JP7563086B2 - Packaging, article with packaging, and method for manufacturing article with packaging - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a package capable of contactless communication, an article with the package, and a method for manufacturing an article with the package.

In recent years, IC tags using RFID technology have been used for non-contact short-range communication using radio waves, etc. For example, various items are provided for distribution, such as transportation and sale, with IC tags affixed to them. In this case, by holding the item over an external device (reader/writer) as necessary, the item information recorded in the IC chip of the IC tag can be read out by non-contact communication and various information can be written to the IC chip. This enables efficient logistics management.

The IC tag attached to an item is mainly composed of a chip portion, an antenna portion, and a support portion that holds these. In order to start logistics management linked to the IC tag immediately after the item is manufactured, it is possible to form an IC tag in advance on the packaging material that covers the item. However, such packaging material is printed in large quantities, for example with a gravure printing machine, and is usually wound up in a roll and stored. If parts with different thicknesses, such as IC chips, are mixed, it becomes difficult to neatly roll up the packaging material into a roll. In addition, if an IC chip is attached to the packaging material in advance, defective packaging material that fails to be used to pack an item must be discarded together with the IC chip. In addition, if the IC chip is damaged during transportation of the packaging material, the packaging material must be replaced after the item is packed, which may lead to increased manufacturing costs and workload.

Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a method of attaching an IC tag to an item and covering it with a packaging material. However, if the base material of the IC tag is harder than the packaging material, the edge of the IC tag may cause damage to the packaging material or cause a poor appearance. Conversely, if the base material of the IC tag is soft, the pressure applied when covering it with a packaging material may cause the IC tag to break. Patent Document 3 discloses a method of manufacturing a packaging board that enables contactless communication. On one layer of at least two layers of packaging board, multiple antenna patterns are printed at a predetermined interval, and on the other layer of the two layers, multiple RFIC elements with IC chips mounted are bonded at a predetermined interval. Then, one layer and the other layer are bonded together to sandwich the RFIC element and antenna pattern between the one layer and the other layer, and the RFIC element and the antenna pattern are electrically connected. As a result, a packaging board that enables contactless communication is obtained.

JP 2010-49410 A Special Publication No. 2014-164317 International Publication No. WO2018/216686

By forming part of the IC tag, such as an antenna, in advance on the packaging material, and then attaching the remaining part of the IC tag, which includes a separately formed IC chip, to the packaging material later, it becomes possible to efficiently manufacture articles with packaging material that do not result in waste of the article due to defective IC chips. However, such packaging material, depending on the material, may expand due to moisture absorption, or may be shrunk by applying heat to make the packaging material fit the article. When this happens, the remaining part of the IC tag, including the IC chip, may peel off or deform from the packaging material, resulting in a poor appearance or insufficient communication characteristics.

This disclosure has been made in light of these circumstances, and aims to provide a package, an article with a package, and a method for manufacturing an article with a package that can be produced efficiently and has good appearance and communication characteristics.

The packaging body according to this embodiment is a packaging body that covers at least a portion of an article, and includes a first substrate, an antenna formed on at least one surface of the first substrate, a second substrate, a wiring section formed on at least one surface of the second substrate, and an IC chip electrically connected to the wiring section, the second substrate being laminated on the first substrate, the antenna, the wiring section, and the IC chip forming a communication circuit capable of contactless communication with an external device, and the first substrate and the second substrate each containing the same material.

In another embodiment of the packaging body of this embodiment, the same material may be PET.

In another embodiment of the packaging body of this embodiment, the same material may be paper.

In addition, in a package according to another embodiment of the present invention, the IC chip may be disposed on a surface of the second substrate that is closer to the first substrate.

In addition, the packaging body according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a third substrate, which may be laminated opposite the first substrate so as to sandwich the antenna.

In addition, in a package according to another embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the antenna and a portion of the wiring portion may overlap when viewed in a plan view from the stacking direction of the first substrate and the second substrate.

In addition, an article with a package according to another embodiment of the present invention may have the above-mentioned package fixed to the article.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the article with packaging may have an uneven surface, and the packaging may be fixed so that the communication circuit is disposed on the uneven surface of the article.

The method for producing an article with a package according to the present embodiment is a method for producing an article with a package, in which at least a part of the article is covered with a package, comprising the steps of:
The method includes the steps of: preparing a first substrate and a second substrate, the difference in shrinkage rate of which is 5% or less after the article, with the packaging body abutted against or close to the outer peripheral surface, is immersed in hot water at 100°C for 10 seconds; forming an antenna on at least one surface side of the first substrate; forming a wiring portion on at least one surface side of the second substrate; electrically connecting an IC chip to the wiring portion; stacking the first substrate and the second substrate to form a packaging body in which a communication circuit constituted by the antenna, the wiring portion and the IC chip enables contactless communication with an external device; and abutting or bringing the packaging body into close proximity to the article, heating the packaging body to thermally shrink the packaging body, and fixing the packaging body to the article.

In another embodiment of the method for manufacturing a packaged product according to the present invention, when the stretch direction of the first substrate is a first stretch direction and the stretch direction of the second substrate is a second stretch direction, the first substrate and the second substrate may be laminated so that the second stretch direction is aligned with the first stretch direction.

In addition, in a method for manufacturing a packaged product according to another embodiment of the present invention, a step is performed before the step of forming the package, and the step is to prepare a third base material, the third base material having a difference in shrinkage rate of 5% or less after the article, with the package in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface thereof, is immersed in hot water at 100° C. for 10 seconds with respect to the first base material and the second base material;
The method may further include a step of laminating the third base material opposite to the first base material so as to sandwich the antenna therebetween.

In addition, in the method for manufacturing a packaged product according to another embodiment of the present invention, the package may be fixed to the article so that the communication circuit is positioned on an uneven surface of the article.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a package, an article with a package, and a method for manufacturing an article with a package that can be produced efficiently and has good appearance and communication characteristics.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a package and an article with the package according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a packaging body according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the details of part C in FIG. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing the packaging body of the first embodiment. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing the packaging body of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a packaging body according to a second embodiment. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an article with a package according to a third embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a packaging body according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the packaging body according to the fifth and sixth embodiments. 13A and 13B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a packaging body according to a seventh embodiment.

Below, an example of the package, article with package, and method of manufacturing the article with package of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, etc. However, the package, etc. of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and examples described below.

The figures shown below are schematic. Therefore, the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to make it easier to understand. In addition, hatching showing the cross section of a member is omitted as appropriate in each figure. The numerical values such as dimensions and material names of each member described in this specification are examples of embodiments, and are not limited to these, and may be selected as appropriate for use. In this specification, terms that specify shapes or geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and perpendicular, are intended to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meaning.

1. First embodiment A first embodiment of the package and the article with package of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing a container with package 10 in which a package 1 is provided on a container 5. FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing a cross section of the container with package 10 in FIG. 1(a) cut along a plane passing through the vertical line A-A and the second part 3. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view for explaining the package 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross section of the package 1 cut along a plane parallel to the thickness direction of the package 1 passing through line B-B along the longitudinal direction of the package 1 in FIG. 2(a). FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part C including the IC chip 6 in FIG. 2(b).

For ease of explanation, an XYZ coordinate system is set for the packaging body 1 before it is attached to the container 5. As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the Z axis is taken as the normal direction to the main surface of the first substrate 4 of the packaging body 1, and the direction from the main surface of the first substrate 4 on the Z axis toward the IC chip 6 is defined as the +Z direction or upward thickness direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the -Z direction or downward thickness direction. The direction along the Z axis is also referred to as the Z direction or up/down thickness direction.

When the packaging body 1 is viewed from the +Z direction, the X axis is taken in the longitudinal direction of the packaging body 1 or the first substrate 4, and the Y axis is taken in the lateral direction, and in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the left side is taken as the -X direction or left side, and the right side is taken as the +X direction or right side. Furthermore, in Figure 2(a), the upper side is taken as the +Y direction or upward, and the lower side is taken as the -Y direction or downward. The direction along the X axis is also called the X direction or left-right direction, and the direction along the Y axis is also called the Y direction or up-down direction.

