JP7471642B2 - Paper Case - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper case.

Patent Document 1 describes a conventional paper case (referred to as a paper towel case in Patent Document 1). The paper towel case described in Patent Document 1 comprises a box-shaped container body with a bottom and a lid with an outlet. A stack of paper towels (hereinafter referred to as a "paper towel stack") is stored between the bottom plate of the container body and the lid. The topmost paper of the stack of paper towels is passed from bottom to top through the outlet.

The lid is configured to be movable vertically within the container body and rests on the stack of paper towels. Therefore, the lid can slide downward relative to the container body depending on the amount of paper towels remaining.

Utility Model Registration No. 3221407

Incidentally, when the paper towel case is used on a table and/or on a washstand, the paper towel case described in Patent Document 1 can be used appropriately. However, when attempting to install the paper towel case at a height above the user's eye level, the paper towel case described in Patent Document 1 makes it difficult to see the outlet and is difficult to use. In short, the paper towel case described in Patent Document 1 can only be installed at a position lower than the user's eye level, such as on a table and/or on a washstand, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use depending on the installation location.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a paper case that can be assembled into a form suitable for the installation location using a single paper case.

A paper case according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a peripheral wall portion having a storage portion formed on the inside thereof in which a paper stack is stored, a bottom portion provided on the peripheral wall portion below the storage portion and having an opening penetrating in the vertical direction, and an outlet member removably supported by the bottom portion and having an outlet through which a piece of paper is passed from above to below from the paper stack stored in the storage portion.

The paper case of the above aspect of the present invention has the advantage that a single paper case can be rearranged to suit the installation location.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paper case according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first form in which the paper case is placed on a placement surface. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the paper case. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper case according to the second embodiment, in which the paper case is placed on a placement surface. Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a cross section perpendicular to a long wall of the paper case of the first embodiment, and Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a cross section perpendicular to a long wall of the paper case of the second embodiment.

<Embodiment>

The paper case 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(1) Overall

The paper case 1 according to this embodiment is a case that stores a stack of paper P1 inside and allows the paper P11 to be taken out one by one from the outlet 31. The paper case 1 can be selectively used by rearranging it into a configuration in which the paper P11 is pulled out from the inside in an upward direction (first configuration; see FIG. 1) and a configuration in which the paper P11 is pulled out in a downward direction (second configuration; see FIG. 3). This allows the user to use one paper case 1 in a configuration that is suitable for the installation location.

Here, "paper stack P1" in this specification means a bundle of multiple sheets of paper P11. The paper P11 is a disposable paper sheet material used for wiping hands, etc. Examples of the paper P11 include paper towels, kitchen paper, tissue paper, toilet paper, and wet tissues. In the paper stack P1 according to this embodiment, each sheet of paper P11 is folded in three outwards, and parts of the paper P11 that overlap in the vertical direction are folded over each other. Therefore, when one sheet of paper P11 is pulled out from the paper case 1, a part of the adjacent sheet of paper P11 is pulled out and goes into a standby state popping out from the removal opening 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the paper case 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 2, an outlet member 3 having an outlet 31, and a lid 4.

For ease of explanation, the following description will be given with the housing 2 placed on the placement surface G1. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the two directions parallel to the placement surface G1 and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the removal opening 31 are defined as the "left-right direction", and the two directions parallel to the placement surface G1 and perpendicular to the left-right direction are defined as the "front-rear direction". In addition, the two directions perpendicular to the placement surface G1 are defined as the "up-down direction". Here, the placement surface G1 is described as being a horizontal plane, but the placement surface G1 does not need to be a horizontal plane and may be an inclined plane inclined relative to the horizontal plane. However, the definitions of these directions are not intended to limit the manner in which the paper case 1 can be used.

(2) Housing

The housing 2 is a box with a storage section 20 (Fig. 2) formed therein for storing the paper stack P1, and constitutes the outer shell of the paper case 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an opening on the top surface (this opening surface may be referred to as the "upper opening 22"). In this embodiment, the upper opening 22 is formed over the entire upper surface of the housing 2. The paper stack P1 is stored in the storage section 20 by passing it through the upper opening 22 from above and moving it towards the storage section 20. The housing 2 has a peripheral wall section 21 and a bottom section 23. The peripheral wall section 21 and the bottom section 23 are formed integrally.

