Receptacles – Closures – Tethered closure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-15
2001-12-25
Newhouse, Nathan J. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Closures
Tethered closure
C220SDIG003, C428S036400, C296S097220
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332553
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a string-attached cap in which one end of an elongated coupling member is connected to a cap.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-301567, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a fuel tank of an automobile, a cap is, in general, connected to the fuel tank by means of an elongated coupling member to prevent the loss of the cap during re-fueling. As such string-attached caps, those disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publications No. Hei. 3-295723 and Sho. 62-173321 or the like are known.
FIG. 21
shows the string-attached cap disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 3-295723, and in this string-attached cap one end of a coupling member
13
is connected to a handle portion
5
a
of a cap
5
by means of a fixing member
1
.
However, with such a conventional string-attached cap, since the coupling member
3
is connected to the cap
5
by means of the fixing member
1
, there has been a problem in that the number of component parts increases, requiring a large number of steps in assembly in accordance with a structure of the fixing member.
A string-attached cap disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,409 was developed to overcome these problems.
FIG. 22
shows this string-attached cap. This string-attached cap is arranged such that a coupling member
13
, which is formed of flexible resin, has a ring part
13
a
formed integrally at one end thereof, and an engaging part
13
b
formed integrally with the inner periphery of the ring part
13
a
is rotatably engaged in an annular groove lid formed in the outer periphery of a cap
11
.
With this string-attached cap, since the ring part
13
a
of the coupling member
13
is inserted and fitted in the annular groove
11
d
formed in the cap
11
, the coupling member
13
does not constitute an obstruction when the cap
11
is turned while gripping a handle portion
11
b.
In addition, when the cap
11
is inserted into the ring portion
13
a
of the coupling member
13
, the engaging part
13
b
at the inner periphery of the ring part
13
a
is elastically deformed, and if the cap
11
in this state is inserted up to the annular groove
11
d
, the engaging part
13
b
is restored to its original state and is engaged in the annular groove
11
d
, so that the number of assembling steps can be substantially reduced as compared with the conventional art.
However, with the above-described conventional string-attached cap, since a countermeasure against static electricity is not provided, at the time of removing the cap from the fuel tank, there is the risk of occurrence of spark discharge as static electricity charged in the human body is discharged through fingers and the like which came into contact with the cap. To resolve this spark charge, it is conceivable to form the string-attached cap of, for example, an electroconductive material and discharge the static electricity to the vehicle side. The electroconductive material can be constituted by, for example, an electroconductive resin; however, in the compounding of the electroconductive material which is mixed into it, there is the possibility that the following problem can be occur.
Namely, if the amount of the electroconductive material mixed is extremely small, electric conduction is lowered, and the discharge of static electricity does not take place completely, so that there are cases where the remaining static electricity causes secondary spark discharge. On the other hand, if the amount of the electroconductive material mixed is extremely large, although electric conduction is enhanced, there can arise cases in which the moment the human body comes into contact with the cap, the human body receives a large shock.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised to overcome the above-described problems of the conventional art, and its object is to provide a string-attached cap which is capable of discharging static electricity without imparting a shock to the human body and of positively preventing the occurrence of secondary spark discharge.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a string-attached cap comprising: a capping member formed of a first electroconductive resin; and an elongated coupling member having one end connected to the capping member, the elongated coupling member being formed of a second electroconductive resin and being flexible, and the string-attached cap being used with another end of the coupling member coupled to a vehicle, wherein the first electroconductive resins and the second electroconductive resin are formed such that surface resistance from the capping member to the vehicle is set to be greater than or equal to 1×10
12
&OHgr; and less than 5.30×10
12
&OHgr;.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a string-attached cap comprising: a capping member formed of a first electroconductive resin; an elongated coupling member formed of a second electroconductive resin and being flexible; and a fastening member formed of a third electroconductive resin for fastening one end of the coupling member to the capping member, the string-attached cap being used with another end of the coupling member coupled to a vehicle, wherein the first electroconductive resins, the second electroconductive resin, and the third electroconductive resin are formed such that surface resistance from the capping member to the vehicle is set to be greater than or equal to 1×10
12
&OHgr; and less than 5.30×10
12
&OHgr;.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a string-attached cap comprising: a capping member formed of a first electroconductive resin; a ring member engaged in an outer periphery of the capping member; an elongated coupling member formed of a second electroconductive resin which is flexible; and a fastening member formed of a third electroconductive resin for fastening one end of the coupling member to the ring member, the ring member being formed of a fourth electroconductive resin, the string-attached cap being used with another end of the coupling member coupled to a vehicle, wherein the first electroconductive resins, the second electroconductive resin, the third electroconductive resin, and the fourth electroconductive resin are formed such that surface resistance from the capping member to the vehicle is set to be greater than or equal to 1×10
12
&OHgr; and less than 5.30×10
12
&OHgr;.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a string-attached cap comprising: a capping member formed of a first electroconductive resin and having an annular groove formed in its outer periphery; and an elongated coupling member formed of a second electroconductive resin and being flexible, the coupling member having a ring member formed integrally at one end thereof, an engaging part which is formed integrally with an inner periphery of the ring part being rotatably engaged in the annular groove of the capping member, the string-attached cap being used with another end of the coupling member coupled to a vehicle, wherein the first electroconductive resins and the second electroconductive resin are formed such that surface resistance from the capping member to the vehicle is set to be greater than or equal to 1×10
12
&OHgr; and less than 5.30×10
12
&OHgr;.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, all of the electroconductive resins in the aforementioned aspects are each formed of a mixture of an insulating polymer and one of carbon powders, carbon fibers and metal fibers in the string-attached cap according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the second electroconductive resin for forming the coupling member has its insulating component consisting of an insulating polymer of a block copolymer including a hard segment and a so
Araki Shinji
Yamada Tatsuo
Calsonic Corporation
Newhouse Nathan J.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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