JP7676850B2 - Lid material and container using same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lid material and a container in which the lid material is fitted onto the container body.

A conventional container for yogurt, etc. is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This container comprises a container body, an inner lid, and an outer lid. The container body is made of paper with polyethylene on the inside side, and is formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom and a flange around the mouth. The inner lid is made of a resin such as polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate, and is thermally bonded to the flange. The outer lid is made of a resin molded product, and fits onto the flange of the container body.

The contents can be removed by removing the outer lid and peeling the inner lid off the flange. The outer lid can also be closed to store the container with the remaining contents.

Jitsuzen No. 57-140384 (pages 3-10, Figure 9)

However, the above-mentioned conventional containers have an issue with the outer lid being made from a resin molded product, which places a large burden on the environment.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a container that can reduce the environmental impact.

To achieve the above object, the lid material of the present invention is fitted onto a cylindrical container body that is rectangular in plan view and has a bottom. The lid material is formed by folding a paper blank plate, and has a rectangular top plate portion that covers an opening formed at the upper end of the container body, and an engagement portion that is connected to the outer edge of the top plate portion and extends in a direction perpendicular to the top plate portion. The engagement portion has a window portion that penetrates the engagement portion in the thickness direction, and a locking piece that is connected to the edge of the window portion and protrudes inside the window portion toward the top plate portion.

According to this configuration, the engagement portion has a pair of first engagement plates connected to the long sides of the top plate portion, and a pair of second engagement plates connected to the short sides of the top plate portion. The second engagement plates are fixed to the first engagement plates. The engagement portion is arranged in pairs on at least both of the pair of first engagement plates and at least one of the pair of second engagement plates.

The present invention also provides a container having a lid material of the above configuration, which comprises a bottomed cylindrical container body onto which the lid material is fitted, and a resin sheet sealed to a flange portion that extends outward from an opening at the top of the container body. The lid material is held in place by the container body by engaging the locking piece of the engagement portion with the underside of the flange portion.

The present invention provides a container that reduces the environmental impact.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a container having a lid material according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a blank plate with a lid member unfolded. 1 is a perspective view of a lid material formed by bending a blank plate, as seen from below. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of a container with a lid attached. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane extending to the left and right of the container before the resin sheet is opened. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane extending to the left and right of the container when the locking piece is raised. 1 is a side view of the container showing the state in which the lid has been opened to unseal the resin sheet. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane extending to the left and right of a container with a lid closed so that the top plate portion contacts the flange portion. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane extending to the left and right of the container with the lid resealing the container body. FIG.

A container 100 equipped with a lid material 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a container 100 having a lid material 20 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container 100. In this specification, the direction of gravity will be described as downward, and the opposite direction will be described as upward. Also, the short side direction in a plan view of the container body 10 described below will be described as the front-rear direction.

<Container 100>
As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the container 100 has a container body 10 and a lid material 20. Contents (not shown) are accommodated inside the container 100. Here, the contents are assumed to be food (e.g., gel-like such as yogurt, jelly, jam, etc.), but are not limited to this. For example, the contents may be powder-like foods such as salt, sugar, spices, or solid foods such as processed meat. In addition, contents other than food such as lubricants such as grease, hair styling products, fragrances, wet wipes, etc. may be accommodated.

<Container body 10>
The container body 10 has a bottomed cylindrical shape capable of accommodating contents in the internal storage space 10S. In the container 100 of this embodiment, the container body 10 may have, for example, a paper base material and a coating layer therein having water resistance, gas barrier properties, etc. Examples of the coating layer having water resistance include a resin layer made of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc. Examples of the coating layer having gas barrier properties include an aluminum layer.

The container body 10 may be formed from a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (PS). The container body 10 is not limited to these resins, and a wide variety of resins that are easy to mold can be used. When the container 100 is used to store food, at least the inner surface of the container body 10 is made of a material that is non-toxic or nearly non-toxic to the human body.