The material of the housing 2 is not particularly limited, but examples include synthetic resin, plywood, glass, metal, carbon, fiber-reinforced plastic, cardboard, ceramic, and porcelain.

The peripheral wall portion 21 is a portion that forms the side wall of the housing 2 with the storage section 20 formed inside. The peripheral wall portion 21 defines the storage section 20 by dividing the space. When viewed from above (hereinafter, plan view), the peripheral wall portion 21 is formed so as to surround the paper stack P1, and in this embodiment, is formed in a rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction in the left-right direction. However, in the present invention, the peripheral wall portion 21 is not limited to a rectangular shape in a plan view, and may be, for example, a polygonal shape such as an approximately pentagonal shape or an approximately hexagonal shape in a plan view, a circular shape in a plan view, an oval shape in a plan view, or the like.

The peripheral wall portion 21 is composed of a pair of long walls 211 and a pair of short walls 212. The pair of long walls 211 are parallel to each other, and the pair of short walls 212 are parallel to each other. The long walls 211 are perpendicular to the short walls 212. When the paper stack P1 is stored in the storage portion 20, the inner surfaces of the long walls 211 and the short walls 212 face the end faces of the paper stack P1.

The bottom 23 is a portion that supports the outlet member 3 when the paper case 1 is in the second configuration, as shown in FIG. 3. Also, the bottom 23 can support the paper stack P1 when the paper case 1 is in the first configuration, as shown in FIG. 4A. The bottom 23 is formed in a flat plate shape and is perpendicular to the long wall 211 and the short wall 212. The bottom 23 defines the lower surface of the storage section 20, in other words, it is provided on the peripheral wall section 21 below the storage section 20.

The bottom 23 has an opening (sometimes referred to as the "lower opening 24") that penetrates in the vertical direction. The lower opening 24 is formed over the entire length of the bottom 23 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction), and is formed over the entire length between the opposing short walls 212. The lower opening 24 is formed in the center of the bottom 23 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the width dimension (front-rear dimension) of the lower opening 24 is greater than or equal to the front-rear dimension of the tubular portion 33 of the outlet member 3, in other words, greater than or equal to the front-rear dimension of the outlet 31.

(3) Exit part

The outlet member 3 is a member having an outlet 31 for pulling out a sheet of paper P11. When the paper case 1 is in the first form, as shown in FIG. 4A, the outlet member 3 is placed on the stack of paper P1, and a sheet of paper P11 is passed through the outlet 31 from below to above. On the other hand, when the paper case 1 is in the second form, as shown in FIG. 4B, the stack of paper P1 is placed on the outlet member 3, and a sheet of paper P11 is passed through the outlet 31 from above to below. As shown in FIG. 2, the outlet member 3 has a flat plate portion 32 and a tubular portion 33 having the outlet 31.

The flat plate portion 32 is a portion that holds down the front surface of the paper stack P1. Here, the "front surface of the paper stack P1" refers to the surface of the main surfaces of the paper stack P1 that is formed by the paper P11 that is to be removed next. By holding down the front surface of the paper stack P1, the flat plate portion 32 can make it easier to remove only one paper P11 from the removal opening 31.

The flat plate portion 32 is a flat plate-shaped portion of the outlet member 3. As shown in FIG. 4A, the end face (outer peripheral end face) of the flat plate portion 32 closely faces the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 21. Here, "closely facing" means facing the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 21 with a certain amount of play. "Closely facing" means that the dimension between the end face of the flat plate portion 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 21 is, for example, 5 mm or less. However, in the present invention, it is sufficient that the end face of the flat plate portion 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 21 face each other, and they do not necessarily have to be "closely facing".

Therefore, the end face of the flat plate portion 32 may be in partial contact with the peripheral wall portion 21, and a gap does not necessarily have to exist around the entire circumference. This allows the outlet member 3 to move up and down relative to the peripheral wall portion 21, and the movement is guided by the peripheral wall portion 21.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the paper case 1 is in the first form, the flat plate portion 32 rests on the paper stack P1 with the surface facing the paper stack P1 (hereinafter referred to as the "facing surface") facing downward. Therefore, since the outlet member 3 rests on the paper stack P1, the weight of the outlet member 3 allows the flat plate portion 32 to press down on the front surface of the paper stack P1.