(a) Structure of the Package Hereinafter, the structure of the package 1 and the packaged container 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 1(a) and Fig. 1(b), the package 1 covers, for example, a container 5, which is an example of an article, by wrapping the outer periphery of the container 5 near the center in the height direction, thereby forming the packaged container 10. The package 1 is broadly composed of a first part 2 composed of a first base material 4 wrapped around the container 5 and an antenna 20 of a predetermined shape provided on the surface of the first base material 4 facing inward when wrapped around the container 5, and a second part 3 of a predetermined shape slightly smaller than the first part 2, which is provided on the surface of the first part 2 facing inward when wrapped around the container 5.

Meanwhile, the configuration of the package 1 in a flat state before being wrapped around the container 5 is as shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b). The first part 2 is made up of a first substrate 4, which is a thin, long sheet or film of a substantially rectangular shape, and an antenna 20 formed in a predetermined pattern on one surface of the first substrate 4, which is the surface on the +Z direction side. The antenna 20 is configured to be separated into a first partial antenna 21 arranged on the left side and a second partial antenna 22 arranged on the right side. In addition, the second substrate 31 of the second part 3 is arranged on the +Z direction side of the first substrate 4 via an adhesive layer 38 so as to overlap the ends of the first partial antenna 21 and the second partial antenna 22 when viewed in plan from the +Z side.

The second part 3 includes a second substrate 31, a wiring section 30, and an IC chip 6. If necessary, the second part 3 may include an adhesive layer for bonding the second substrate 31 and the wiring section 30, a release layer formed on the mounting surface of the wiring section 30 on which the IC chip 6 is mounted, and the like. Furthermore, the second part 3 may include an adhesive layer 38 for fixing the second substrate 31 to the first substrate 4. In this embodiment, the second part 3 is formed by stacking the adhesive layer 38, the IC chip 6, the wiring section 30, and the second substrate 31 in this order from the side closer to the first substrate 4. Here, the wiring section 30 has a configuration in which a part of the wiring section 30 is separated into a first branch section 32 arranged on the left side and a second branch section 33 arranged on the right side. The IC chip 6 is arranged so as to straddle the first branch section 32 and the second branch section 33 of the wiring section 30.

The IC chip 6 and the wiring section 30 are both sandwiched between the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31. As a result, when the packaging body 1 is wrapped around the container 5 so that the first substrate 4 is the outermost, the wiring section 30 and the IC chip 6, which are most susceptible to deterioration due to external forces, moisture, etc., are protected by the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31, and the durability and reliability of the packaging body 1 can be improved. In this case, it is preferable that the container 5 has a recess 57 facing inward on its side as shown in FIG. 1(b). This is because the container 5 has such a shape, and the convex portion of the packaging body 1, particularly the second part 3, is accommodated in the recess 57, improving the appearance of the packaging body 1 in the packaging body-attached container 10. However, the container 5 does not necessarily have to have a recess on its side.

On the other hand, the second portion 3 may be formed by stacking the adhesive layer 38, the second substrate 31, the wiring section 30, and the IC chip 6 in this order from the side closer to the first substrate 4, as in the seventh embodiment described below. In this case, even if the container 5 does not have a recess on its side, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the appearance of the package 1 wrapped around the container 5.

With the packaging body 1 configured as described above, one of the electrodes of the IC chip 6 is electrically connected to the first partial antenna 21 via the first branch 32, and the other is electrically connected to the second partial antenna 22 via the second branch 33. The antenna 20 also forms a pair of left and right dipole antennas centered on the IC chip 6. This allows the packaging body 1 to transmit and receive wireless signals in the UHF band, for example, 920 MHz, and to transmit information between external devices by non-contact communication. The configuration of each part of the packaging body 1 will be described below.

(i) First Substrate The first substrate 4 is a member that supports the antenna 20 formed by printing or the like, and is preferably provided with appropriate flexibility and capable of suppressing damage or disconnection of the antenna 20 due to deformation caused by external force or the like. The first substrate 4 used to cover at least a part of an article such as a container 5 is required to provide the article with identifiability and design and to have printability and durability to maintain this for a long period of time. Furthermore, a heat-shrinkable material may be used as the first substrate 4 to fit the shape of the article. A heat-shrinkable film is also called a shrink film or shrink label.

Examples of the heat-shrinkable first substrate 4 include stretched polyester film, stretched polystyrene film, stretched polyolefin film, polylactic acid film, expanded polyolefin film, stretched polyester-polystyrene co-extruded film, and expanded polystyrene film. A laminate film of a nonwoven fabric and the above film may also be used. Among these, one or more films selected from the group consisting of stretched polyester film, stretched polystyrene film, stretched polyolefin film, polylactic acid film, expanded polyolefin film, expanded polystyrene film, laminate film of a nonwoven fabric and a shrink film, and stretched polyester-polystyrene co-extruded film are preferred.

There are no particular limitations on the thickness of the first substrate 4, but it can be appropriately selected within a range that does not impair heat resistance, rigidity, mechanical properties, appearance, etc. The thickness of the first substrate 4 can be, for example, 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less, and preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less. This is because a thickness in this range can ensure appropriate rigidity, flexibility, and heat resistance, and can provide adhesion to articles such as containers.

The stretched film may be uniaxially stretched or biaxially stretched, and in the case of a uniaxially stretched film, it may be uniaxially stretched longitudinally or uniaxially stretched transversely. Longitudinal uniaxial stretching refers to a long film, which is the original material from which the first substrate 4 is obtained, stretched in the flow direction of the long film. In this case, the longitudinal direction of the first substrate 4 is usually the width direction of the long film, i.e., the direction perpendicular to the flow direction. On the other hand, transverse uniaxial stretching refers to a long film stretched in the width direction. Therefore, when longitudinally uniaxially stretched, the first substrate 4 is thermally shrunk along the short side direction, and when transversely uniaxially stretched, it is thermally shrunk along the longitudinal direction.

When the first substrate 4 is formed into a cylindrical shape and attached to the container 5 beforehand, and then heat-shrunk, it is preferable to use a transverse uniaxially stretched film. In this case, the first substrate 4 can be made to adhere closely to the container 5 while maintaining a good appearance by shrinking along the outer periphery of the container 5. On the other hand, examples of the first substrate 4 that do not require heat-shrinkage include paper materials such as fine paper, coated paper, and art paper, as well as synthetic paper, nonwoven fabric, and cloth materials. In this embodiment, the first substrate 4 is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a heat-shrinkable stretched polyester film.

(ii) Antenna The antenna 20 is arranged on either one of the front and back surfaces of the first substrate 4, or on both surfaces in a divided manner. The antenna 20 is a portion in which a predetermined pattern for transmitting and receiving radio waves is formed of a conductive material. In this embodiment, the antenna 20 includes a pair of dipole antennas, a first partial antenna 21 and a second partial antenna 22, so that radio waves can be transmitted and received in the UHF band such as 920 MHz. However, the antenna 20 is not limited to a dipole antenna, and may be, for example, a monopole antenna, or may be a loop antenna depending on the communication specifications.

The first partial antenna 21 on the left side has a connection end 21a that forms part of a small, approximately rectangular shape for electrical connection to the IC chip 6 on the side closer to the mounting position of the IC chip 6, and has an open end 21c that forms part of a roughly rectangular shape larger than the connection end 21a at the end away from the IC chip 6 along the first partial antenna 21. The connection end 21a and the open end 21c are connected by a straight section 21b. Similarly, the second partial antenna 22 on the right side has a connection end 22a that forms an electrical connection to the IC chip 6 on the side closer to the mounting position of the IC chip 6, and has an open end 22c that is larger in shape than the connection end 22a at the end away from the IC chip 6 along the second partial antenna 22.

The connection end 22a and the open end 22c are connected by a straight line portion 22b. As will be described in other embodiments below, the antenna 20 may be an unseparated antenna in which the first and second antenna portions 21 and 22 are connected. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the first and second portions 2 and 3 so that the straight line along which the first and second branch portions 32 and 33 of the wiring portion 30 run is approximately parallel to the straight line along which the antenna 20 runs.

