JP6876263B2 - Printing method using vending machine and vending machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vending machine for containers and a printing method using such a vending machine.

Recently, plastic bottles have become common as bottles for containing the contents of foods and drinks, and such containers contain the contents. Containers containing such content liquids (containers containing contents) are sold at retail stores and the like, and may also be sold by vending machines.

By the way, in a conventional vending machine, it is common to wrap a pre-printed shrink film around a container body and put the container in this state into the vending machine for sale. For this reason, in the conventional vending machine, it is difficult to change the print content for each vending machine or the print content for each container to be sold.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-160177

Further, conventionally, a vending machine that prints on a paper cup is known (see Patent Document 1), but a vending machine that prints on a container containing contents is not known.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine and a printing method using a vending machine, which can print on a container containing contents. And.

According to the present invention, in a vending machine, a housing, a storage unit provided in the housing and accommodating a content container, and a content container provided in the housing and sent from the storage unit are provided. It is a vending machine provided with a printing unit for printing on a container and a take-out unit provided in the housing for taking out a container containing contents printed by the printing unit.

The present invention is a vending machine characterized in that the container containing contents includes a container body made of a plastic material and a plastic member provided in close contact with the outside of the container body.

The present invention is a vending machine characterized in that a pretreatment unit is provided in the housing for performing preprocessing for printing on the container containing the contents sent from the storage unit.

The present invention is a vending machine characterized in that the printing unit prints on the content container by an inkjet method.

In the present invention, the content container housed in the storage unit is pre-printed, and the printing unit further prints the printed content container. It is a characteristic vending machine.

In the present invention, the housing is provided with a receiving unit for receiving information from an external terminal, and the printing unit is placed in the content container based on the information transmitted from the external terminal to the receiving unit. On the other hand, it is a vending machine characterized by printing.

In the present invention, an image pickup device or an input device is provided in the housing, and the printing unit prints on the content container based on the information captured by the image pickup device or the input device. It is a vending machine characterized by.

In the present invention, the housing has a data receiving device provided inside, the data receiving device wirelessly receives data or an image from the outside, and the printing unit is based on the information received from the outside. This is a vending machine characterized in that printing is performed on the container containing the contents.

In the present invention, the vending machine cooperates with application software for smartphones and / or computers, and a computer that interacts / communicates with application software for smartphones and / or computers in the housing. The computer is a vending machine that approves data transmitted for payment, image generation, and / or image data to be printed.

In the printing method using the vending machine, the present invention includes a step of accommodating a content-containing container in the storage unit, a step of sending the content-containing container from the storage unit to the printing unit, and the printing unit. A step of printing on the content container, a step of sending the printed content container from the printing unit to the ejecting unit, and a process of sending the printed content container from the printing unit to the printing unit. It is a printing method characterized by including a step of taking out a container.

According to the present invention, since printing can be performed on the content container inside the vending machine, the printed content can be changed for each vending machine, or the printed content can be printed for each content container to be sold. You can change it.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the appearance of a vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the inside of the vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a container containing contents. FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing a container containing contents (FIG. IV-IV sectional view of FIG. 3). 5 (a) to 5 (h) are schematic views showing a method of manufacturing a container containing contents. FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the appearance of the vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing the appearance of the vending machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

First Embodiment Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

Configuration of Vending Machine First, the outline of the vending machine according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The vending machines shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are contents-filled containers 10B (hereinafter, simply, contents-filling containers 10B), which are products filled with contents such as beverages and sealed when payment is made. ) Is sold. The vending machine 100 includes a housing 101, a storage unit 102 provided in the housing 101, a pretreatment unit 103, a printing unit 104, and an extraction unit 105, respectively.

Of these, the housing 101 has a cabinet 111 and an outer door 112 that can be opened and closed with respect to the cabinet 111. The outer door 112 is supported on one side edge of the cabinet 111 so that the front opening of the cabinet 111 can be opened and closed. A money processing unit 106, a free sample display unit 108, a push button 109, and a product outlet 110 are provided on the surface side of the outer door 112.

The product sample display unit 108 includes a transparent window arranged above the outer door 112, and a plurality of product samples 113 are arranged inside the product sample display unit 108 so as to be visible to the outside. The product samples 113 arranged in the product sample display unit 108 correspond to the content container 10B housed in the storage unit 102, respectively, and are provided in the number corresponding to the type of the content container 10B. .. As the product sample display unit 108, a touch panel display capable of displaying images of a plurality of product samples 113 may be used.