1 and 2, the container body 10 has a bottom 11, a side wall 12, and a flange 13. The side wall 12 is tubular and extends vertically. The side wall 12 is formed by bending a single plate-like member into a ring shape and gluing both ends. The container body 10 is tubular with a bottom, and the lower part of the side wall 12 is closed by the bottom 11. The bottom 11 is fixed at a position shifted upward from the lower end of the side wall 12 (see FIG. 2). This configuration can increase the rigidity of the bottom 11. If the container body 10 is an integrally molded resin body, the bottom 11 may be connected to the lower end of the side wall 12.

An opening 14 is formed at the upper end of the side wall 12 for inserting and removing the contents stored inside the storage space 10S (see FIG. 3, etc.). The opening 14 faces the bottom 11 vertically. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 14 is larger than the bottom 11, but is not limited to this. The flange 13 extends outward from the upper end of the side wall 12. In other words, the flange 13 is positioned outside the opening 14.

The container body 10 is rectangular in plan view. In the container body 10, the outer shape of the bottom 11, the outer and inner shapes of the side wall portion 12 (the outer shape of the opening 14), and the outer shape of the flange portion 13 are all approximately rectangular in plan view with curved corners and two straight line portions adjacent to them, and are approximately similar shapes to each other. Each of the above shapes is approximately rectangular. However, this is not limited to this, and may be approximately elliptical, circular, approximately regular polygonal, etc.

<Lid material 20>
The lid material 20 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the blank plate 200 with the lid material 20 unfolded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lid material 20 formed by folding the blank plate 200, as seen from below. In Fig. 3, the flange portion 13 of the container body 10 is shown by a dashed line. Below, the description will be given based on the state shown in Fig. 3, with the horizontal direction being the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction being the short direction. In Fig. 3, fold lines L1 to L4 are shown by dashed lines, and cutting lines Ct1 to Ct3 are shown by dashed double-dot lines.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lid material 20 is placed on the top of the container body 10. The lid material 20 is formed by forming cutting lines Ct1 to Ct3 in part of the blank plate 200 and folding it along fold lines L1 to L4. Note that the fold lines can be, for example, shapes that protrude from one side of the blank plate 200 and are recessed from the other side, but are not limited to this.

The blank plate 200 may be made of, for example, fine paper, craft paper, imitation paper, or coated paper. The blank plate 200 may have a basis weight of, for example, 100 g/m ² to 500 g/m ² . The blank plate 200 has a higher rigidity than the resin sheet 30 described below. Therefore, the container 100 can be placed on top of the lid member 20. In other words, the containers 100 can be placed one on top of the other.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lid 20 has a top plate portion 21 and an engagement portion 22. The top plate portion 21 has a rectangular shape with curved corners in a plan view. The top plate portion 21 has a pair of long sides 21a, 21b and a pair of short sides 21c, 21d. The shape of the top plate portion 21 is such that it overlaps with the flange portion 13 of the container body 10.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the engagement portion 22 has two first engagement plates 23. The two first engagement plates 23 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the lid material 20. The lid material 20 also has two second engagement plates 24. The two second engagement plates 24 are arranged side by side in the lateral direction of the lid material 20. The engagement portion 22 is cylindrical, and is formed by connecting the first engagement plates 23 and the second engagement plates 24 alternately in the circumferential direction in a ring shape.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fold line L1 of the blank plate 200 is arranged to overlap the long sides 21a and 21b of the top plate 21. A second engagement plate 24 is connected to the long sides 21a and 21b of the top plate 21 via the fold line L1.

The fold lines L2 are arranged at both ends of the short sides 21c, 21d of the top plate 21. A cut line Ct1 is formed in the center of the short sides 21c, 21d in the short direction. In other words, the fold lines L2 are arranged on both sides of the cut line Ct1. Then, on both outsides of the fold line L2, there is a cut line Ct2 that extends along the pair of short sides 21c, 21d of the top plate 21. A first engagement plate 23 is connected to each of the pair of short sides 21c, 21d of the top plate 21 via the fold line L2.