On the other hand, when the paper case 1 is in the second form, as shown in FIG. 4B, the flat plate portion 32 rests on the bottom portion 23 with the opposing surface facing upwards and is removably supported by the bottom portion 23. The paper stack P1 rests on the opposing surface, and the flat plate portion 32 is pressed against the front surface of the paper stack P1 by the weight of the paper stack P1, so that the front surface of the paper stack P1 can be held down.

The cylindrical portion 33 protrudes from the surface opposite the opposing surface of the flat portion 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylindrical portion 33 is formed in a square tube shape and forms the outlet 31. The outlet 31 penetrates between the protruding tip surface of the cylindrical portion 33 and the opposing surface of the flat portion 32, i.e., it penetrates the outlet member 3 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the base end 34 of the cylindrical portion 33 is inclined with respect to the flat plate portion 32 so that the width dimension (front-rear dimension) increases from the center in the vertical direction toward the base end toward the base end. Therefore, the width dimension of the outlet 31 gradually increases as it approaches the opposing surface. In this embodiment, the opposing surface and the inner surface of the outlet 31 are smoothly continuous. Here, "smoothly continuous" means that the corner portion formed by the opposing surface and the inner surface of the outlet 31 is connected by a curved surface or multiple obtuse angles.

When the paper case 1 is in the second form, the cylindrical portion 33 protrudes downward from the bottom portion 23 as shown in FIG. 4B. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 33 protrudes downward from the bottom portion 23, but in the present invention, the dimensions may be set so that the lower end surface of the cylindrical portion 33 is flush with the lower surface of the bottom portion 23.

(4) Lid

The lid 4 is removably attached to the upper or lower end of the housing 2. The lid 4 is formed in a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above. When the paper case 1 is in the first form, the lid 4 is attached to the lower end of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 4A. On the other hand, when the paper case 1 is in the second form, the lid 4 is attached to the upper end of the housing 2 so as to cover the upper opening 22 as shown in FIG. 4B.

2, the lid 4 includes a lid body 41 and a locking portion 42 that is removably attached to the peripheral wall 21 of the housing 2. The lid body 41 is a plate-shaped portion that fits along the upper or lower surface of the housing 2. The locking portion 42 protrudes from the lid body 41 and fits inside the peripheral wall 21 of the housing 2. The locking portion 42 is provided along the entire outer periphery of the lid body 41. The locking portion 42 is attached to the housing 2 by, for example, a snap-fit structure, screwing, fitting, pinning, or the like. The portion of the locking portion 42 that is attached to the housing 2 (e.g., a claw) may be formed along a portion of the entire circumference or along the entire length.

It is preferable that a packing be placed between the lid body 41 and the end face of the housing. Examples of the packing include rubber, elastomer, soft resin, silicone, and urethane foam resin.

(5) How to use

Next, a method of using the paper case 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, the paper case 1 can be rearranged into a first form in which a single piece of paper P11 is removed in an upward direction from the paper stack P1 stored inside the housing 2, and a second form in which a single piece of paper P11 is removed in a downward direction. Below, a method of using the first form will be described, followed by a method of using the second form.

In the first form, the paper case 1 is placed on the placement surface G1 when used, as shown in FIG. 1. In the paper case 1 according to the first form, a paper stack P1 is stored between the bottom 23 of the housing 2 and the outlet member 3, as shown in FIG. 4A. A piece of paper P11 protrudes from the top surface of the paper stack P1 through the outlet 31. A lid 4 is attached to the bottom end of the housing 2. When the paper P11 is pulled upward, the first piece of paper P11 is removed, and then a part of the next piece of paper P11 protrudes and enters a standby state.

The outlet member 3 is movable vertically relative to the peripheral wall 21 inside the peripheral wall 21, so it slides downward (moves parallel) under its own weight depending on the thickness of the paper stack P1. The same weight is always applied to the paper stack P1, and the same frictional force is always applied to the paper P11, so even if the remaining amount of paper stack P1 is low, multiple sheets of paper P11 are prevented from being taken out at once. In addition, the inner surface of the outlet 31 is smoothly connected to the opposing surface, so the paper P11 is prevented from getting caught on the outlet member 3.

