JP2008120398A - Cuplike container body and packaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a decoration by a shrink label in a cuplike container body having the diameter increasing from the bottom part to the opening part. <P>SOLUTION: A circumferential groove 7 as an engagement means to be engaged with the upper end of a shrink label 10 is provided on the outer surface of a container body 1. By the bite in the circumferential groove 7 associated with the shrinkage of the shrink label 10, the movement of the upper end 10a of the shrink label 10 can be regulated, and the longitudinal shrinkage in the bottom part direction can be suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cup-shaped container body in which a shrink label is attached to an outer peripheral surface so as to enhance decorating properties, and a packaging method using the cup-shaped container body.

  Shrink labels made of heat-shrinkable resin films have been widely used for the purpose of decorating the body of resin bottles (for example, Patent Document 1). When the container has a bottle shape, the diameter is reduced toward the upper opening, and the upper and lower ends of the shrink label are positioned (movement restriction) using the top and bottom of this small diameter. In addition, it is possible to suppress the vertical shrinkage during heating and realize a good wearing state.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-123190

  However, in the case of a cup-shaped container body having a basic shape whose diameter gradually increases from the bottom toward the opening, it is possible to restrict the movement of the lower end of the shrink label using the engagement at the bottom. The upper end portion of the shrink label which is the portion side could not be restricted.

  A method of restricting the movement of the upper end portion by applying a heat-sensitive adhesive to the upper end portion of the shrink label and adhering it to the container using heat when the shrink label is thermally contracted is also conceivable. However, since the heat-sensitive adhesive is not yet cured during heating while the shrinkage is proceeding, the upper end portion may not be sufficiently fixed.

  In addition, the portion immediately below the opening can be greatly undercut (shaped so that the diameter decreases toward the opening), and this portion can be used for restricting movement of the upper end of the shrink film. Since it is not possible to provide a large undercut that would hinder mold release during container molding, the effect is not sufficient and the design is limited.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a means for enabling decoration with a shrink label in a cup-shaped container body having a basic shape whose diameter gradually increases from the bottom toward the opening.

  The present invention is a cup-shaped container body having an opening disposed at the upper end and a large-diameter portion disposed adjacent to the opening, wherein the upper end of the shrink label is disposed on the outer surface of the large-diameter portion. And engaging means to be engaged.

  In the present invention, since the outer surface of the container is provided with the engaging means to be engaged with the upper end portion of the shrink label, the movement of the upper end portion of the shrink label can be restricted by this engaging means, and the shrinkage in the vertical direction toward the bottom portion. Can be suppressed. Further, since the engaging means is provided in the large diameter portion, the engagement can be performed more effectively.

  The engaging means in the present invention may be at least one recess, or may be at least one protrusion. In these cases, the shrink label made of the heat-shrinkable resin film bites into the recess or gets caught by the protrusion due to the shrinkage in the lateral direction (circumferential direction), thereby restricting the movement of the label upper end. Vertical contraction is suppressed. Such an action is particularly preferably realized when the engaging means is an annular shape surrounding the large diameter portion.

  The large-diameter portion in the present invention preferably has an undercut shape in which the cross-sectional area decreases toward the opening. In this case, the engagement can be performed more effectively.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a packaging method using the cup-shaped container body according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the packaging method uses a gap between the engaging means and the bottom of the cup-shaped container body. A packaging method comprising: supplying an annular shrink label having a large width to the outside of the cup-shaped container body; and shrinking the shrink label. According to this aspect, the cup-shaped container body whose diameter increases from the bottom toward the opening can be decorated with a shrink label.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a container body 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The container body 1 of the present embodiment can wrap various articles including yogurt and other dairy products, pudding and other desserts, coffee milk drinks and other beverages, and confectionery. The container body 1 is used for packaging together with a lid (not shown). As such a lid, for example, a sheet and / or a molded product can be used.

  The container main body 1 has a circular opening 2 arranged at the upper end, a large diameter part 3 arranged adjacent to the lower side of the opening 2, a substantially frustoconical body part 4, and a center facing upward. And a dome-shaped bottom portion 5. A substantially horizontal flange 6 for adhering the lid is formed in an annular shape at the lip of the opening 2. The container body 1 is axisymmetric with respect to the axis CL.

  The outer diameter of the large diameter portion 3 is larger than the outer diameter of the upper end portion of the body portion 4. The large diameter portion 3 is provided for the purpose of preventing mutual sticking (stacking) of the plurality of container bodies 1 stacked during storage. The outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 3 is constant with respect to the direction of the axis CL of the container body 1, and therefore the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 3 extends in the vertical direction. A single circumferential groove 7 is formed on the outer surface of the large diameter portion 3 in the circumferential direction. The circumferential groove 7 has a continuous annular shape.