The first engagement plate 23 is foldably connected to the top plate 21 at a fold line L2. Note that the cutting line Ct3 is provided to separate the curved portion of the corner of the top plate 21 from the first engagement plate 23 when folding, and when the top plate 21 and the curved portion are separated, the cutting line Ct3 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the blank plate 200, the first engagement plate 23 is elongated and extends in the short direction. Gate-shaped cutting lines Ct1 and Ct2 are provided in the center of the first engagement plate 23. More specifically, the cutting line Ct1 is provided so as to form the upper base of a trapezoid that tapers toward the top plate 21. The cutting line Ct1 is a curved line that protrudes outward, but it may also be a straight line or a broken line. The cutting line Ct2 is provided so as to form the oblique side of the trapezoid. A fold line L4 is provided in the portion that corresponds to the lower base of the trapezoid formed by the cutting line Ct1. Both ends of the cutting line Ct1 are connected to the fold line L2.

The first engagement plate 23 has a window portion 231 formed by cutting along the cutting lines Ct1 and Ct2 and folding along the fold line L4, and a locking piece 232 that connects to the fold line L4, i.e., the edge of the window portion 231, and extends within the window portion 231 toward the top plate portion 21. The locking piece 232 rotates (tilts) in the thickness direction of the first engagement plate 23 around the fold line L4. Fixed pieces 233 are connected to both ends of the first engagement plate 23 via the fold line L3.

The blank plate 200 is folded along the fold line L2. As a result, each of the first engagement plates 23 is suspended from the short sides 21c, 21d of the top plate 21. At this time, both ends of the first engagement plate 23 are bent to conform to the outer shape of the top plate 21. The fixing piece 233 is then folded inward along the fold line L3.

The blank plate 200 is then folded at the fold line L1. This causes the second engagement plate 24 to hang down from the long sides 21a and 21b of the top plate 21. At this time, the second engagement plate 24 is positioned outside the fixed piece 233 of the first engagement plate 23. By folding the fixed piece 233 at the fold line L3, it is possible to bring the outer surface of the fixed piece 233 into contact with the inner surface of the second engagement plate 24.

If the outer surface of the fixing piece 233 can contact the inner surface of the second engagement plate 24 without bending the fixing piece 233 at the fold line L3, the fixing piece 233 does not have to be folded at the fold line L3. Then, the outer surfaces of the fixing piece 233 at both ends of each first engagement plate 23 are fixed to both ends of the inner surface of the second engagement plate 24, respectively.

The fixing piece 233 can be attached to the second engagement plate 24 by, for example, adhesive, but is not limited to, adhesive. For example, any fixing method that can firmly fix the fixing piece 233 to the second engagement plate 24, such as fixing with hot melt, can be widely used.

As a result, an engagement portion 22 is formed in which two first engagement plates 23 and two second engagement plates 24 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction and connected in a ring shape. The engagement portion 22 is connected to the top plate portion 21. As shown in FIG. 5 described below, the end of the first engagement plate 23 is arranged in contact with the outer periphery of the curved portion of the top plate portion 21. As a result, the engagement portion 22 is formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the outer edge of the top plate portion 21.

In this manner, the lid material 20 is formed into a bottomed tubular shape by bending the flat blank plate 200. In the lid material 20, a printed layer (not shown) may be provided on the upper surface of the top plate portion 21 and the outer surface of the engagement portion 22. The printed layer forms information about the contents contained within the storage space 10S of the container body 10, a product image, etc. Note that if printing is not required, the printed layer may be omitted.

<Resin sheet 30>
2 and other figures, the container 100 has a resin sheet 30 that covers the upper end of the container body 10 and is sealed to the flange portion 13 to seal the storage space 10S of the container body 10. As the resin sheet 30, a wide variety of resin films or laminates thereof having functions required for sealing, such as sealing properties, water resistance, gas barrier properties, etc., can be used, such as PE resin and PE resin film, PET resin film, or laminates thereof. The resin sheet 30 is sealed to the flange portion 13 by, for example, heat sealing, but a sealing method other than heat sealing may also be used.