The push button 109 functions as a product selection means for the user to select the content container 10B. The push button 109 outputs a selection signal to the control unit 107, which will be described later, each time the push button 109 is pressed, and is individually provided for each product sample 113 visually recognized through the product sample display unit 108.

The money processing unit 106 inserts money such as banknotes or coins by the user, and selects whether or not the inserted money is legitimate. The money processing unit 106 is a display device that displays information such as a bill insertion slot into which bills are inserted, a coin insertion slot into which coins are inserted, a deposit amount of coins inserted, and / or a user returns coins. You may have a return lever or the like to operate when you wish. The currency processing unit 106 takes in the currency selected as regular currency inside, but cannot sort it as regular currency due to damage, forgery, etc., and when the return lever is operated after the insertion operation. Return each currency. Further, when the money is taken into the inside as a legitimate money, the money processing unit 106 outputs the payment information related to the deposit amount to the control unit 107, which will be described later. The money processing unit 106 may have a recognition device that recognizes a prepaid IC card.

A plurality of contents container 10Bs are accommodated in the accommodating portion 102. The accommodating unit 102 individually stores a plurality of types of content container 10B along the vertical direction, and when a sales command is given from the control unit 107 described later, the corresponding content container 10B is stored. It is paid out one by one. In this case, the content container 10B is stored in the storage unit 102 in the horizontal direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the content container 10B may be stored in the vertical direction. The accommodating unit 102 may be provided with a cooling device or a heating device (not shown) for maintaining the content container 10B stored in the accommodating unit 102 at a desired temperature.

The pretreatment unit 103 performs preprocessing for printing on the content container 10B sent from the storage unit 102. Specifically, the pretreatment unit 103 has, for example, an irradiation device 114 that irradiates an unprinted content container 10B with an electron beam (EB). In the pretreatment unit 103, an electron beam is irradiated from the irradiation device 114 to the content container 10B. As a result, the pretreatment (surface treatment) for printing is performed on the content container 10B. By irradiating the content container 10B with an electron beam in this way, the surface of the content container 10B is modified, the wettability of the surface of the content container 10B is enhanced, and the ink is applied to the printing unit 104. It can be easily adhered. In addition, the pretreatment unit 103 may perform surface treatment such as primer treatment, corona treatment, frame treatment, or plasma treatment. If the surface of the content container 10B is in a state where ink can be easily adhered from the beginning, it is not necessary to provide such a pretreatment section 103.

The printing unit 104 prints on the surfaces of the content container 10B sent from the accommodating unit 102 and the pretreatment unit 103 by, for example, an inkjet method. The printing unit 104 has a tubular head 115 on which the content container 10B is mounted and rotates (rotates) the content container 10B, and a content container 10B mounted in the head 115 of each color. It has an ink spraying unit 116 for spraying ink, and an ink curing unit 117 for curing the ink adhering to the content container 10B. In this case, the content container 10B mounted on the head 115 is sprayed with ink of each color on the ink spraying portion 116 while rotating on its axis. After that, the content container 10B descends in the head 115, and the ink is, for example, UV-cured or EB-cured at the ink curing unit 117. As a result, printing is performed on the outside of the content container 10B, and a printing area 43 is formed.

The take-out unit 105 is for taking out the contents container 10B printed by the printing unit 104. The above-mentioned product outlet 110 is provided on the front surface of the outlet 105. The user can take out the printed contents container 10B paid out to the take-out unit 105 from the product take-out port 110.

Further, in the housing 101, a control unit 107 that comprehensively controls the operation of the vending machine 100 based on a program or data stored in advance is provided. The control unit 107 controls the entire vending machine 100, including the storage unit 102, the preprocessing unit 103, the printing unit 104, and the money processing unit 106. The control unit 107 makes it possible to press the push button 109 when the total deposit amount of money inserted in the money processing unit 106 is equal to or higher than the product selling price. Next, when the push button 109 is pressed by the user, the control unit 107 sequentially conveys the corresponding content container 10B from the accommodating unit 102 to the preprocessing unit 103 and the printing unit 104, and the preprocessing unit 103 and The printing unit 104 causes the printing unit 104 to perform the processing in sequence. After that, the control unit 107 pays out the printed contents container 10B toward the take-out unit 105.

Action of the present embodiment Next, the action of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

First, with the outer door 112 of the vending machine 100 open, a plurality of contents container 10Bs are accommodated in the accommodating portion 102, and then the outer door 112 is closed.