The antenna 20 can be formed, for example, by printing a conductive ink or a conductive paste on at least one surface of the first substrate 4. The conductive ink or conductive paste can be obtained, for example, by dispersing silver-based conductive particles in a binder resin or a solvent. The conductive particles are preferably silver-based, but are not limited to this. Metal powders of nickel, gold, copper, platinum, etc., conductive carbon, or composites or alloys thereof, etc. may also be used. The conductive ink or conductive paste can be printed using screen printing using a mesh plate, flexographic printing, gravure printing, offset printing, etc., and inkjet printing is also possible depending on the viscosity.

In addition, the antenna 20 can also be formed by attaching punched metal foil to the first substrate 4 via adhesive, or by applying adhesive to a thin metal foil and then pressing a hot stamp of a predetermined shape against it to thermally transfer it to the first substrate 4. However, since the first substrate 4 is printed at high speed using a gravure printing machine or the like and then wound up, it is more preferable to form the antenna 20 using a printing method that allows for high-speed and low-cost antenna formation.

(iii) Second Substrate The second substrate 31 is a member that supports the wiring section 30 laminated on one surface thereof and the IC chip 6 mounted on the wiring section 30. Therefore, the second substrate 31 is preferably one that can suppress damage to the wiring section 30 or the IC chip 6 due to deformation caused by an external force or the like, and suppresses disconnection between the wiring section 30 and the IC chip 6. Basically, the second substrate 31 can be any of the materials exemplified for the first substrate 4, but the packaging body of the present disclosure is characterized in that a predetermined relationship is provided between the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31.

One of the above features is that the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 of the package 1 contain the same material. For example, in this embodiment, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 both use PET. Therefore, unless the PET used is particularly stretched, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 tend to expand and contract due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, and are generally similar. As a result, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in communication characteristics due to deformation of the wiring section 30 caused by differences in the degree of expansion and contraction between the second substrate 31 and the first substrate 4. It is also possible to suppress fluctuations in communication characteristics and poor appearance due to the second portion 3 falling off or being misaligned from the first portion 2.

In particular, when the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 contain the same resin material with heat shrinkability, their tendency to shrink due to an increase in the environmental temperature is similar. This suppresses distortion of the second substrate 31 due to a bimetal effect caused by the relative positional relationship of the second substrate 31 to the first substrate 4 and the difference in the amount of thermal shrinkage of the two substrates. This suppresses the occurrence of defects such as excessive bending of the second substrate 31 or being pulled, causing the wiring section 30 to break.

In general, the fibers of paper are aligned along the direction in which the paper flows in the papermaking machine. The orientation direction of these fibers is sometimes called the grain of the paper. Paper is prone to tearing along the grain of the paper, and when the paper absorbs moisture from the air, it has the property of stretching more easily along a direction perpendicular to the grain than along the grain. Therefore, when both the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are paper, it is preferable to arrange the substrates so that the orientation direction of the fibers of both substrates, i.e., the grain of the paper, is aligned with each other when stacked. In this case, the elasticity of both substrates along a certain direction after stacking will be similar to each other, and the relative deformation of the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 can be suppressed.

The fact that the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 contain the same material does not necessarily mean that the components of the two are completely the same material. For example, if the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 both have a laminate structure made of different material layers, it is sufficient that the laminate structures of the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 each have at least one layer made of the same material. Also, if the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 both have an alloy structure made of a blend of different materials, it is sufficient that the components contained in the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 each contain the same components.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the ratio (weight percentage) of the components of the layers of the same material that constitute each other, or the same components contained in each other, to the entire original first substrate 4 and second substrate 31 is 50% or more. In this case, more than half of the components of both the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are composed of the same common material. This is because it is expected that the expansion and contraction tendencies of both substrates due to environmental conditions will be more similar. In particular, when both the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 have a laminated structure, it is preferable that the above-mentioned ratio of the same material components in each layer portion closest to the surface where the two substrates abut follows the above-mentioned condition. This is because the expansion and contraction tendencies of both substrates near the abutting surface of the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 have the greatest effect on the degree of deformation of the second substrate 31.

Another feature is that the thermal shrinkage characteristics of the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are within a certain range, regardless of whether they contain the same material. Specifically, the difference in shrinkage between the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 is 5% or less in at least a certain direction after the article with the packaging body in contact with or close to the outer periphery is immersed in 100°C boiling water for 10 seconds. In this embodiment, the above is satisfied for the shrinkage along the X direction in Figure 2(a). However, it is more preferable that the above condition is satisfied not only in the X direction but also in the Y direction.

Here, the shrinkage rate of the first substrate 4 is α% and the shrinkage rate of the second substrate 31 is β%. In a state where the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are separated from each other, the distance of a predetermined section in which a mark is attached in advance is measured for each substrate in a certain direction that will be the same direction when the two substrates are laminated. The distance of the predetermined section in the certain direction of the first substrate 4 is d ₁₀ , and the distance of the predetermined section in the certain direction of the second substrate 31 is d _20. After the separated first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are heated under predetermined conditions, the distance of the predetermined section in which a mark is attached in advance is measured again. The distance of the predetermined section in the certain direction of the first substrate 4 after heating is d ₁₁ , and the distance of the predetermined section in the certain direction of the second substrate 31 is d ₂₁ . In this case, the shrinkage rate α of the first base material 4 in a certain direction is α=(d ₁₀ -d ₁₁ )×100/d ₁₀ , and the shrinkage rate β of the second base material 31 is β=(d ₂₀ -d ₂₁ )×100/d ₂₀ .

However, if the first substrate 4 is wrapped around a container, the above shrinkage rate refers to the shrinkage rate in that state. In other words, if the shrinkage stops when the first substrate 4 is wrapped around a container before it reaches the expected shrinkage state when heated alone, and the shrinkage stabilizes in that state, the shrinkage rate refers to the shrinkage rate in that stopped state. However, this does not apply if there is a condition that the substrate is not wrapped around a container, etc.

By satisfying the above for the X direction, it is expected that deformation in the longitudinal direction of the second part 3, which is the area most affected by shrinkage, will be suppressed. This will suppress deformation of the wiring part 30 and fluctuations in communication characteristics and poor appearance due to the second part 3 falling off the first part 2. Furthermore, by satisfying the above for both the X and Y directions, deformation of the second part 3 in the Y direction can also be suppressed as much as possible, making it possible to provide a package 1 with higher reliability.

As another feature, in this embodiment, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are both uniaxially oriented PET, and the stretching direction of the second substrate 31 is along the stretching direction of the first substrate 4. Specifically, in FIG. 2(a), the stretching direction of the first substrate 4 is the X direction, and the stretching direction of the second substrate 31 is also the X direction. However, the stretching directions of the two do not need to be exactly the same direction, and it is sufficient that the stretching direction of one is along the stretching direction of the other.

Here, when one extension direction is aligned with the other extension direction, the inclination of the respective directions is preferably within 45°, and more preferably within 22.5°. If the inclination of the respective directions is within 45°, for example, the component of the deformation amount of the second substrate 31 in a direction perpendicular to the deformation direction of the first substrate 4 does not exceed the component of the deformation amount of the second substrate 31 in the deformation direction of the first substrate 4, and the relative deformation of the second substrate 31 with respect to the first substrate 4 can be suppressed. If the inclination of the respective directions is within 22.5°, this suppression effect can be further increased.

In addition, for example, when the first substrate 4 is a biaxially stretched film and the second substrate 31 is a uniaxially stretched film, or when the first substrate 4 is a uniaxially stretched film and the second substrate 31 is a biaxially stretched film, the stretch direction of the second substrate 31 can be said to be along the stretch direction of the first substrate 4. The same is true when the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are both biaxially stretched films. On the other hand, it goes without saying that the stretch direction of the second substrate 31 should be along the stretch direction of the first substrate 4, even when the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 are both uniaxially stretched PET.