  As the material of the container body 1, various resin materials can be used, and PP (polypropylene), PS (styrene), PE (polyethylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and PLA (polylactic acid) are particularly preferable. It is. As the molding method, various methods suitable for forming grooves and protrusions can be used. Specifically, vacuum / pressure molding, injection molding, and blow molding are particularly suitable. The depth of the circumferential groove 7 can be adjusted according to various conditions such as the shape of the container body 1, the vertical and horizontal shrinkage characteristics of the shrink label to be mounted, and whether or not a heat-sensitive adhesive is used.

  The shrink label 10 (see FIG. 2) attached to the container body 1 is made of a heat shrinkable film. In the entire circumference of the container body 1, the width “a” of the shrink label is set to be larger than the distance “b” between the upper end portion of the circumferential groove 7 (a point where an engaging action described later is performed) and the lower end portion of the container body 1. The thickness of the heat-shrinkable film is 10 to 80 μm, preferably 20 to 50 μm. The material of the heat-shrinkable film is preferably a resin, particularly polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, or polyvinyl chloride.

  This heat-shrinkable film preferably has a heat-sensitive adhesive layer on the container side (back surface) and a printed layer representing product information on the outside thereof. You may provide a transparent protective layer in the outermost layer which is the outer side of a printing layer.

  In the case of providing a heat-sensitive adhesive layer, the material is a water-based glue such as starch-based adhesive, glue-based adhesive, or water-based or oil-based polypropylene-based, polyethylene-based, acrylic-based, polyvinyl alcohol-based, vinyl acetate. A heat-sensitive adhesive such as a system and other various synthetic resin adhesives can be used. More specifically, for example, a copolymer of a polypropylene resin and another synthetic resin can be used. The heat shrink temperature of the heat shrinkable film is preferably lower than the heat activation temperature of the heat sensitive adhesive layer. However, the use of a heat-sensitive adhesive layer is not essential in the present invention.

  The process of mounting the shrink label 10 serving as the exterior body on the container main body 1 of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, first, the cylindrical shrink label 10 is disposed on the peripheral surface of the container body. Specifically, the shrink label 10 is wound around the container body 1 and the overlapped portion is heated and pressed to be thermally bonded to form a truncated cone, or the shrink label 10 is preliminarily bonded to the container by thermal bonding. It is formed in a conical shape, and it is placed on the container body 1. Here, for ease of understanding, FIG. 2 shows a vertical distance between the upper end portion 10a of the shrink label 10 and the flange 6 of the container body 1; The upper end portion 10 a of 10 may be above the upper end portion of the circumferential groove 7 and may be in contact with the flange 6. The upper end portion 10a may extend slightly upward beyond the flange 6, but it is necessary to prevent the upper end portion 10a from engaging with the flange 6 during contraction. On the other hand, the lower end portion 10 b of the shrink label 10 extends below the lower end portion of the container body 1.

  Next, the entire shrink label 10 is heated to cause heat shrinkage to cover the entire side surface of the container body 1. In this heating step, the entire surface of the shrink label 10 may be heated uniformly, or may be heated in a line-shaped heating region set at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction or the axis line CL direction.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the shrink label 10 made of a heat-shrinkable resin film bites into the circumferential groove 7 due to the shrinkage in the lateral direction (circumferential direction), so that the movement of the upper end portion 10 a is restricted. Is done. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the bottom of the container body 1, the lower end 10 b of the shrink label 10 is bent toward the axis CL due to the contraction in the lateral direction (circumferential direction), and thus the movement of the lower end 10 b is restricted. Therefore, the shrinkage | contraction of the up-down direction of the shrink label 10 can be suppressed, and the decoration by the shrink label 10 is attained in the cup-shaped container main body 1 from which a diameter becomes large toward an opening part.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the outer surface of the container body 1 is provided with the circumferential groove 7 as an engaging means to be engaged with the upper end portion of the shrink label 10. The movement of 10a can be restricted, and the contraction in the vertical direction toward the bottom can be suppressed. Moreover, since the circumferential groove 7 was provided in the large diameter part 3, engagement can be performed more effectively.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the movement of the upper end portion 10a can be restricted, there is no need to worry about heat shrinkage during heating, and an operation using a sufficient amount of heat becomes possible. Further, by restricting the movement of the upper end portion 10a, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a design gap between the upper end portion 10a and the flange 6 so that the appearance does not deteriorate. Therefore, the container body and the packaging method of the present embodiment can be suitably used for various containers that are required to have high design properties.