In this case, the content container 10B housed in the storage unit 102 may have a plain surface without printing. Alternatively, the content container 10B may be printed in a part of the container in advance and the other part of the container 10B may be plain. In this case, the content container 10B may be printed in advance before being stored in the storage unit 102, and the printed content container 10B may be further printed in the printing unit 104. good. Specifically, common information such as the product name, the name of the content liquid, the manufacturer, and the name of the raw material is printed in advance on the surface of the content container 10B, and the printing unit 104 further individually prints the plain area. Information may be printed. Alternatively, before being stored in the storage unit 102, a part or all of the area of the content container 10B is printed in advance, and the printing unit 104 is printed over the pre-printed portion. You may.

Next, the user inserts money such as banknotes or coins into the money processing unit 106 while referring to the product sample 113 displayed in the product sample display unit 108, and the user wishes to purchase the product (content container 10B). Press the push button 109 corresponding to. At this time, if the inserted money is legitimate, the money processing unit 106 takes in the money inside and outputs the deposit information related to the deposit amount to the control unit 107.

Next, the control unit 107 transmits a sales command to the storage unit 102, and the storage unit 102 pays out the corresponding content container 10B.

At this time, the content container 10B is sent from the accommodating unit 102 to the pretreatment unit 103, and is erected so that the cap 18 faces upward. In the pretreatment unit 103, for example, the irradiation device 114 irradiates the content container 10B with an electron beam (EB), whereby the content container 10B is subjected to pretreatment (surface treatment) for printing. Will be done.

Next, the pretreated content container 10B is sent from the pretreatment section 103 to the printing section 104. Further, the control unit 107 transmits a print command to the print unit 104, and also transmits print information (information about the content to be printed and the like) to the print unit 104.

In the printing unit 104, the content container 10B is attached to the head 115, and the ink of each color is sprayed by the ink spraying unit 116. After that, the content container 10B descends in the head 115, and the ink is, for example, UV-cured or EB-cured at the ink curing unit 117. As a result, printing is performed on the outside of the content container 10B, and a printing area 43 is formed. Examples of the ink used for printing include UV curable ink and EB curable ink.

Items printed on the content container 10B by the printing unit 104 include a design, a product name, a content liquid name, a manufacturer, a raw material name, etc., as well as each vending machine 100 or the content container 10B to be sold. The print content may be set individually for each. For example, the printed content may be related to the date and time when the content container 10B was sold, the place where the vending machine 100 is installed (place name, facility name, etc.), and the like.

Subsequently, the printed contents container 10B is sent from the printing unit 104 to the taking-out unit 105. Then, the user takes out the printed contents container 10B by opening the product outlet 110 provided in front of the take-out unit 105.

Configuration of Contents Container Next, an example of the contents container 10B sold by the vending machine 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the following, "upper" and "lower" mean upper and lower parts of the content container 10B in an upright state (FIG. 3), respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the content container 10B includes the composite container 10A, the content L which is a liquid such as a beverage filled in the composite container 10A, and the cap 18 attached to the composite container 10A. There is.

Of these, the composite container 10A is biaxially stretched and blow-molded with respect to the composite preform 70 (see FIG. 5B) including the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a using a blow molding die 50, as will be described later. This is obtained by integrally expanding the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a.

Such a composite container 10A includes a container body 10 made of a plastic material located inside and a plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10.

Of these, the container body 10 includes a mouth portion 11, a neck portion 13 provided below the mouth portion 11, a shoulder portion 12 provided below the neck portion 13, a body portion 20 provided below the shoulder portion 12, and a body. It is provided with a bottom portion 30 provided below the portion 20.

On the other hand, the plastic member 40 is in close contact with the outer surface of the container body 10 in a thinly extended state, and is attached to the container body 10 in a state where it does not easily move or rotate.

Next, the container body 10 will be described in detail. As described above, the container body 10 has a mouth portion 11, a neck portion 13, a shoulder portion 12, a body portion 20, and a bottom portion 30.

Of these, the mouth portion 11 has a screw portion 14 to which the cap 18 is screwed, and a flange portion 17 provided below the screw portion 14. The shape of the mouth portion 11 may be a conventionally known shape.

The neck portion 13 is located between the flange portion 17 and the shoulder portion 12, and has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter. Further, the shoulder portion 12 is located between the neck portion 13 and the body portion 20, and has a shape in which the diameter gradually increases from the neck portion 13 side to the body portion 20 side.