The thickness of the second substrate 31 can be, for example, 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less, and preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less. This range ensures appropriate rigidity, flexibility, and heat resistance, and provides adhesion to the first substrate 4.

(iv) Wiring section

The wiring section 30 is a conductive part disposed on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the second substrate 31, and can transmit and receive radio waves by electrically connecting to the antenna 20. The wiring section 30 is composed of a first branch section 32 extending linearly to the left in FIG. 2(a), a second branch section 33 extending linearly to the right, and a loop section 34 connecting both branches to form a closed circuit. A minute gap 35 is formed between the connection end 32a, which is the end of the first branch section 32 on the +X direction side, and the connection end 33a, which is the end of the second branch section 33 on the -X direction side, and overlaps with the IC chip 6 when the second portion 3 is viewed in a plan view from the +Z direction side. That is, one end of each of the first branch section 32 and the second branch section 33 is separated from each other and electrically connected to the IC chip 6.

In addition, an open end 32c is provided at the end of the first branch 32 on the -X direction side, and an open end 33c is provided at the end of the second branch 33 on the +X direction side. These overlap with the end of the antenna 20 described above when the package 1 is viewed in plan and through from the +Z direction side. That is, the open end 32c of the first branch 32 overlaps with the connection end 21a of the first partial antenna 21, and the open end 33c of the second branch 33 overlaps with the connection end 22a of the second partial antenna 22. At this time, the open end 32c and the connection end 21a may actually be in contact with each other, or may be separated by another layer such as the second substrate 31. When the two are separated, it is sufficient that the wiring unit 30 and the antenna 20 are capacitively coupled to the extent that they can cooperate to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves with an AC waveform. It can be said that the wiring unit 30 and the antenna 20 are electrically connected, including such a case.

On the other hand, the connection end 32a and the open end 32c of the first branch 32 are connected by the straight line portion 32b, which is a straight line, and the connection end 33a and the open end 33c of the second branch 33 are connected by the straight line portion 33b, which is a straight line. In addition, the closed circuit surrounded by the IC chip 6, a part of the straight line portion 32b, and the loop portion 34 functions as a matching circuit that achieves conjugate matching of the impedance between the IC chip 6 and the antenna structure including the antenna 20 and the wiring portion 30. Note that the loop portion 34 does not necessarily have to be formed by branching off from the wiring portion 30, and may be formed on the antenna 20 side, for example. That is, as an example, a loop portion may be formed that branches off from the straight line portion 21b of the first partial antenna 21 and the straight line portion 22b of the second partial antenna 22, respectively, and conducts the two.

The wiring section 30 can be formed by a known etching process. That is, first, a metal layer is generated by a deposition process on one side of the second substrate 31 in a vacuum environment. The metal used is, for example, copper, but metals having electrical conductivity such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, titanium, gold, silver, tin, and indium can also be used. The thickness of the metal layer formed by deposition at this time can be 0.1 μm or more and 10.0 μm or less. Note that when the thickness is to exceed 10.0 μm, for example, a method can be selected in which a thin metal foil is attached to the entire surface of the second substrate 31 via an adhesive.

Next, a dry photoresist film is laminated onto the surface of the metal layer, and an original plate made so that only the specified pattern of the wiring section 30 transmits light is placed on top of that, and light of a specified wavelength such as UV is irradiated. As a result, the photoresist of the specified pattern portion of the wiring section 30 that was not blocked by the original plate is exposed to light and hardened, and the other portions are left unexposed and unhardened. The unexposed resist is then removed, and an alkaline stripping solution is sprayed to etch away the unnecessary metal foil, leaving the specified pattern portion of the wiring section 30, to obtain a laminate in which the desired wiring section 30 is formed on the second substrate 31.

(v) IC Chip and Conductive Adhesive The IC chip 6 is an integrated circuit in which various circuit elements are formed on a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, and has a relatively thin, approximately rectangular parallelepiped structure. The IC chip 6 has various circuits formed on, for example, one surface thereof, and is provided with a first connection pad 62 and a second connection pad 63 which are electrical connection terminals with the antenna. The IC chip 6 may have three or more connection pads.

The IC chip 6 performs various functions by electrically connecting the first connection pad 62 and the second connection pad 63 to the connection end 32a of the first branch 32 and the connection end 33a of the second branch 33 of the wiring section 30. For example, the IC chip 6 extracts operating power from a communication circuit consisting of the antenna 20, wiring section 30, and IC chip 6 that receives radio waves of a specific frequency from the outside, and drives the CPU. It also decodes specific information from the received radio waves, performs various calculations, and reads and writes information from the memory section. It also has a function of converting transmission information into radio waves of a specific frequency via the antenna 20, etc., and transmitting it as necessary.

The IC chip 6 can be of various sizes depending on the required functions, circuit line width, etc., but usually, the length of one side of the approximately rectangular part of the outer shape when viewed in a plane is about 0.3 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. Also, as shown in Figures 2 (b) and 3, the IC chip 6 is mounted so as to straddle the right end of the first branch part 32 and the left end of the second branch part 33, and the gap between them is filled with conductive adhesive 61. The conductive adhesive 61 may be, for example, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) or an anisotropic conductive paste (ACP). The ACF or ACP has a structure in which conductive particles 61b, in which the periphery of spherical resin particles is plated with nickel, gold, etc., are dispersed in a binder 61a made of epoxy resin, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the conductive adhesive 61 is applied or coated on the surface of the wiring section 30 side of the laminate of the second substrate 31 and the wiring section 30, and the IC chip 6 is pressed downward from above by heat pressure. As a result, the conductive particles 61b inside the ACF or ACP present in the gap between the first connection pad 62 and the second connection pad 63 provided below the IC chip 6 and the first branch section 32 and the second branch section 33 are lined up in series in the thickness direction of the second substrate 31 and bonded to each other. As a result, the first connection pad 62 and the first branch section 32 are electrically connected through the conductive particles 61b. Similarly, the second connection pad 63 and the second branch section 33 are electrically connected. Meanwhile, since the binder 61a is hardened by heat pressure, the IC chip 6 is also mechanically adhered to the wiring section 30. It is preferable to form gold bumps in advance on the first connection pad 62 and the second connection pad 63 of the IC chip 6. This improves the reliability of the electrical connection between the IC chip 6 and the wiring section 30.

The conductive adhesive 61 is not limited to ACF or ACP, and may be, for example, a conductive paste in which silver particles are dispersed as a filler in epoxy resin. In this case, however, it should be noted that the conductive paste should be applied so that the application areas of the conductive paste for the first connection pad 62 and the second connection pad 63 are separate from each other to prevent short-circuiting between the first connection pad 62 and the second connection pad 63. If gold bumps are formed on the connection pads of the IC chip 6, the IC chip 6 may be directly connected to the wiring section 30 by applying heat and pressure without using the conductive adhesive 61 as described above.

(vi) Adhesive Layer As shown in Fig. 2(b) and Fig. 3, the wiring portion 30 is disposed on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the second substrate 31. When forming the wiring portion 30 by a method other than the above-mentioned etching method, an adhesive layer is appropriately used. For example, a wiring portion 30 having a predetermined pattern may be formed on the second substrate 31 by hot pressing an adhesive-attached film having a metal foil formed thereon using hot stamping, or a metal foil that has been punched out in advance to have a predetermined pattern may be attached to the second substrate 31.

Various insulating thermoplastic or thermosetting resins can be used as the adhesive layer. When a thermoplastic resin substrate or the like is used as the second substrate 31, the adhesive layer 3 does not need to be provided separately. For example, when a metal foil layer is transferred to the surface of the second substrate 31 by thermal transfer or the like, the second substrate 31 itself can be fused to the metal foil layer to obtain an adhesive effect.

(vii) Adhesive Layer Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2(b) and 3, an adhesive layer 38 is provided on the surface of the second substrate 31 facing the first substrate 4. This is for fixing the second portion 3 to the first portion 2, as described below. As the adhesive layer 38, various materials used in general labels can be used, such as a natural rubber adhesive, a synthetic rubber adhesive, a silicone resin adhesive, a urethane resin adhesive, an acrylic resin adhesive, etc.