In the second form, the paper case 1 is attached to, for example, a vertical installation surface X1 as shown in FIG. 3. Examples of the installation surface X1 include an inner wall surface, a door surface, the front door of a refrigerator, a blackboard, a whiteboard, etc. The paper case 1 in the second form is preferably installed above the user's eye level. The paper case 1 can be attached to the installation surface X1, for example, by attaching a magnetic plate to the long wall 211 of the housing 2 and magnetically attaching it to the metallic installation surface X1, or by attaching it to the installation surface X1 with a fastener such as a screw.

In the paper case 1 according to the second embodiment, a paper stack P1 is placed on an outlet member 3 supported on the bottom 23 of the housing 2, and a lid 4 is attached to the upper end of the housing 2. A piece of paper P11 protrudes from the bottom surface of the paper stack P1 through the outlet 31.

In this way, the paper case 1 according to this embodiment can be rearranged into either the first form or the second form, so that a single paper case 1 can be configured to suit the installation location.

<Modifications>

The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present invention. Various modifications of the embodiment can be made depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. Below, we will list some variations of the embodiment. The variations described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

In the above embodiment, the outlet member 3 has the outlet 31 formed by the cylindrical portion 33, but the present invention does not require the cylindrical portion 33. The outlet 31 may be formed by a slit or slot hole penetrating the flat portion 32. If the outlet member 3 does not have the cylindrical portion 33, the width of the lower opening 24 only needs to be equal to or greater than the width of the outlet 31.

In the above embodiment, the bottom 23 is parallel to a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, but in the present invention, the bottom 23 may be inclined relative to the plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. For example, the bottom 23 may be inclined relative to the plane so that it is positioned lower as it approaches the end protruding from the long wall 211.

In addition, while the bottom 23 is formed in a plate shape in the above embodiment, in the present invention, the bottom 23 may be formed in the shape of multiple rods or beams connecting the short walls 212. The lower opening 24 is formed in the center of the bottom 23 in the front-rear direction over the entire length in the left-right direction, but it may be formed partially in the left-right direction (for example, in the center).

In the above embodiment, the lid 4 is composed of the lid body 41 and the locking portion 42, but the locking portion 42 may not be necessary. For example, the lid 4 may be removably attached by sliding it in the left-right direction and inserting it into the housing 2, or it may be attached using a snap-on method. The locking portion 42 may also be located on the outside of the peripheral wall portion 21.

In this specification, expressions that include "approximately", such as "approximately parallel" or "approximately perpendicular", may be used. For example, "approximately parallel" means that the object is essentially "parallel", and does not only mean a strictly "parallel" state, but also includes an error of a few degrees. The same applies to other expressions that include "approximately".

In addition, in this specification, expressions such as "front end" and "front end" are used that are distinguished by the presence or absence of a "part...". For example, "front end" means a part having a certain range that includes the "front end". The same applies to other expressions that include a "part...".

<Summary>

As described above, the paper case 1 according to the first embodiment comprises a peripheral wall portion 21 on the inside of which is formed a storage section 20 in which the paper stack P1 is stored, a bottom portion 23 provided on the peripheral wall portion 21 below the storage section 20 and having an opening penetrating in the vertical direction, and an outlet member 3 removably supported by the bottom portion 23 and having an outlet 31 through which a piece of paper P11 is passed from above to below from the paper stack P1 stored in the storage section 20.

According to this embodiment, when the paper stack P1 is stored with the outlet 31 member supported by the bottom 23, the paper P11 can be taken out downward from the outlet 31 (second form). Also, by removing this outlet member 3 and placing it on the paper stack P1, the paper P11 can be taken out upward from the outlet 31 (first form). This allows one paper case 1 to be reassembled into a paper case 1 of a form suitable for the installation location.

In the paper case 1 according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the bottom 23 is configured to be able to support the paper stack P1 when the outlet member 3 is removed. The outlet member 3 is configured to be able to move vertically relative to the peripheral wall portion 21 inside the peripheral wall portion 21. When the paper stack P1 is stored between the outlet member 3 and the bottom 23, a single piece of paper P11 is passed from the paper stack P1 upward through the outlet 31.

