straight line shape are arranged radially.
When the bottle cap is inclined in one direction in the process of opening the bottle opening by the cut-and-open portion 30, the curved portion 14 b comes into close contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle to become in a sealed condition, as shown in FIG. 19 mentioned above. With the curved portion 14 b in close contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle like this, if an air passage 14 c as shown in FIGS. 20 to 22 is formed, carbon dioxide gas inside the bottle is discharged out through the air passage 14 c.
Thus, an opening sound is generated when carbon dioxide gas inside the bottle is discharged, and the user can feel the discharge of carbon dioxide gas by their finger when it is discharged. Accordingly, the user is able to judge whether the bottle cap is opened or not, and at the same time, he can know his opening is the first opening and also can have a refreshing feeling by dint of the opening sound. And in the case of beverages or beer containing carbon dioxide gas, the content could overflow at the time of initial opening, but since the inside air is slowly discharged by dint of such an air passage 14 c, overflow of content can be prevented.
Since the bottle cap of the present embodiment is opened by the cut-and-open portion 30, the opening location of the bottle cap is limited to the location nearest to the cut-and-open portion 30. Therefore, the air inside the bottle is discharged out through the air passage 14 c of this portion. So in the present embodiment, it would not matter even if only one air passage 14 c is formed in the nearest location of the opening knob 34. However, if such an air passage 14 c is applied to the bottle cap of the first embodiment, the opening location of the bottle cap is not specifically limited but can be various, so it is preferable to arrange a plurality of air passages 14 c in the curved portion 14 b in a radial shape.
In addition, as a modified example of the aforementioned air passage 14 c, an enlarged type air passage 14 d, in which the width of air passage is formed wider in the lower section than in the bottom of the depressed portion, may be formed as shown in FIG. 23. In such a case of an air passage 14 d, the upper portion of the air passage 14 d is expanded, so that even in the case where the location of opening and the location of air passage 14 d do not match accurately, discharge of the air in the bottle becomes possible by the expanded portion of the air passage 14 d.
Therefore, even in the case where the location of opening and the location of air passage 14 d do not match accurately, the opening sound is generated, so it is possible not only to check whether the bottle cap was opened initially or not, but also to feel freshness by dint of the opening sound and prevent overflow of the content. Especially if such an air passage 14 d is arranged radially in the curved portion 14 b, it is more effective to apply the air passage 14 d to the bottle cap of the first embodiment.
FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 illustrate another modified example of the bottle cap according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, a downward elongated skirt portion 14 e is formed on the circumference of the bottom end outer circumference section of the sidewall of the depressed portion 14. This skirt portion 14 e comes into close contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle. Accordingly, when the gas pressure of the content such as carbonated beverages or beer in particular acts upward toward the opening of the bottle, the skirt portion 14 e is expanded outward by the pressure to come into close contact with the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100. Therefore, the sealability between the inner circumference of the neck of the bottle 100 and the depressed portion 14 of the first cap 10 is further improved. Such a skirt portion 14 e can be applied along with the modified example as shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, and can be applied to the bottle cap of not only the second embodiment but also the first embodiment.
FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 are sectional views showing modified examples of the bottle cap circumference portion according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27, the lower end of the circumference portion 11 of the first cap 10 is depressed, so that it is formed thinner than the other portion of the circumference portion 11 with the thickness decreasing. For example, the lower end of the circumference portion 11 is depressed, so it can be formed into a stepped portion 11 a as shown in FIG. 26, or into a curved portion 11 b as shown in FIG. 27.
Since the first cap 10 has the outside of the lower end of the circumference portion 11 depressed, the bottle cap is not stripped but slipped even if the carriage box or a finger is caught on the circumference portion 11 of the bottle cap 11 in the case that the bottle is transported or carried with the bottle cap not opened. The circumference of the bottom end portion depressed like this can prevent unintended stripping of the bottle cap when the bottle is transported or carried. Namely, the bottle cap having the depressed circumference portion 11 formed can be stripped only by opening the cut-and-open portion 30, so the function of preventing unintended breakaway of the bottle cap during transport or carrying is further improved.