The adhesive layer 38 may also contain tackifiers, fillers, softeners, anti-aging agents, or colorants such as dyes and pigments, if necessary. Examples of tackifiers include rosin-based resins, terpene resins, phenol-based resins, and xylene-based resins. Examples of fillers include silica, talc, calcium carbonate, and clay. Examples of softeners include plasticizers. There are no particular limitations on the thickness of the adhesive layer 38, but it may be, for example, about 0.01 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

If both the second substrate 31 and the first substrate 4 are made of a thermoplastic resin substrate, the adhesive layer 38 does not need to be provided separately. In this case, the second substrate 31 of the second substrate 3 is brought into contact with the first substrate 4 of the first substrate 2 while the first substrate 2 and the second substrate 3 are heated, and the second substrate 31 and the first substrate 4 are integrated by self-fusion. Furthermore, when the adhesive layer 38 is provided on the second substrate 3 and the second substrate 3 is not bonded to the first substrate 4 and is temporarily stored as the second substrate 3, a release paper (not shown) can be provided on the surface of the adhesive layer 38 of the second substrate 3. The release paper is used to maintain the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 38 when the second substrate 3 is partially stored. There are no particular limitations on the material of the release paper as long as it can be attached to the adhesive layer 38 without inhibiting the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 38. Various resin films, coated papers, or composite materials of these coated with a release agent such as silicone can be used.

(b) Product with Package Next, a container with package 10 in which the package 1 having the above-mentioned configuration is provided on the outer surface of a container 5 will be described with reference to Figs. 1(a) and 1(b). The container 5 is an example of an article, and the container with package 10 is an example of an article with package. The container 5 is composed of a bottle 51 that is approximately cylindrical in the center and at the bottom, tapered at the top, and equipped with a drinking spout at the top, and a cap 52 that covers the drinking spout. The container 5 has an interior 53 that is an enclosed space capable of storing liquid when the cap 52 is closed.

The packaging body 1 is wrapped around the container 5 along the substantially cylindrical outer circumference so as to cover at least a portion of the container 5 and fixed thereto. A method of fixing the packaging body 1 to the container 5 can be considered in which an adhesive is applied to a portion of the contact point of the packaging body 1 with the container 5, and both ends of the wrapped packaging body 1 are joined via an adhesive to form a ring shape. In addition, when the first base material 4 of the packaging body 1 is a heat-shrinkable material, a method of wrapping the packaging body 1 around the container 5, joining both ends via an adhesive, and then heating the entire packaging body 1 to a predetermined temperature can be considered. In this case, the packaging body 1 is placed in a position in contact with or close to the container 5. Then, by heating the packaging body 1, the gap between the packaging body 1 and the container 5 is filled by the thermal shrinkage of the first base material 4, so that the packaging body 1 can be fixed to fit the shape of the container 5.

(c) Manufacturing method of the package and the article with the package Next, a manufacturing method of the package and the article with the package according to the present embodiment will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams explaining a series of manufacturing methods for manufacturing the package 1 by attaching the second part 3 to the first part 2 constituting the package 1 of the first embodiment to form the package 1, and wrapping the package 1 around a container 5 to manufacture a container with the package 10.

First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a long first substrate 4 wound in a roll is prepared. An antenna 20 is formed on this substrate using a conductive ink obtained by dispersing, for example, silver-based conductive particles in a binder resin or solvent, by gravure printing or the like. The conductive ink is then passed through a drying oven or the like to volatilize the solvent and dry the substrate. Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the long first substrate 4 is cut to a certain length, and then the second portion 3 is mounted and fixed so as to straddle the first portion antenna 21 and the second portion antenna 22 of the antenna 20 formed on the first substrate 4, which is the first portion 2.

As a result, the cut first substrate 4 is formed with the package 1 made up of the first portion 2 and the third portion 3 joined together. The method of manufacturing the second portion, i.e., the method of forming the wiring portion 30 on the second substrate 31 and then mounting and fixing the IC chip 6 thereon, is as described above. Note that cutting of the long first substrate 4 may be performed after mounting the second portion 3 on the antenna 20 of the first substrate 4.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the packaging body 1 is wrapped around the outer circumference of the bottle 51 of the container 5 near the vertical center, and both ends are joined together with an adhesive such as hot melt. As a result, the packaging body 1 is wrapped in a ring shape around the outer circumference of the container 5 near the vertical center. The inner surface of the packaging body 1 and the outer surface of the bottle 51 may be joined with an adhesive. This makes it possible to prevent the packaging body 1 from shifting vertically relative to the container 5, even if the packaging body 1 is not shrink-processed. In this way, a container with a packaging body 10 is obtained.

In the process of attaching the second part 3 to the first part 2, it is necessary to stop the transport operation of the container 5 in the production line for a predetermined period of time. This is because, if the process of attaching the second part 3 to the first part 2 and the process of wrapping and fixing the packaging body 1 around the container 5 are carried out simultaneously in parallel, it is necessary to match the processing capacity of both processes. In this case, in the process of wrapping and fixing the packaging body 1 around the container 5, the container 5 to be wrapped with the packaging body 1 may be brought to a completely still state, and the first part 2 may be wrapped around its outer circumference.

Alternatively, the container 5 may be rotated along the central axis of its approximately cylindrical shape, while the fixedly positioned packaging body 1 is wrapped around the rotating container 5 via adhesive. In either case, while the packaging body 1 is being wrapped around the container 5, the container 5 must be stopped in the conveying direction, and stopping the front and rear containers 5 in the same way during that time does not become a particular process rate-limiting factor for the reasons described above.

In other words, for a downstream container 5, the time period during which the conveying operation stops when performing the process of attaching the package 1 to the periphery of the container 5 is defined as the first time period, and for an upstream container 5, the time period during which the conveying operation stops when performing the process of laminating the second part 3 on the outer surface of the first part 2 is defined as the second time period. At this time, the first time period and the second time period are made to overlap with each other at least in part. This reduces the time loss in the series of processes and improves work efficiency.

When the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 of the packaging body 1 have heat shrinkability and it is desired to fit the packaging body 1 to the shape of the container 5 as closely as possible, the above-mentioned container with packaging body 10 is passed through a specified drying oven 304 as shown in FIG. 5. This further performs a shrink treatment that causes both substrates to heat shrink, and it is possible to obtain a container with packaging body 10 with a good appearance. Here, since the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 have the above-mentioned relationship in terms of heat shrinkage rate, the relative deformation of both substrates is suppressed as much as possible, and it is possible to obtain a container with packaging body 10 with good appearance and communication characteristics.

(d) Summary of the Package and the Article with Package of the First Embodiment As described above, the package 1 of the first embodiment covers at least a part of an article exemplified by a container 5. The package 1 includes a first substrate 4, an antenna 20 formed on at least one surface of the first substrate 4, a second substrate 31, and a wiring section 30 formed on at least one surface of the second substrate 31. The package 1 further includes an IC chip 6 electrically connected to the wiring section 30. The second substrate 31 is laminated on the first substrate 4, and the antenna 20, the wiring section 30, and the IC chip 6 form a communication circuit capable of contactless communication with an external device.

In addition to the packaging body 1 and the container with packaging body 10 of this embodiment having the above configuration, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 of the packaging body 1 can each contain the same material, such as PET or paper. In this case, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 tend to expand and contract due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, and are generally similar. As a result, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in communication characteristics due to deformation of the wiring section 30 of the second substrate 31, etc., caused by the difference between the degree of expansion and contraction of the second substrate 31 and the degree of expansion and contraction of the first substrate 4, as well as fluctuations in communication characteristics and poor appearance due to the second part 3 falling off from the first part 2, misalignment, etc., which are caused by the difference between the degree of expansion and contraction of the second substrate 31 and the first substrate 4.