Further, the body portion 20 has a cylindrical shape having a substantially uniform diameter as a whole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the body portion 20 may have a polygonal tubular shape such as a quadrangular tubular shape or an octagonal tubular shape. Alternatively, the body portion 20 may have a tubular shape having a non-uniform horizontal cross section from the upper side to the lower side. Further, in the present embodiment, the body portion 20 is not formed with irregularities and has a substantially flat surface, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the body portion 20 may have irregularities such as panels or grooves.

On the other hand, the bottom portion 30 has a recess 31 located at the center and a ground contact portion 32 provided around the recess 31. The shape of the bottom portion 30 is not particularly limited, and may have a conventionally known bottom shape (for example, a petaloid bottom shape, a round bottom shape, or the like).

The thickness of the container body 10 in the body portion 20 is not limited to this, but can be reduced to, for example, about 50 μm to 250 μm. Further, the weight of the container body 10 is not limited to this, but can be 10 g to 20 g. By reducing the wall thickness of the container body 10 in this way, the weight of the container body 10 can be reduced.

Such a container body 10 can be manufactured by biaxially stretching blow molding a preform 10a (described later) manufactured by injection molding a synthetic resin material. As the material of the preform 10a, that is, the container body 10, a thermoplastic resin, particularly PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), and PC (polycarbonate) can be used. preferable. The container body 10 may be colored in colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black, and white, but is preferably colorless and transparent in consideration of ease of recycling. Further, the above-mentioned various resins may be blended and used. Further, a thin-film film such as a diamond-like carbon film or a silicon oxide thin film may be formed on the inner surface of the container body 10 in order to enhance the barrier property of the container.

Further, the container body 10 can be formed as a multi-layer molded bottle having two or more layers. That is, by extrusion molding or injection molding, for example, the intermediate layer is provided with gas barrier properties and light-shielding properties such as MXD6, MXD6 + fatty acid salt, PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate). As the resin (intermediate layer) to have, a preform 10a composed of three or more layers may be extruded and then blow-molded to form a multi-layer bottle having gas barrier properties and light-shielding properties. As the intermediate layer, a resin blended with the above-mentioned various resins may be used.

Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foam preform having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is formed, and this foam preform is blow molded. By doing so, the container body 10 may be manufactured. Since such a container body 10 has a foam cell built-in, it is possible to improve the light-shielding property of the entire container body 10.

Such a container body 10 may consist of, for example, a bottle having a full filling capacity of 100 ml to 2000 ml. Alternatively, the container body 10 may be a large bottle having a full filling capacity of, for example, 10 L to 60 L.

Next, the plastic member 40 will be described. The plastic member 40 (40a) is provided so as to surround the outside of the preform 10a as described later, and is obtained by being brought into close contact with the outside of the preform 10a and then biaxially stretched and blow-molded together with the preform 10a. It is a thing.

The plastic member 40 is attached to the outer surface of the container body 10 without being adhered, and is in close contact with the container body 10 so as not to move or rotate. The plastic member 40 is thinly stretched on the outer surface of the container body 10 to cover the container body 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the plastic member 40 is provided over the entire circumferential direction so as to surround the container body 10, and has a substantially circular horizontal cross section.

In this case, the plastic member 40 is provided so as to cover the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10, excluding the mouth portion 11 and the neck portion 13. As a result, desired functions and characteristics can be imparted to the shoulder portion 12, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10.

The plastic member 40 may be provided in the entire area or a part of the container body 10 other than the mouth portion 11. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided so as to cover the entire neck portion 13, shoulder portion 12, body portion 20, and bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 except for the mouth portion 11. Further, the number of the plastic member 40 is not limited to one, and a plurality of plastic members 40 may be provided. For example, two plastic members 40 may be provided on the outer surface of the shoulder portion 12 and the outer surface of the bottom portion 30, respectively.