  In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 3 is constant in the direction of the axis CL of the container body 1, but the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion may not be constant in the axial direction, for example, as shown in FIG. The outer diameter and the cross-sectional area gradually decrease as the outer diameter and the cross-sectional area gradually increase toward the opening as in the large-diameter part 13 or toward the opening as in the large-diameter part 23 illustrated in FIG. It is good also as an undercut shape (what is called an unreasonable shape). The reference line V in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a vertical line parallel to the axis CL of the container body 1. In the case of a draft, the container body 1 can be easily manufactured, the protrusion of the large-diameter portion below the opening can be minimized, the appearance of the design is improved, and the shape options are expanded. be able to. In the case of the undercut shape, the engagement of the upper end portion 10a of the shrink label 10 can be performed more effectively in combination with the locking action of the undercut shape.

  Furthermore, instead of the circumferential groove 7 in the above embodiment, a protrusion may be provided. For example, in the modification shown in FIG. 6, an annular single protrusion 37 is formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the large-diameter portion 33 similar to the large-diameter portion 3 in the above embodiment. The protrusion 37 has a constant width and extends horizontally (that is, on a plane orthogonal to the axis CL of the container body 1). Also by this modification, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, the large-diameter portion in the case where the protrusion 37 is provided has a draft angle in which the outer diameter and the cross-sectional area gradually increase toward the opening like the large-diameter portion 43 shown in FIG. 7, or the large-diameter shown in FIG. It is good also as an undercut shape (so-called unreasonable shape) where an outer diameter and a cross-sectional area decrease gradually as it goes to an opening part like the part 53. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is a vertical line parallel to the axis CL of the container body 1.

  Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of specificity in the above-described embodiments and modifications, various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims. It must be understood that changes are possible. That is, the present invention includes modifications and changes that fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, the engaging means does not need to be a series of continuous objects in the circumferential direction like the circumferential grooves 7 and the protrusions 37, and a plurality of concave portions (grooves) or projections (projections) formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. Article). The engaging means may be arranged in a dotted shape. A plurality of engaging means may be provided at intervals in the axial direction. Further, as the engaging means, a stepped portion 47 as shown in FIG. 9 may be provided. Even if the stepped portion 47 is a series of continuous portions in the circumferential direction, it is formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. There may be more than one. Furthermore, a plurality of types of engaging means having different shapes may be mixed.

  Further, the outer diameter of the large diameter portion may not be constant in the circumferential direction. That is, the present invention can be applied not only to the above-described axisymmetric container body having a circular cross section, but also to a container having an uneven cross section, and a non-axis target container having an elliptical or polygonal cross section. Such a configuration also belongs to the category of the present invention.

It is the front view which a part of container main body concerning the embodiment of the present invention cut away. It is a mounting process of a shrink film, and is a partially cutaway front view showing a state before heating. It is a mounting process of a shrink film, and is a partially cutaway front view showing a state after heating. It is the principal part enlarged view of the container main body of a modified example which made the large diameter part the draft and made it the gradient. It is the principal part enlarged view of the container main body of a modification and what made the large diameter part the undercut shape. It is the principal part enlarged view of the container main body of a modification which made the engaging means the protrusion. It is the principal part enlarged view of the further modification of FIG. It is the principal part enlarged view of the further modification of FIG. 6, and what made the large diameter part the undercut shape. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of another modified example in which the engaging means is a stepped part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Opening part 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53 Large diameter part 7 Circumferential groove 10 Shrink label 10a Upper end part

Claims (6)

A cup-shaped container body having an opening disposed at the upper end and a large diameter portion disposed adjacent to the opening,
A cup-shaped container body comprising an engaging means to be engaged with the upper end portion of the shrink label on the outer surface of the large diameter portion. The cup-shaped container body according to claim 1,
The cup-shaped container body, wherein the engaging means is at least one recess. The cup-shaped container body according to claim 1,
The cup-shaped container body, wherein the engaging means is at least one protrusion. The cup-shaped container body according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A cup-shaped container body, wherein the engaging means is an annular shape surrounding the large-diameter portion. A cup-shaped container body according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The said large diameter part has an undercut shape which cross-sectional area reduces as it goes to an opening part, The cup-shaped container main body characterized by the above-mentioned. A packaging method using the cup-shaped container body according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Supplying an annular shrink label having a width larger than the interval between the engaging means and the bottom of the cup-shaped container body to the outside of the cup-shaped container body;
Shrinking the shrink label;
A packaging method comprising:

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