| US 7,516,867 B2 | ||
| Cap device having torque mechanism | ||
| Hiroyuki Hagano, Aichi-ken (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., Aichi-pref. (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 23, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/994,531. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-393800 (JP), filed on Nov. 25, 2003; and application No. 2004-250225 (JP), filed on Aug. 30, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0115971 A1, Jun. 02, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. B65D 53/00 (2006.01); G09F 9/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 220—304 [220/DIG. 33; 116/309] | 19 Claims |
| 1. A cap device that opens and closes a tank opening and engages with an opening engagement element formed on a periphery
of the tank opening, the cap device comprising:
a closer that closes the tank opening with air-tight sealing and has a cap engagement element, which is engaged with the opening
engagement element by rotation of the closer by a preset angle;
a handle mechanism that is attached to an upper side of the closer in a rotatable manner to selectively rotate the closer
in a closing direction and an opening direction to close and open the tank opening; and
a torque mechanism that is provided between the handle mechanism and the closer and selectively transmits a rotational torque
in the closing direction and the opening direction to the closer, the torque mechanism including:
a click unit having a first click engagement element and a second click engagement element that mates with the first click
engagement element, wherein the first click engagement element and the second click engagement element are disengaged and
shift from an initial position to a released position to give a click sound, when the handle mechanism and the closer are
rotated relative to each other by the preset angle in response to an operation of the handle mechanism in the closing direction;
and
a torque transmission unit having a first torque engagement element and a second torque engagement element that mates with
the first torque engagement element, wherein the torque transmission unit transmits a rotational torque in the closing direction
applied to the handle mechanism to the closer via coupling of the first torque engagement element with the second torque engagement
element, wherein
the first and second torque engagement elements are different from the first and second click engagement elements, respectively,
and
at least one of the first torque engagement element and the second torque engagement element is a cantilever spring that is
elastically deformed by the rotation of the handle mechanism in the closing direction to transmit the rotational torque to
the closer while accumulating a spring force, the cantilever spring being configured to apply the accumulated spring force
to restore the click unit from the released position to the initial position when the rotational torque applied to the handle
mechanism is released.
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