CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTAINER INCLUDING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CAPS WHICH ARE HANDLED AS ONE CLUSTER
A closure assembly for a container including an internal cap and an external cap which are handled as one cluster is disclosed. The internal cap is tightly fitted into an outlet opening of a container and having a flange formed on an insertion portion, and the external cap has a threaded portion engaged to an outer periphery of the outlet opening to enclose the internal cap, in which the internal cap and the external cap have a corresponding locking member to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap. The external cap includes a second engagement portion having a diameter smaller than that of the threaded portion to form a stepped portion and having at least one locking portion formed on an inner periphery of the second engagement portion, and the internal cap includes a first engagement portion protruding upwardly from the internal cap and having a locking portion formed on an outer periphery of the first engagement portion corresponding to the second engagement portion of the external cap.
The present invention relates to a closure for a container, and more particularly, to a closure assembly for a container including an internal cap and an external cap which are handled as one cluster, in which the internal cap and the external cap are engaged to each other by locking members each formed on the internal and external caps to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap, thereby conveniently opening and closing an outlet opening and also easily assembling the closure assembly, in which the number of components is decreased, the productivity is remarkably increased, and in which the engaging state of the internal cap and the external cap is compact, so that the handling of the closure assembly is convenient.
BACKGROUND ARTIn general, an internal soft cap is engaged to an outlet opening of the container, and an external solid cap is engaged to the outside of the outlet opening.
The internal cap includes an insertion portion fitted in the outlet opening of the container, and a flange formed on an upper end of the insertion portion. The external cap is adapted to be engaged to an outer periphery of the outlet opening.
In the state that the internal cap and the external cap are engaged to the outlet opening of the container, the external cap is primarily unfastened from the outlet opening, and the internal cap is secondarily pulled out from the outlet opening to open the outlet opening of the container.
Such a sealing container is required to easily open and close the outlet opening and conveniently manage the closure, without worrying about the loss of the closure, as well as excellent sealing function.
The conventional sealing container has the following problems: it is difficult and inconvenient to disengage the internal cap from the outlet opening; since the internal cap and the external cap are separately formed, the internal cap is likely polluted or lost after the outlet opening is opened; and it is cumbersome to individually engage disengage the internal and external caps to or from the outlet opening.
In order to solve the above problems, the applicant has developed and proposed several patent applications, for example, Korean Patent No. 10-0567206, entitled “Closure Structure for Container.”
The closure disclosed in the above patent includes an internal cap 110, an external cap 120, a resilient coupling member 130 connecting the internal cap with the external cap, and a magnet 140 attached to the internal cap 110. With the construction, it is easy to engage and disengage the internal and external caps to or from an outlet opening 2a of a container body 2, and the pollution and loss of the external and internal caps are prevented.
However, since the internal cap and the external cap are connected by the coupling member 130, there is another problem in that the number of the components is increased, and the assembling process and manufacturing costs are thus increased.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical ProblemTherefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a closure assembly for a container including an internal cap and an external cap which are handled as one cluster, in which the internal cap and the external cap are engaged to each other by locking members each formed on the internal and external caps to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap, thereby conveniently opening and closing an outlet opening and also easily assembling the closure assembly, in which the number of components is decreased, the productivity is remarkably increased, and in which the engaging state of the internal cap and the external cap is compact, so that the handling of the closure assembly is convenient.
Technical SolutionIn order to accomplish the above-mentioned objects, there is provided a closure assembly for a container including an internal cap and an external cap which are handled as one cluster is disclosed, in which the internal cap is tightly fitted into an outlet opening of a container and having a flange formed on an insertion portion, and the external cap has a threaded portion engaged to an outer periphery of the outlet opening to enclose the internal cap. The internal cap and the external cap have a corresponding locking member to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap.
The external cap includes a second engagement portion having a diameter smaller than that of the threaded portion to form a stepped portion and having at least one locking portion formed on an inner periphery of the second engagement portion, and the internal cap includes a first engagement portion protruding upwardly from the internal cap and having a locking portion formed on an outer periphery of the first engagement portion corresponding to the second engagement portion of the external cap.