In addition, regardless of whether the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 contain the same material, the thermal shrinkage characteristics of both may be within a certain range. Specifically, the difference in shrinkage between the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 is 5% or less after an article with the packaging body abutted or close to the outer peripheral surface is immersed in hot water at 100°C for 10 seconds. By having both substrates satisfy this condition, it is expected that the longitudinal deformation of the second portion 3, which is most affected by shrinkage, will be suppressed, and fluctuations in communication characteristics and poor appearance due to deformation of the wiring portion 30 and falling off of the second portion 3 from the first portion 2, etc., can be suppressed.

Furthermore, when the stretch direction of the first substrate 4 is the first stretch direction and the stretch direction of the second substrate 31 is the second stretch direction, the first substrate 4 and the second substrate 31 may be laminated so that the second stretch direction is aligned with the first stretch direction. Here, the inclination of the first stretch direction and the second stretch direction is preferably within 45°, and more preferably within 22.5°. This is because the component of the deformation amount of the second substrate 31 in the direction perpendicular to the deformation direction of the first substrate 4 does not exceed the component of the deformation amount of the second substrate 31 in the deformation direction of the first substrate 4, suppressing the relative deformation of the second substrate 31 with respect to the first substrate 4.

2. Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2(b), showing the configuration of the package 1a according to the second embodiment. The package 1a differs from the first part 2 of the first embodiment in the structure of the first part 2a. That is, the first part 2a has a structure in which a third substrate 4b is further laminated so as to face the first substrate 4a, sandwiching the antenna 20 formed on one surface of the first substrate 4a. The second part 3 is disposed on the surface of the third substrate 4b opposite to the first substrate 4a. The third substrate 4b may be made of the same material as the first substrate 4a, or may be made of a material different from the first substrate 4a exemplified as the first substrate 4. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the occurrence of uneven distortion or deformation in either one due to the difference in the expansion and contraction tendencies of the first substrate 4a and the third substrate 4b due to environmental changes, it is preferable to configure both substrates to contain the same material in order to align the expansion and contraction tendencies. Furthermore, the thicknesses of both substrates can be determined arbitrarily.

By configuring the first portion 2a in this way, the antenna 20 formed by printing or the like can be sandwiched between the first substrate 4a and the third substrate 4b. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the antenna 20 during handling of the first portion 2a or during processing such as attaching the first portion 2a to the container 5.

In addition, by adding the third substrate 4b, the third substrate 4b is present between the antenna 20 and the wiring section 30 of the second portion 3. Since these are generally insulators, by appropriately selecting the dielectric constant of each layer, the overlapping portion of the antenna 20 and the wiring section 30 is capacitively coupled when the package 1a is viewed in plan from the +Z direction side. Therefore, the wiring section 30 and the antenna 20 work together, allowing the package 1a to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves with an AC waveform well.

The manufacturing method of the first part 2a of this embodiment differs from that of the first part 2 of the first embodiment in the following respects. That is, after forming the antenna 20 on at least one surface of the first substrate 4a, a third substrate 4b is placed opposite the first substrate 4a so that the antenna 20 is sandwiched therebetween, and a molten resin is poured into the gap between the third substrate 4b and the first substrate 4a to bond them together. However, if the first substrate 4a and the third substrate 4b have self-bonding properties when heated, they can be bonded to each other just by heating the two substrates without the use of adhesive.

3. Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the article with a package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 7(a) is a schematic diagram showing a container with a package 11 in which a package 1 is provided in a container 5a. Fig. 7(b) is a diagram showing a cross section of the container with a package 11 in Fig. 7(a) cut along a plane passing through line E-E in the vertical direction. The container 5a is an example of an article, and the container with a package 11 is an example of an article with a package.

The container 5a differs from the container 5 of the first embodiment in that the roughly cylindrical outer surface of the container 5a has a continuous uneven portion 54 in the vertical direction. When the container 5a is cut on a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, the cross-sectional shape of the outer periphery changes from a roughly circular shape with a small diameter to a roughly circular shape with a large diameter as it progresses in one direction along the vertical axis. Thereafter, the cross-sectional shape changes from a roughly circular shape with a large diameter to a roughly circular shape with a small diameter. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape repeats this change. Because the container 5a has such a shape, the convex portion of the package 1, particularly the second part 3, is housed in one of the concave portions 58 of the uneven portion 54, improving the appearance of the package 1 in the package-attached container 11.

However, the shape of the uneven portion 54 of the container 5a is not limited to this, and the unevenness may be formed along the outer periphery in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction of the container 5a, or may be an irregular uneven pattern.

On the other hand, the packaging body 1 of the container with packaging body 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, except for the shape of the container 5a, the configuration and manufacturing method of the container with packaging body 11 are the same as those of the packaging body 1 and the container with packaging body 10 of the first embodiment. Here, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the bottle 51a of the container 5a has a predetermined thickness, and the bottle 51a has an inner surface 55 facing the interior 53 and an outer surface 56 that is visible from the outside. The liquid placed in the interior 53 of the container 5a comes into contact with the inner surface 55 of the bottle 51a.

When the shortest distance between the surface of the package 1 that is wrapped around the outer surface 56 of the bottle 51a and the inner surface 55 that abuts against the outer surface 56 is taken as DS, the value of DS is preferably 0.5 mm or more, and more preferably 2.0 mm or more. The value of DS is usually the distance between the outermost part of the outer surface 56 and the outermost part of the inner surface 55, i.e., the part closest to the outer surface 56, along the normal direction of the main surface of the first substrate 4 on which the antenna 20 of the package 1 is formed. In general, the closer an antenna that constitutes a communication circuit for non-contact communication is to moisture, the more the radio wave propagation is hindered, and the shorter the communication distance tends to be. For this reason, when the main component of the contents to be put into the container 5a is water, the communication hinderance between the package 1b and an external device can be suppressed by moving the antenna 20 of the package 1b as far away from the contents as possible.

On the other hand, if the first substrate 4 of the package 1 is a heat-shrinkable substrate such as a shrink film, the first substrate 4 is fixed to a shape that conforms to the outer surface 56 of the bottle 51a. For this reason, the above-mentioned DS must be replaced with DT, which is the shortest distance between the innermost part of the outer surface 56 of the bottle 51a, i.e., the part closest to the inner surface 55, and the part closest to the outermost part of the inner surface 55. In this case, the value of DT is preferably 0.5 mm or more, and more preferably 4.0 mm or more.

4. Fourth embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment of the package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2(a) showing the configuration of a package 1c according to the fourth embodiment. The package 1c includes a second portion 3 having the same configuration as the first embodiment. The first portion 2b includes an antenna 20a. The antenna 20a includes a pair of a first partial antenna 23 and a second partial antenna 24.

The first partial antenna 23 on the left side has a connection end 23a for electrical connection with the IC chip 6 on the side close to the mounting position of the IC chip 6, and has an open end 23c at the end away from the IC chip 6 along the first partial antenna 23. Also, the connection end 23a and the open end 23c are connected by a zigzag meander section 23d, unlike the straight section 21b as in the first embodiment. Similarly, the second partial antenna 24 on the right side has a connection end 24a for electrical connection with the IC chip 6 on the side close to the mounting position of the IC chip 6, and has an open end 24c at the end away from the IC chip 6 along the second partial antenna 22. Also, the connection end 24a and the open end 24c are connected by a meander section 24d symmetrically to the first partial antenna 23.

Because the antenna 20a is a dipole antenna, the electrical length from the open end 23c of the first partial antenna 23 to the open end 24c of the second partial antenna 24 must be 1/2 the wavelength of the communication radio wave. For example, when communicating at 920 MHz in the UHF band, the electrical length must be approximately 160 mm. Therefore, by forming the antenna 20a in a meandering shape as in this embodiment, the left and right width of the antenna can be made even smaller than when the antenna shape is a linear shape that spreads horizontally. As a result, the area in which the antenna 20a is formed on the first substrate 4 can be made smaller, reducing material costs and improving design and security by making the antenna 20a less visible.

5. Fifth embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment of the package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 9(a) is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2(a) and showing the configuration of a package 1d according to the fifth embodiment. The package 1d includes a first portion 2c and a second portion 3b having a different configuration from the first embodiment.