Especially in the second embodiment of the present invention, the bottle cap is provided with the cut-and-open portion 30, so it is preferable that the bottle cap is not opened by any other factor except the opening attempt by the cut-and-open portion 30. The circumference portion 11 having the bottom section depressed like this plays a role of preventing the bottle cap from being easily opened even during the opening attempt by an abnormal method using another tool or fingernail.
Such a depressed circumference portion 11 can be applied to the bottle cap of not only the second embodiment but also the first embodiment.
FIG. 28 is a side view of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment, and for the sake of convenience of description and illustration, the cut-and-open portion 30 is shown with dotted lines. As shown in FIG. 28, the circumference portion 11 of the first cap has a depressed portion 36 formed, in which the lower portion is cut to be curved upward in the portion where the opening knob 34 is formed.
In the bottle cap of the present embodiment, if the portion of the circumference portion 11 where the opening knob 34 is formed is formed identically with other circumference portion 11, the user's finger inserting operation is not made from the state of FIG. 16 to the state of FIG. 17 when opening the bottle cap but is caught by the circumference portion 11 to make the opening operation inconvenient. In order to get rid of such a phenomenon that the finger is caught by the circumference portion 11, a method of cutting out the portion of the circumference portion 11 where the opening knob 34 is formed may be considered.
But if the portion of the circumference 11 where the opening knob 34 is formed is completely cut out, the operation of inserting a user's finger into the opening knob 34 is easy as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. However, in such a case the portion where the opening knob 34 of the circumference portion 11 is formed is completely cut out, so sealability by the circumference portion 11 is lowered.
Therefore, by forming a depressed portion 36 in the portion of the circumference 11 where the opening knob 34 is formed, the circumference portion 11 is partially cut out while the shape of the cut-out portion is made to match with the shape of the contact surface of the thumb that touches during opening. Accordingly as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the operation of inserting the user's finger into the opening knob 34 becomes easy, so that not only the opening operation for the opening knob 34 is easy but also the lowering of sealability due to the circumference portion 11 is prevented.
FIGS. 29 to 34 illustrate cutting lines or breaking lines formed on the circumference portion on the opposite side of the cut-and-open portion of the bottle cap according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 29 and FIG. 30, in the circumference portion 11 on the opposite side of the cut-and-open portion 30, namely, the circumference portion 11 on the opposite side of the portion of the circumference 11 where the opening knob 34 is formed, is formed a cutting line 11 c having the inner circumference cut out so as to have a thickness thinner than the other portions from the bottom end of the circumference portion upward to a predetermined length.
As shown in FIG. 31, when the user opens the bottle cap by pushing upward the cut-and-open portion 30, the circumference portion 11 on the opposite of the cut-and-open portion 30 is pressed downward to be cut upward from the bottom end along the cutting line 11 c. Accordingly, since the bottle cap is opened as the circumference portion 11 on the opposite side is cut out only by a small operation force against the cut-and-open portion 30, it becomes possible to open the bottle cap by a smaller operation force.
Also, such a cutting line 11 c has an advantage that it can play a role as tamper indication portions because it is broken when the user opens the bottle cap.
As shown in FIG. 32 and FIG. 33, as a modified example of the aforementioned cutting line 11 c, a cutting line 11 d can be formed on the outer surface of the circumference portion 11 of the first cap.
In addition, as another modified example of such a cutting line, a breaking line 11 e, in which the bottom end is partially cut upward to a predetermined length and punched in a dotted-line form, can also be formed on the circumference portion 11 of the first cap as shown in FIG. 34.
Such a breaking line 11 e has an advantage that it can give the feeling of being broken more clearly than the cutting lines when opening the bottle cap.
Only one of such a cutting line or breaking line was applied to the present embodiment, but it is also possible to apply by forming a plurality thereof according to the size or shape of the bottle cap.
As examples of such a plurality of cutting lines or breaking lines, the case where one is formed in the center of the circumference portion 11 and another one is formed respectively on both side portions and the case where two are formed in a line in the center are possible.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be used as a bottle cap which has high enough sealability to be adopted in bottles accommodating carbonated beverages, can be opened by simple operation, is environmentally friendly and is low in manufacturing costs.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is only illustrative. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalents can be made to the present invention. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bottle cap installed in the opening of a bottle, comprising:

a first cap which includes a circumference portion formed in a cylindrical shape so as to embrace the outer circumference of a opening of a bottle, and a top edge portion having a depressed portion formed in downward recess so as to form a sidewall that comes into air-tight contact with the inner circumference of said opening of the bottle; and

a second cap which is fitted into said depressed portion of said first cap.

2. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said first cap has a first catch portion formed in one part of an inner sidewall of said depressed portion, and said second cap has a second catch portion formed in one part of the outer circumference thereof to catch said first catch portion.

3. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said second cap includes an elongated portion which is elongated outwardly from a top of said insert portion.

4. The bottle cap of claim 3, wherein said insert portion is provided with a support formed therein to apply a lateral support force.

5. The bottle cap of claim 3, wherein said elongated portion has a protrusion or slot for stripping formed on one part of the outer circumference.

6. The bottle cap of claim 3, wherein said depressed portion of said first cap includes a stepped portion formed in stepped recess so that said elongated portion of said second cap is placed at the upper end of the inner sidewall.

7. (canceled)

8. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said depressed portion of said first cap has the thickness of said sidewall formed thinner than the other portions in the lower section of said sidewall.

9. (canceled)

10. The bottle cap of claim 8, wherein said sidewall of said depressed portion has its inside depressed, so that its thickness is formed thin.

11. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said first cap includes a circular protrusion for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of said circumference portion.

12. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said first cap includes a circular slot for breakaway prevention formed along the inner surface of said circumference portion.

13. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein said first cap includes a circular protrusion for sealing formed along the outer circumference of said sidewall.

14. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein a portion that connects the lower section of said depressed portion of said first cap and the bottom of thereof is curved.

15. The bottle cap of claim 14, wherein one or more of concave shaped air passages, which connect the lower section of said depressed portion and the bottom thereof, is formed on the outer surface so that air in the bottle can be discharged when the bottle is opened.

16. The bottle cap of claim 15, wherein each of said air passages has the width of passage formed wider in the lower section of said depressed portion than in the bottom section thereof.

17. The bottle cap of claim 14, wherein said sidewall includes a skirt portion elongated downward to the bottom end outer circumference section.

18. The bottle cap of claim 1, wherein the lower end of said circumference portion of said first cap is depressed so as to be formed thinner than the other portion of said circumference portion.

19. The bottle cap of any one of claims 1, wherein said first cap further includes a plurality of tamper indication portions extended to the bottom end from the central portion of said circumference portion;

a bended portion that connects the upper ends of said plurality of tamper indication portions in a line;

an opening piece portion that is defined by said plurality of tamper indication portions and said bended portion;

an opening knob that is protruded outward of the outer surface of said opening piece portion; and

a supporting protrusion that is protruded from a top of said bended portion so as to touch each other with the top edge of the opening knob of the opening piece portion when said opening piece portion is moved upward by the breaking of said tamper indication portions.

20. The bottle cap of claim 19, wherein said tamper indication portions is formed of breaking lines of a dotted-line type or cutting lines with a thickness thinner than the other portions.

21. The bottle cap of claim 19, wherein said circumference portion is cut in such a way that the bottom end portion is curved upward in the portion where said opening knob is formed.

22. The bottle cap of claim 19, wherein one or a plurality of breaking lines of a dotted-line type or cutting lines with thickness thinner than the other portions are formed along the upward and downward directions of said circumference portion in the circumference portion on the opposite side of the portion where said opening knob is formed.