The material of the plastic member 40 is, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polystyrene, AS resin, ABS tree, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate. , Polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl butyral, diallyl phthalate resin, fluororesin, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylic acid, methyl polyacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylamide, polybutadiene, polybutene-1, polyisoprene, polychloroprene , Ethylenepropylene rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluororubber, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon MXD6, aromatic polyamide, polycarbonate, ethylene polyterephthalate, butylene polyterephthalate, ethylene polynaphthalate , U polymer, liquid crystal polymer, modified polyphenylene ether, polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, unsaturated polyester, alkyd resin, polyimide, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethersulfone, silicone resin, polyurethane, phenol resin, urea resin, poly Examples thereof include ethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyacetal, and epoxy resin. Of these, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic inelastic resin such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Further, they may be a blended material, a multi-layer structure, or a partial multi-layer structure. Further, various additives other than the main component resin may be added to the material of the plastic member 40 as long as its characteristics are not impaired. Additives include, for example, plasticizers, UV stabilizers, color inhibitors, matting agents, deodorants, flame retardants, weathering agents, antistatic agents, thread friction reducing agents, slipping agents, mold release agents, anti-oxidants. Excipients, ion exchangers, coloring pigments and the like can be added. Further, by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, a foam member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm is used, and this foam preform is molded. , The light blocking effect can be enhanced.

Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material having a gas barrier property such as an oxygen barrier property or a water vapor barrier property. In this case, it is possible to enhance the gas barrier property of the composite container 10A and prevent the content liquid from being deteriorated by oxygen or water vapor without using a container body 10 having a multi-layered structure or a container containing a blended material. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided over the entire area of the shoulder portion 12, the neck portion 13, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container main body 10 to enhance the gas barrier property of this portion. Such materials include PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), MXD-6 (nylon), PGA (polyglycolic acid), EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer), or oxygen such as fatty acid salts in these materials. It is also possible to mix an absorbent material.

Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material having a light barrier property such as ultraviolet rays. In this case, it is possible to enhance the light barrier property of the composite container 10A and prevent the content liquid from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays or the like without using a container body 10 having a multi-layered structure or a container containing a blended material. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided over the entire area of the shoulder portion 12, the neck portion 13, the body portion 20, and the bottom portion 30 of the container main body 10 to enhance the ultraviolet barrier property of this portion. As such a material, a blended material or a material obtained by adding a light-shielding resin to PET, PE, or PP can be considered. Further, a foaming member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, may be used.

Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material (material having low thermal conductivity) having higher heat retention or cold retention than the plastic material constituting the container body 10 (preform 10a). In this case, it is possible to make it difficult for the temperature of the content liquid to be transmitted to the surface of the composite container 10A without increasing the thickness of the container body 10 itself. As a result, the heat retention or cold retention of the composite container 10A is enhanced. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided on all or part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to improve the heat retention or cold retention of the body 20. Further, when the user grips the composite container 10A, it is prevented that the composite container 10A becomes difficult to hold due to being too hot or too cold. As such a material, foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), phenol resin, polyvinyl chloride, urea resin, silicone, polyimide, melamine resin and the like can be considered. Further, a foaming member having a foam cell diameter of 0.5 to 100 μm, which is produced by mixing an inert gas (nitrogen gas, argon gas) with the melt of the thermoplastic resin, may be used.

Further, the plastic member 40 may be made of a material that is less slippery than the plastic material constituting the container body 10 (preform 10a). In this case, the user can easily grip the composite container 10A without changing the material of the container body 10. For example, the plastic member 40 may be provided on all or part of the body 20 of the container body 10 to make the body 20 easier to hold.

On the other hand, since the plastic member 40 is not welded or adhered to the container body 10, it can be peeled off from the container body 10 and removed. Specifically, for example, the plastic member 40 may be cut off using a knife or the like, or the plastic member 40 may be provided with a cutting line (not shown in advance) and the plastic member 40 may be peeled off along the cutting line. it can. As a result, the printed plastic member 40 can be separated and removed from the container body 10, so that the colorless and transparent container body 10 can be recycled as in the conventional case.

Such a plastic member 40 may not have a contracting action on the preform 10a, or may have a shrinking action.

When the plastic member 40 has an action of contracting with respect to the preform 10a, the plastic member (outer contraction member) 40 is provided on the outside of the preform 10a and is heated integrally with the preform 10a. It was obtained by biaxial stretching blow molding.

By the way, in the present embodiment, a printed printing area 43 is provided on the outside of the plastic member 40. The print area 43 is formed by being designed or printed by a printing method such as an inkjet method or a gravure printing method. As will be described later, this printing is performed by the printing unit 104 of the vending machine 100 on the plastic member 40 stretched by biaxial stretching blow molding.

In this case, it is possible to display an image or characters on the composite container 10A without separately attaching a label or the like to the container body 10 after blow molding. For example, a plastic member 40 may be provided on all or a part of the body 20 of the container body 10, and an image or characters may be displayed on the body 20. The print area 43 may be provided in the entire area of the plastic member 40, or may be provided in a part thereof. The items displayed in the print area 43 may be character information such as the name of the content liquid, the manufacturer, the name of the raw material, and the like, in addition to the design and the product name.