The first part 2c is provided with an antenna 25, but unlike the antenna 20 of the first embodiment, it is not separated into two partial antennas, but forms a single antenna with the left and right sides connected. However, the antenna 25 may be separated into left and right sides like the antenna 20. The antenna 25 has an open end 25c that forms part of a substantially rectangular shape at the end away from the IC chip 6 on the left side. In contrast, the antenna 25 has an open end 25d that forms part of a substantially rectangular shape at the end away from the IC chip 6 on the right side. In addition, there is no connecting end between the open ends 25c and 25d, and they are connected to each other by a straight section 25b.

On the other hand, the second portion 3b includes a wiring portion 30a having a straight portion 39 that partially overlaps the straight portion 25b of the antenna 25 when viewed from above and in a see-through manner from the +Z direction side, and open ends 39c and 39d formed at both ends of the straight portion 39. The wiring portion 30a further includes a loop portion first branch portion 34a and a loop portion second branch portion 34b that branch off from the straight portion 39 at two points and form paths to connection ends 34c and 34d that are electrically connected to the IC chip 6. The loop portion first branch portion 34a and the loop portion second branch portion 34b constitute the loop portion 34. The connection end 34c of the loop portion first branch portion 34a and the connection end 34d of the loop portion second branch portion 34b overlap with the IC chip 6 when the second portion 3b is viewed from above and in a see-through manner from the +Z direction side. That is, one end of each of the loop portion first branch portion 34a and the loop portion second branch portion 34b is electrically connected to the IC chip 6.

The straight portion 25b of the antenna 25 and the straight portion 39 of the wiring portion 30a may be in actual contact with each other, or may be separated by another layer. When they are separated, it is sufficient that the wiring portion 30a and the antenna 25 are capacitively coupled to the extent that they can cooperate to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves with an AC waveform. On the other hand, the closed circuit surrounded by the IC chip 6, the first branch portion 34a of the loop portion, the second branch portion 34b of the loop portion, and the straight portion 39 functions as a matching circuit that achieves conjugate matching of the impedance between the IC chip 6 and the antenna structure including the antenna 25 and the wiring portion 30a.

The manufacturing methods of the first part 2c, the second part 3b, and the container with the packaging body 1d of this embodiment are the same as the corresponding manufacturing methods of the first embodiment. Since the packaging body 1d of this embodiment has such a configuration, the area of the overlapping part when viewed in plan and through the straight part 25b of the antenna 25 and the straight part 39 of the wiring part 30a from the +Z direction side can be made large. As a result, even if the stacking position of the second part 3b relative to the first part 2c is slightly misaligned, the capacitive coupling between the two can be obtained well, so the manufacturing load of the packaging body 1b can be reduced and an improvement in yield can be expected.

6. Sixth embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment of the package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the fifth embodiment. Fig. 9(b) is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 9(a) and showing the configuration of a package 1e according to the sixth embodiment. The package 1e includes a second portion 3c having a different configuration from the fifth embodiment.

In this embodiment, the wiring portion 30b of the second portion 3c does not have an open end, and when viewed from the +Z direction side in a plan view and in a see-through manner, a part of the wiring portion 30b does not overlap with the antenna 25 of the first portion 2c. The wiring portion 30a of the second portion 3c has a loop portion first branch portion 34a and a loop portion second branch portion 34b that form paths from both ends of the straight portion 34e to the connection ends 34c and 34d for electrically connecting to the IC chip 6, respectively. The straight portion 34e, the loop portion first branch portion 34a, and the loop portion second branch portion 34b constitute the loop portion 34. The connection ends 34c and 34d overlap with the IC chip 6 when the second portion 3c is viewed from the +Z direction side in a plan view and in a see-through manner. That is, one end of each of the loop portion first branch portion 34a and the loop portion second branch portion 34b is electrically connected to the IC chip 6.

The straight portion 25b of the antenna 25 and the straight portion 34e of the wiring portion 30a do not overlap when viewed in plan and perspective from the +Z direction side, so the degree of capacitive coupling is smaller than in a configuration in which the two overlap. However, since the original capacitive coupling between the two is weak, even if the stacking position of the second portion 3c relative to the first portion 2c is slightly shifted, it is unlikely that a large fluctuation will occur in the capacitive coupling between the two. Therefore, because the shift in the stacking position does not have much effect on the communication characteristics of the package 1e, it is possible to ensure that the communication performance of the package 1e is always stable, regardless of variations in the manufacturing process.

7. Seventh embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment of the package of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 10(a) is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2(a) for explaining the package 1f, and Fig. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view of the package 1f cut along a plane parallel to the thickness direction of the package 1f and passing through line F-F along the longitudinal direction of the package 1f in Fig. 10(a).

The packaging body 1f differs from the second part 3 of the first embodiment in the arrangement of the second part 3d relative to the first part 2. In the second part 3d, an adhesive layer 38, a second substrate 31, a wiring section 30, and an IC chip 6 are arranged in that order from the side closest to the first substrate 4. That is, the arrangement from the second substrate 31 to the IC chip 6 in the second part 3d is reversed compared to the second part 3 of the first embodiment.

When the packaging body 1f is configured in this way, there are two ways to wrap the packaging body 1f around the container 5. The first wrapping method is to wrap the first substrate 4 so that it is the outermost periphery, and the second wrapping method is to wrap the IC chip 6 so that it is the outermost periphery. With the first wrapping method, the IC chip 6, which is susceptible to deterioration due to external forces and environmental changes, is protected by the first substrate 4, improving the durability and reliability of the packaging body 1f. On the other hand, the second wrapping method is advantageous in that, when there is no recess on the side of the container 5 and no gap is provided to accommodate the IC chip 6, the first substrate 4 can be wrapped straight around the outer periphery of the container 5 without creating wrinkles.

The series of packages from the second embodiment to the sixth embodiment have a configuration in which, when viewed in cross section, the adhesive layer 38, the IC chip 6, the wiring section 30, and the second substrate 31 are arranged in that order from the side closest to the first substrate 4 or 4b. However, all of these may be replaced with an embodiment in which the adhesive layer 38, the second substrate 31, the wiring section 30, and the IC chip 6 are arranged in that order from the side closest to the first substrate 4 or 4b, as in this embodiment. In this case, it goes without saying that the above-mentioned effects can be obtained in all of the embodiments.

8. Examples Examples of the present disclosure will be described below. However, the contents of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples. Each composition of each layer, excluding the solvent, is expressed in parts by mass in terms of solid content.

(a) Preparation of Samples for Examples and Comparative Examples (i) Example 1
First, a 30 μm thick transparent PET film (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation's Hishipet (registered trademark) LX-18S) was used as the first substrate, and the desired design and antenna were gravure printed in multiple rows on the surface facing the container when the film was wound. This completed the first part in which the antenna was formed on the first substrate. In addition, a 25 μm thick transparent PET film (Toray Industries, Inc.'s Lumirror (registered trademark)) was used as the second substrate, and copper was vacuum-deposited on the same type of PET film as the first substrate, and annealed at 90° C., and then the desired wiring part was produced by photolithography. Furthermore, an IC chip with gold bumps formed on its pads in advance was bonded to the wiring part by thermocompression bonding so that the pads of the IC chip could be electrically connected to the wiring part. This completed the second part in which the wiring part and the IC chip were provided on the second substrate.

The second part was cut to a length of 10 mm and a width of 30 mm, and was attached to a predetermined position on the antenna that would be on the inside when the rolled first part was wrapped around it. The second part was attached to the first part in such a direction that its wiring part and IC chip were sandwiched between the first part. The long first part was then cut to a predetermined length. This resulted in a rectangular package according to the embodiment that had the first and second parts. The dimensions of the package were 230 mm on the longitudinal side and 160 mm on the lateral side. This was wrapped around a bottle with a maximum circumference of 228 mm and a minimum circumference of 185 mm and uneven sides. One of the samples of the packaged container according to the embodiment 1 was immersed in 100°C boiling water for 10 seconds, and then the package was cut and removed from the container, and further separated into the first base material and the second base material, and the dimensions of each were measured to determine the shrinkage rate. As a result, the shrinkage rate of the first substrate when not wrapped around the bottle was 76%, but when wrapped around the bottle, the actual shrinkage rate of the first substrate was smaller than this because it conformed to the outer shape of the bottle. In this example, the shrinkage rate of the first substrate was 1.0% at the portion with the maximum circumference of 228 mm, and 19% at the portion with the minimum circumference of 185 mm. Meanwhile, the shrinkage rate of the second substrate was 0.5%. Note that the second substrate is bonded to the first substrate at the portion with the maximum circumference, and the second substrate is not bonded to the portion with the minimum circumference of the first substrate.