Advantageous EffectsWith the construction, the closure assembly including the internal and external caps handled as one cluster, the internal cap and external cap are engaged to each other by the locking members each formed on the internal and external caps to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap, thereby conveniently opening and closing the outlet opening and also easily assembling the closure assembly. Since the number of the components is decreased, the productivity is remarkably increased. In addition, the engaging state of the internal cap and the external cap is compact, so that the handling of the closure assembly is convenient.
The above objects, other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Now, a closure assembly for a container according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The locking member C includes a first coupling column 13 upwardly protruding from a rear surface of the insertion portion 11 of the internal cap 10 and having a hook portion 13a formed at an upper end of the first coupling column 13, and a second coupling column 23 downwardly protruding from an upper surface of the external cap 20 and having a hook portion 23a which is engaged with the hook portion 13a of the first coupling column.
The hook portions 13a and 23a have hook-shaped ends so that the hook portion 13a is easily engaged with the hook portion 23a and is hardly disengaged from the hook portion 23a. In case the internal cap and the external cap are made of plastic material, the hook portions 13a and 23a can be easily engaged with each other due to the resiliency of the material.
Also, the internal cap 10 may be provided with a cylindrical guide portion 14 for guiding the second coupling column 23 along the first coupling column 13 and also reinforcing the internal cap 10. The guide portion 14 may be provided with reinforcing ribs 14a.
The hook portions 13a and 23a of the first and second coupling columns 13 and 23 may be formed in threaded portion 13ab and 23ab which are threadedly engaged with each other, as shown in
In case the hook portions 13a and 23a are formed in the threaded portions 13ab and 23ab, the internal cap and the external cap are threadedly engaged with each other at initial engagement. However, if the external cap is continuously rotated towards the bottom portion of the internal cap, the internal cap and the external cap are locked to prevent the detachment of the external cap from the internal cap.
Preferably, the second coupling column 23 with the hook portion 23a is provided with notches 23b radially formed on the front end thereof, as shown in
In the locking member C according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
The first engagement portion 15 has a recessed groove 15b with an abutment portion 15ba formed on an upper portion of the recessed groove 15b, and the second engagement portion 25 has a locking boss 25b corresponding to the abutment portion 15ba of the recessed groove 15b.
In the locking member C according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In the locking member C according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In this instance, the container body 2 includes a magnet or metal corresponding to the magnet of the closure. Also, in case the Velcro fiber fastener is provided on the external cap, a corresponding Velcro fiber fastener is adhered to any of an outer surface of the container body.
Also, the internal cap 10 or the external cap 20 may be provided with a recessed mounting portion 22 corresponding to a closure holding part 2b formed on the container body 2, as shown in
The external cap 20 may be provided with a resilient hanger 33 for hanging the closure from the container body in a cantilever type after the closure is released from the outlet opening of the container body. The resilient hanger 33 is made of resilient material, and has one end fixed to the external cap and the other end fixed to the container body 2.
The operation of the closure assembly according to the present invention will now be described.
The closure assembly according to the present invention is adapted to prevent the internal cap from being detached from the external cap, thereby conveniently handling the closure assembly when the outlet opening 2a of the container body is opened. Since the locking member C is provided on the internal cap 10 and the external cap 20, the closure assembly is easily assembled to improve the productivity.
The locking member C of the present invention consists of the first coupling column 13 with the hook portion 13a and the second coupling column 23 with the hook portion 23a (see
The above operation can be achieved in cases that the internal cap 10 is provided with the first engagement portion 15 and the external cap 20 is provided with the second engagement portion 25 (see
Meanwhile, in case that the internal cap 10 or the external cap 20 is provided with the magnet 31, and the container body 10 is provided with the metal piece or magnet corresponding to the magnet 31, the closure assembly can be attached to the container body when the outlet opening is opened, thereby conveniently handling the closure assembly and also preventing the closure assembly from being lost (see
The convenience can be also obtained if the closure holding part 2b is formed on the container body 2 and the recessed mounting portion 22 corresponding to the closure holding part 2b is formed on the external cap 20 (see
In case that the external cap 20 is provided with the resilient hanger 33, the closure assembly is hanged from the container body after the closure assembly is released from the outlet opening of the container body, thereby improving the convenience and preventing the pollution of the internal cap 10.