The thickness of the plastic member 40 is not limited to this, but can be, for example, about 5 μm to 500 μm when attached to the container body 10.

Method for manufacturing content container Next, a method for manufacturing the composite container 10A (blow molding method) and a method for manufacturing the content container 10B will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (h).

First, a preform 10a made of a plastic material is prepared (see FIG. 5A). In this case, the preform 10a may be produced by an injection molding method using, for example, an injection molding machine (not shown). Further, as the preform 10a, a preform generally used in the past may be used.

The preform 10a includes a mouth portion 11a, a body portion 20a connected to the mouth portion 11a, and a bottom portion 30a connected to the body portion 20a. Of these, the mouth portion 11a corresponds to the mouth portion 11 of the container body 10 described above, and has substantially the same shape as the mouth portion 11. Further, the body portion 20a corresponds to the neck portion 13, the shoulder portion 12 and the body portion 20 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The bottom portion 30a corresponds to the bottom portion 30 of the container body 10 described above, and has a substantially hemispherical shape.

Next, by providing the plastic member 40a on the outside of the preform 10a, a composite preform 70 having the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in close contact with the outside of the preform 10a is produced (FIG. 5 (FIG. 5). b) See). In this case, the plastic member 40a has a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole, and has a cylindrical body portion 41 and a bottom portion 42 connected to the body portion 41.

At this time, the plastic member 40a having the same or slightly smaller inner diameter as the outer diameter of the preform 10a may be pushed into the preform 10a so as to be brought into close contact with the outer surface of the preform 10a.

Alternatively, a heat-shrinkable plastic member (outer shrinkable member) 40a is provided on the outer surface of the preform 10a, and the plastic member 40a is heat-shrinked by heating to 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. to shrink the outer surface of the preform 10a. It may be in close contact with.

In this way, a series of steps for producing the composite preform 70 by bringing the plastic member 40a into close contact with the outside of the preform 10a in advance to prepare the composite preform 70 (FIGS. 5A to 5B). )) And a series of steps (FIGS. 5 (c) to (f)) for producing the composite container 10A by blow molding can be carried out at different places (factory or the like).

Next, the composite preform 70 is heated by the heating device 51 (see FIG. 5C). At this time, the composite preform 70 is uniformly heated in the circumferential direction by the heating device 51 while rotating with the mouth portion 11a facing downward. The heating temperature of the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a in this heating step may be, for example, 90 ° C to 130 ° C.

Subsequently, the composite preform 70 heated by the heating device 51 is sent to the blow molding die 50 (see FIG. 5D).

The composite container 10A is molded using the blow molding die 50. In this case, the blow molding die 50 includes a pair of body molds 50a and 50b that are separated from each other and a bottom mold 50c (see FIG. 5D). In FIG. 5D, the pair of body molds 50a and 50b are open to each other, and the bottom mold 50c is raised upward. In this state, the composite preform 70 is inserted between the pair of body molds 50a and 50b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (e), after the bottom mold 50c is lowered, the pair of body molds 50a and 50b are closed, and the pair of body molds 50a and 50b and the bottom mold 50c are sealed. The blow-molded mold 50 is constructed. Next, air is press-fitted into the preform 10a, and biaxial stretch blow molding is performed on the composite preform 70.

As a result, the container body 10 can be obtained from the preform 10a in the blow molding die 50. During this time, the body molds 50a and 50b are heated to 30 ° C. to 80 ° C., and the bottom mold 50c is cooled to 5 ° C. to 25 ° C. At this time, in the blow molding die 50, the preform 10a of the composite preform 70 and the plastic member 40a are integrally expanded. As a result, the preform 10a and the plastic member 40a are integrally shaped into a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the blow molding die 50.

In this way, the composite container 10A including the container body 10 and the plastic member 40 provided on the outer surface of the container body 10 is obtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), the pair of body molds 50a and 50b and the bottom mold 50c are separated from each other, and the composite container 10A is taken out from the blow molding mold 50.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5 (g), the content L is filled into the container body 10 from the mouth portion 11 of the composite container 10A.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (h), by attaching the cap 18 to the mouth portion 11 of the composite container 10A, the composite container 10A, the contents L, and the content container 10B including the cap 18 are obtained. Be done.