(ii) Example 2
A sample of a container with a package according to Example 2 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the package was wrapped around a bottle having a maximum circumference of 216 mm and a minimum circumference of 172 mm and having an uneven side surface. One of the samples of the container with a package was immersed in hot water at 100° C. for 10 seconds as in Experimental Example 1, and then the package was cut and removed from the container, and the first substrate and the second substrate were separated, and the dimensions of each substrate were measured to determine the shrinkage ratio. As a result, the shrinkage ratio of the first substrate was 6% at the portion with a maximum circumference of 216 mm, and 25% at the portion with a minimum circumference of 172 mm. On the other hand, the shrinkage ratio of the second substrate was 0.5%, as in Example 1.

(iii) Comparative Example A sample of a container with a package according to the comparative example was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the package was wrapped around a bottle having a maximum circumference of 207 mm and a minimum circumference of 163 mm and having an uneven side surface. One of the samples of the container with a package was immersed in hot water at 100° C. for 10 seconds as in Experimental Example 1, and then the package was cut and removed from the container, and the first substrate and the second substrate were separated, and the dimensions of each substrate were measured to determine the shrinkage ratio. As a result, the shrinkage ratio of the first substrate was 10% at the portion with a maximum circumference of 207 mm, and 29% at the portion with a minimum circumference of 163 mm. On the other hand, the shrinkage ratio of the second substrate was 0.5%, as in Example 1.

(b) Experimental content and results Among the samples of the containers with packaging from the above examples and comparative examples, those that were not immersed in 100°C hot water were passed through a steam-type heat shrinking device at 85-95°C to make the label fit the shape of the container, and a container with packaging after heat shrinking was obtained. For these samples, (1) appearance check and (2) non-contact communication check were performed. The following symbols were entered for each check result.
(1) Appearance check: Good: Appearance was good.
△: Appearance was slightly poor, but still at a level suitable for shipment as a product.
×: Wrinkles and cracks were significantly observed, and the appearance was poor.
(2) Non-contact communication confirmed: Communication was successful.
△: The communication sensitivity was decreased, but it was still at a level that allowed the product to be shipped.
×: Communication is not possible or communication sensitivity has significantly decreased.

The above test results are shown in Table 1. Examples 1 and 2, in which the difference in shrinkage rate at the maximum circumference of the first and second substrates after immersion in 100°C boiling water for 10 seconds was 0.5% or 5.5%, had no problems with appearance or non-contact communication performance. On the other hand, it was found that the comparative example, in which the difference in shrinkage rate at the maximum circumference of the first and second substrates after immersion in 100°C boiling water for 10 seconds was 9.5%, had problems at least with appearance.

Reference Signs List 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f Package 2, 2a, 2b, 2c First portion 3, 3a, 3c, 3d Second portion 4, 4a First substrate 4b Third substrate 5, 5a Container 6 IC chip 9 Antenna laminate 10, 11 Container with package 20, 20a, 25 Antenna 21, 23 First partial antenna 21a, 23a Connection end 21b Straight portion 21c, 23c Open end 22, 24 Second partial antenna 22a, 24a Connection end 22b Straight portion 22c, 24c Open end 23d, 24d Meander portion 25b Straight portion 25c, 25d Open end 30, 30a Wiring portion 31 Second substrate 32 First branch portion 32a Connection end 32b Straight portion 32c Open end 33 Second branch portion 33a Connection end 33b Straight portion 33c Open end 34 Loop portion 34a First branch portion of loop portion 34b Second branch portion of loop portion 34c, 34d Connection end 34e Straight portion 35 Gap 38 Adhesive layer 39 Straight portions 39c, 39d Open ends 51, 51a Bottle 52 Cap 53 Interior 54 Uneven portion 55 Inner surface 56 Outer surface 57, 58 Recess 61 Conductive adhesive 61a Binder 61b Conductive particles 62 First connection pad 63 Second connection pad 200 Transfer foil film 200A Transfer foil film waste 201 Support substrate 202 Metal foil layer 302 Hot stamp jig 303 Notch 304 Heater

Claims (11)

A package for covering at least a portion of an article,
A first substrate;
an antenna formed on at least one surface side of the first base material;
A second substrate;
A wiring portion formed on at least one surface side of the second base material;
an IC chip electrically connected to the wiring portion,
the second substrate is laminated to the first substrate;
An adhesive layer is provided to fix the first substrate and the second substrate,
The adhesive layer, the IC chip, the wiring portion, and the second base material are formed in this order from the side closest to the first base material,
the antenna, the wiring section, and the IC chip constitute a communication circuit capable of contactless communication with an external device;
The packaging body, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate comprise the same material. The package of claim 1, wherein the same material is PET. The packaging body according to claim 1, wherein the same material is paper. Further comprising a third substrate;
The packaging body according to claim 1 , wherein the third base material is laminated opposite the first base material so as to sandwich the antenna therebetween. The packaging body according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the antenna and a portion of the wiring portion overlap when viewed in a planar view from a stacking direction of the first base material and the second base material. A packaged article, comprising the package according to claim 1 fixed to the article. An article with a package, the article having a package fixed to the article,
The packaging body is
A first substrate;
an antenna formed on at least one surface side of the first base material;
A second substrate;
A wiring portion formed on at least one surface side of the second base material;
an IC chip electrically connected to the wiring portion,
the second substrate is laminated to the first substrate;
the packaging body is fixed to the article such that the first base material is located outside the antenna, the second base material, the wiring portion, and the IC chip;
the antenna, the wiring section, and the IC chip constitute a communication circuit capable of contactless communication with an external device;
the first substrate and the second substrate each include the same material;
the article having an inwardly facing recess;
The package is an article with a package, in which the convex portions of the second base material, the wiring portion, and the IC chip are housed in the concave portion of the article. A method for manufacturing an article with a package, in which at least a portion of the article is covered with a package, comprising the steps of: preparing a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate having a difference in shrinkage rate of 5% or less after the article, with the package in contact with or close to the outer circumferential surface thereof, is immersed in hot water at 100°C for 10 seconds;
forming an antenna on at least one surface side of the first base material;
forming a wiring portion on at least one surface side of the second base material;
electrically connecting an IC chip to the wiring portion;
laminating the first base material and the second base material to form a package that enables a communication circuit constituted by the antenna, the wiring portion, and the IC chip to communicate with an external device in a non-contact manner;
and a step of contacting or bringing the packaging body close to the article, heating the packaging body to cause thermal shrinkage, and fixing the packaging body to the article. 9. The method for manufacturing an article with a package according to claim 8, wherein when a stretch direction of the first substrate is a first stretch direction and a stretch direction of the second substrate is a second stretch direction, the first substrate and the second substrate are laminated so that the second stretch direction is aligned with the first stretch direction . A step performed before the step of forming the package,
preparing a third substrate, the third substrate having a difference in shrinkage rate of 5% or less between the first substrate and the second substrate after the article, with the packaging body in contact with or in close proximity to the outer circumferential surface thereof, is immersed in hot water at 100°C for 10 seconds;
10. The method for manufacturing an article with a package according to claim 8 or 9 , further comprising: a step of laminating the third base material opposite the first base material so as to sandwich the antenna therebetween. 11. The method for manufacturing an article with a packaging body according to claim 8, wherein the article has a recess facing inward, and the packaging body is fixed to the article such that convex portions of the second substrate, the wiring portion, and the IC chip are housed in the recess of the article .