According to this embodiment, the paper case 1 can be rearranged between a configuration in which the paper P11 is removed upward from the removal opening 31 (first configuration) and a configuration in which the paper P11 is removed downward from the removal opening 31 (second configuration), and one paper case 1 can be configured to be suitable for the installation location.

In the paper case 1 according to the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the outlet member 3 has a flat plate portion 32 that holds the paper stack P1, and an outlet 31 that passes through the flat plate portion 32 in the vertical direction.

According to this embodiment, in either the paper case 1 in the first form or the paper case 1 in the second form, the paper stack P1 can be held down by the flat plate portion 32, making it easy to remove a single sheet of paper P11 from the removal opening 31.

In the paper case 1 according to the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the access opening 31 is formed by a cylindrical portion 33 protruding from the flat portion 32.

According to this embodiment, the paper P11 can be guided along the central axis direction of the cylindrical portion 33, making it easy for the user to remove one piece of paper P11.

In the paper case 1 according to the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the tubular portion 33 protrudes downward from the bottom portion 23 when the outlet member 3 is supported by the bottom portion 23.

According to this embodiment, when the paper P11 is removed downward from the removal opening 31 (second configuration), the position of the removal opening 31 can be easily seen.

In the paper case 1 according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the third to fifth aspects, the end face of the flat portion 32 faces the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 21.

According to this embodiment, in the form (first form) in which the paper P11 is taken out upward from the outlet member 3, the outlet member 3 can cover the paper stack P1, and the paper stack P1 can be protected from dust and/or water splashes. In this case, the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 21 can be used as a guide for the movement of the outlet member 3, making it easy to move the outlet member 3 in parallel with the peripheral wall portion 21.

In the paper case 1 according to the seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the peripheral wall portion 21 has an upper opening 22 on the upper surface. The paper case 1 further includes a lid 4 removably attached to the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 21 so as to cover the upper opening 22.

According to this embodiment, in the configuration (second configuration) in which the paper P11 is removed downward from the removal opening 31, the stored paper stack P1 can be covered with the lid 4.

In the paper case 1 according to the eighth aspect, in the seventh aspect, the lid 4 is configured to be detachable from the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 21.

According to this embodiment, in the form (first form) in which the paper P11 is taken out upward from the outlet 31, by attaching the lid 4 to the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 21, it is possible to prevent the paper stack P1 from becoming soiled through the opening in the bottom portion 23, and it is also possible to prevent the lid 4 from being lost.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Paper case 20 Storage section 21 Peripheral wall section 22 Upper opening 23 Bottom section 24 Lower opening (opening)
3: take-out member 31: take-out port 32: flat plate portion 33: cylindrical portion 4: lid P1: paper stack P11: paper

Claims (7)

A peripheral wall portion having a storage portion formed on the inside thereof for storing a paper stack;
a bottom portion provided on the peripheral wall portion below the storage portion and having an opening extending therethrough in a vertical direction;
a take-out port member that is supported on the bottom so as to be detachable from the bottom and has a take-out port through which one piece of paper is passed from above to below from the paper stack stored in the storage section;
Equipped with
The bottom portion is configured to be capable of supporting the paper stack when the outlet member is removed,
The outlet member is configured to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the peripheral wall portion inside the peripheral wall portion,
When the paper stack is stored between the outlet member and the bottom, one piece of paper is passed from the paper stack upward through the outlet.
Paper case. The outlet member is
A flat plate portion that holds the paper stack;
The outlet port extends through the flat plate portion in the vertical direction;
having
The paper case according to claim 1 . The outlet is
Formed by a cylindrical portion protruding from the flat plate portion,
The paper case according to claim 2 . The cylindrical portion protrudes downward from the bottom portion in a state in which the outlet member is supported by the bottom portion.
The paper case according to claim 3 . An end surface of the flat plate portion faces an inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion.
The paper case according to any one of claims 2 to 4 . The peripheral wall portion has an upper opening on an upper surface thereof,
The paper case further includes a lid removably attached to an upper end of the peripheral wall portion so as to cover the upper opening.
The paper case according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The lid is configured to be detachable from the lower end of the peripheral wall portion.
The paper case according to claim 6 .