The content container 10B is not limited to the one containing the above-mentioned composite container 10A, and for example, a container not provided with the plastic member 40 may be used. For example, the content container 10B may include the container body 10 which is not covered with the plastic member 40. In this case, the printing unit 104 may directly print on the surface of the container body 10. good. Alternatively, the content-containing container 10B may include a shrink film, a stretch label, a roll label, or a roll-on shrink label wrapped around the container body 10. In this case, the printing unit 104 may include a shrink film, a roll-on shrink label, or a roll-on shrink label. Direct printing may be applied to stretch labels, roll labels, or roll-on shrink labels.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printing unit 104 provided in the housing 101 of the vending machine 100 prints on the outer surface of the content container 10B. As a result, printing can be performed on the content container 10B inside the vending machine 100, so that the print content can be changed for each vending machine 100 or the print content for each content container 10B to be sold. Can be changed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the content container 10B has a container body 10 made of a plastic material and a plastic member 40 provided in close contact with the outside of the container body 10 for printing. Printing by the portion 104 is performed on the plastic member 40. In this case, since the printed plastic member 40 can be separated and removed from the container body 10, the colorless and transparent container body 10 can be recycled as in the conventional case.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the pretreatment unit 103 that performs the preprocessing for printing on the content container 10B is provided in the housing 101 of the vending machine 100, the printing unit 104 It is possible to easily apply ink to the surface of the content container 10B.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is different in that the housing 101 is provided with a receiving unit 118 for receiving information from the external terminal 120, and the other configurations are the above-described first embodiment. It is almost the same as the form. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 6, a receiving unit (data receiving device) 118 for receiving information from the external terminal 120 is provided inside the outer door 112 or the housing 101 of the housing 101. Further, the printing unit 104 prints on the content container 10B based on the information transmitted from the external terminal 120 to the receiving unit 118.

In this case, the external terminal 120 may be, for example, a portable mobile terminal such as a computer, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet. Further, the receiving unit 118 has a function of wirelessly receiving information from the external terminal 120 and transmitting this information to the control unit 107. The information transmitted from the external terminal 120 to the receiving unit 118 includes, for example, image information such as photo data and screenshots stored in the external terminal 120, or a name, telephone number, e-mail address, address, message, and the like. Text information can be mentioned.

In the present embodiment, the user first inserts money such as banknotes or coins into the money processing unit 106 and presses the push button 109. Further, the user operates the external terminal 120 before or after pressing the push button 109 to transmit predetermined information (for example, photographic data) to the receiving unit 118. At this time, the receiving unit 118 transfers the information transmitted from the external terminal 120 to the control unit 107.

Next, the control unit 107 transmits a sales command to the storage unit 102, and the storage unit 102 pays out the corresponding content container 10B. Subsequently, the content container 10B is sent from the accommodating unit 102 to the pretreatment unit 103, and the pretreatment unit 103 performs pretreatment (surface treatment) for printing.

Next, the pretreated content container 10B is sent from the pretreatment section 103 to the printing section 104. At this time, the control unit 107 transmits a print command to the print unit 104 and also transmits information transmitted from the external terminal 120 to the print unit 104. Along with this, the printing unit 104 prints on the outside of the content container 10B based on the information (for example, photographic data) transmitted from the external terminal 120, thereby forming the printing area 43.

Subsequently, the printed contents container 10B is sent from the printing unit 104 to the taking-out unit 105. Then, the user takes out the contents container 10B by opening the product outlet 110 provided in front of the take-out unit 105.

According to the present embodiment, the printing unit 104 prints on the content container 10B based on the information transmitted from the external terminal 120 to the receiving unit 118, and therefore, in response to a request from the user, a photograph is taken. Image information such as data and screenshots, or text information such as names, telephone numbers, email addresses, addresses, and messages can be freely added to the outer surface of the content container 10B. Further, the vending machine 100 may cooperate with application software for smartphones and / or computers. In this case, a computer that interacts / communicates with application software for smartphones and / or computers is provided in the housing 101, and the computer is printed with data transmitted for payment and image generation, and / or printed. You may approve the image data.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is different in that the image pickup device 121 and the input device 122 are provided in the housing 101, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment described above. is there. In FIG. 7, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 7, the image pickup device 121 and the input device 122 are provided on the outer door 112 of the housing 101. Further, the printing unit 104 prints on the content container 10B based on the information captured by the image pickup device 121 and the input device 122.