The forgoing embodiments are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatus. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYAs apparent from the above description, with the closure assembly including the internal and external caps handled as one cluster, the internal cap and external cap are engaged to each other by the locking members each formed on the internal and external caps to prevent the internal cap from being disengaged from the external cap, thereby conveniently opening and closing the outlet opening and also easily assembling the closure assembly.
Since the number of the components is decreased, the productivity is remarkably increased. In addition, the engaging state of the internal cap and the external cap is compact, so that the handling of the closure assembly is convenient.
Claims
1. A closure assembly for a container including an internal cap (10) and an external cap (20) which are handled as one cluster, the internal cap (10) being tightly fitted into an outlet opening (2a) of a container (2) and having a flange (12) formed on an insertion portion (11), and the external cap (20) having a threaded portion (21) engaged to an outer periphery of the outlet opening (2a) to enclose the internal cap (10), in which the internal cap (10) and the external cap (20) have a corresponding locking member (C) so that the internal cap (10) is not completely disengaged from the external cap (20).
2. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking member (C) includes a first coupling column (13) upwardly protruding from a rear surface of the insertion portion (11) of the internal cap (10) and having a hook portion (13a) formed at an upper end of the first coupling column (13), and a second coupling column (23) protruding downwardly from an upper surface of the external cap (20) and having a hook portion (23a) which is engaged with the hook portion (13a) of the first coupling column.
3. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal cap (10) is provided with a cylindrical guide portion (14) for guiding the second coupling column (23) along the first coupling column (13) and also reinforcing the internal cap (10).
4. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hook portions (13a and 23a) of the first and second coupling columns (13 and 23) are formed in threaded portion (13ab and 23ab) which are threadedly engaged with each other.
5. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second coupling column (23) with the hook portion (23a) is provided with notches (23b) radially formed on a front end thereof.
6. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external cap (20) includes a second engagement portion (25) having a diameter smaller than that of the threaded portion (21) to form a stepped portion and having at least one locking portion (25a) formed on an inner periphery of the second engagement portion, and the internal cap (10) includes a first engagement portion (15) protruding upwardly from the internal cap and having a locking portion (15a) formed on an outer periphery of the first engagement portion (15) corresponding to the second engagement portion (25) of the external cap.
7. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first engagement portion (15) has a recessed groove (15b) with an abutment portion (15ba) formed on an upper portion of the recessed groove (15b), and the second engagement portion (25) has a locking boss (25b) corresponding to the abutment portion (15ba) of the recessed groove (15b).
8. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal cap (10) includes an upper surface (16) covering a space (11a) formed on a rear surface of the insertion portion (11) and having an anchor hole (17) formed at a center portion thereof, and the external cap (20) is integrally or separately formed with an anchor (27) having an anchor portion (27a) for preventing the anchor portion (27a) from being released from the anchor hole (17).
9. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external cap (20) is provided with a through-hole (29), and the internal cap (10) includes a locking part (18) passing through the through-hole (29) from an upper portion of the external cap to engage the internal cap (10) and having a knob (18a) for preventing release of the external cap (20).
10. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal cap (10) or the external cap (20) is provided with a magnet (31) or a Velcro fiber fastener for attaching the closure assembly to the container body (2) after the closure assembly is disengaged from the outlet opening of the container body (2).
11. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal cap (10) or the external cap (20) is provided with a recessed mounting portion (22) corresponding to a closure holding part (2b) formed on the container body (2), in order to hold the closure assembly which is disengaged from the container body (2) on the container body.
12. The closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external cap (20) is provided with a resilient hanger (33) for hanging the closure from the container body after the closure is released from the outlet opening of the container body, and the resilient hanger (33) is made of resilient material, and has one end fixed to the external cap and the other end fixed to the container body (2).
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 29, 2007
Publication Date: Dec 24, 2009
Inventor: Young Ja Back (Bucheon-Si)
Application Number: 12/307,078
International Classification: B65D 51/18 (20060101);