In this case, the image pickup apparatus 121 is composed of, for example, a camera or the like, and has a function of acquiring and capturing an image of the outside of the housing 101 such as a user's face. Further, the input device 122 has a function of capturing information input by a user's operation, such as a keyboard, a touch panel, and a scanning device. In FIG. 7, the outer door 112 is provided with both the image pickup device 121 and the input device 122, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer door 112 may be provided with either one of the image pickup device 121 and the input device 122. good.

In the present embodiment, the user first inserts money such as banknotes or coins into the money processing unit 106 and presses the push button 109. Further, the user captures an image of the user's face or the like by using the image pickup device 121 before or after pressing the push button 109. The captured image information is sent to the control unit 107. Further, by operating the input device 122, the user also transmits predetermined information (for example, characters and images) to the control unit 107.

Next, the control unit 107 transmits a sales command to the storage unit 102, and the storage unit 102 pays out the corresponding content container 10B. Subsequently, the content container 10B is sent from the accommodating unit 102 to the pretreatment unit 103, and the pretreatment unit 103 performs pretreatment (surface treatment) for printing.

Next, the pretreated content container 10B is sent from the pretreatment section 103 to the printing section 104. At this time, the control unit 107 transmits a print command to the print unit 104, and also transmits the image information obtained by the image pickup device 121 and the information input by the input device 122 to the print unit 104. Along with this, the printing unit 104 prints on the outside of the content container 10B based on the image information obtained by the imaging device 121 and the information input by the input device 122, whereby the printing area 43 is formed. To.

Subsequently, the printed contents container 10B is sent from the printing unit 104 to the taking-out unit 105. Then, the user takes out the contents container 10B by opening the product outlet 110 provided in front of the take-out unit 105.

According to the present embodiment, the printing unit 104 prints on the content container 10B based on the image information obtained by the image pickup device 121 and the information input by the input device 122, so that the user can print. If requested, information such as a user's face photograph, image, and characters can be freely added to the outer surface of the content container 10B.

10 Container body 10A Composite container 10B Contents container 10a Preform 40 Plastic member 43 Printing area 70 Composite preform 100 Vending machine 101 Housing 102 Storage unit 103 Preprocessing unit 104 Printing unit 105 Extraction unit 106 Money processing unit 107 Control unit

Claims (9)

At the vending machine
With the housing
An accommodating portion provided in the housing and accommodating a container for contents,
A printing unit provided in the housing and printing on the content container sent from the housing unit, and a printing unit.
It is provided with a take-out part provided in the housing and from which a container for contents printed by the printing part is taken out.
The printing unit is an ink that sprays ink of each color on a tubular head on which the content container is mounted and rotates the content container, and an ink that sprays ink of each color on the content container mounted in the head. It has a spraying portion and an ink curing portion that UV-cures or EB- cures the ink adhering to the content container.
In the printing unit, the content-containing container is mounted on the head, and ink of each color is sprayed by the ink spraying unit. After that, the content-containing container is lowered in the head, and the ink is sprayed. In the ink curing portion, the ink is UV-cured or EB-cured, and the ink is cured.
The housing is provided with a receiving unit for receiving information from an external terminal, and the printing unit prints on the content container based on the information transmitted from the external terminal to the receiving unit. A vending machine characterized by applying. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the container containing the contents includes a container body made of a plastic material and a plastic member provided in close contact with the outside of the container body. The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pretreatment unit is provided in the housing for preprocessing printing on the container containing the contents sent from the storage unit. .. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the printing unit prints the contents container by an inkjet method. The content container housed in the storage unit is pre-printed, and the printing unit further prints the printed content container. The vending machine according to any one of items 1 to 4. An image pickup device or an input device is provided in the housing, and the printing unit prints on the content container based on the information captured by the image pickup device or the input device. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The housing has a data receiving device provided inside, the data receiving device wirelessly receives data or an image from the outside, and the printing unit receives the contents based on the information received from the outside. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container is printed. The vending machine works with application software for smartphones and / or computers.
A computer that interacts / communicates with the application software for the smartphone and / or the computer is provided in the housing, and the computer is used to transmit data for payment and image generation, and / or an image to be printed. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the data is approved. In the printing method using the vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the step of accommodating the container containing the contents in the accommodating portion and the process of accommodating the container containing the contents.
The process of sending the container containing the contents from the storage unit to the printing unit, and
A process of printing on the container containing the contents by the printing unit,
The process of sending a container containing contents printed from the printing unit to the taking-out unit, and
A printing method comprising a step of taking out the printed contents container in the take-out section.

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