In the container 100, the resin sheet 30 is heat sealed while the contents are stored in the storage space 10S of the container body 10.

Figure 5 is a side view of the container 100 with the lid material 20 attached. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container 100 cut along a plane extending to the left and right before the resin sheet 30 is opened. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the lid material 20 is attached to the container body 10 in a state in which the resin sheet 30 is sealed to the flange portion 13. To explain in more detail, the bottomed cylindrical lid material 20 is placed on top of the flange portion 13 that is sealed to the resin sheet 30 of the container body 10. As a result, the engagement portion 22 covers the side wall portion 12 and the flange portion 13 from the outside (see Figures 5 and 6).

Then, the locking pieces 232 of each first engagement plate 23 are pushed in, so that the locking pieces 232 lock onto the bottom surface of the flange portion 13. The first engagement plates 23 are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction. The locking pieces 232 provided at both longitudinal ends of the engagement portion 22 of the lid material 20 lock onto the underside of the flange portion 13, so that the lid material 20 is held in place so as not to come off the container body 10.

Next, the operation of opening and resealing the container 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the container 100 cut along a plane extending to the left and right with the locking piece 232 raised. FIG. 8 is a side view of the container 100 showing the state in which the lid 20 is opened to open the resin sheet 30. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the container 100 cut along a plane extending to the left and right with the lid 20 closed so that the top plate portion 21 contacts the flange portion 13. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the container 100 cut along a plane extending to the left and right with the lid 20 resealing the container body 10.

In the following description, the act of closing the opening 14 of the container body 10 with the lid material 20 again after the opening 14 has been opened by peeling the resin sheet 30 from the flange portion 13 is referred to as "resealing." When resealing with the lid material 20, the lid material 20 is locked to prevent accidental opening.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the container 100, a resin sheet 30 is sealed to the upper surface of the flange portion 13. The opening 14 of the container body 10 is sealed by the resin sheet 30.

As a result, the resin sheet 30 has water resistance and gas barrier properties, preventing foreign matter such as external moisture, dust, and dirt from entering the storage space 10S, and maintaining a sanitary state when sealed. It also prevents air, water vapor, and other gases from leaking out of the storage space 10S. This prevents the contents from drying out, and prevents odors from leaking out or transferring to the contents.

When opening the container 100, the lid 20 is opened first. To do this, the locking pieces 232 of both first engagement plates 23 of the lid 20 are raised vertically (see Figure 7). This disengages the engagement portion 22 of the lid 20 from the flange portion 13.

This allows the lid material 20 to be moved upward from the container body 10, and the lid material 20 is removed from the top of the container body 10 (see FIG. 8). Then, as shown in FIG. 8, with the lid material 20 removed, the resin sheet 30 is peeled off from the flange portion 13. Note that in the container 100 of this embodiment, one of the corners of the resin sheet 30 may have a curved gripping portion (not shown) with a smaller radius than the other corners. By pinching the gripping portion and lifting it upward, the resin sheet 30 is peeled off from the flange portion 13 of the container body 10. This allows the container body 10 to be opened (see FIG. 8).

When the container body 10 is opened, the contents stored inside the storage space 10S of the container body 10 can be taken out from the opening 14. The resin sheet 30 is completely removed from the flange portion 13 of the container body 10. After being peeled off from the flange portion 13, the resin sheet 30 is no longer needed.

Depending on the contents, the remaining contents may be stored in the storage space 10S. In such a case, the container body 10 is resealed with the lid 20 to close the opening 14.

Next, we will explain how to reseal the container body 10 with the lid material 20. As shown in Figure 9, the lid material 20 is attached to the top of the container body 10 so that the engagement portion 22 surrounds the outside of the flange portion 13 and the lower surface of the top plate portion 21 contacts the upper surface of the flange portion 13.

Then, with the underside of the top plate 21 in contact with the flange 13, the locking pieces 232 of both first engagement plates 23 are folded inward. This causes the locking pieces 232 to lock onto the underside of the flange 13 (see Figure 10).

In this way, the lid material 20 can close the opening 14 of the container body 10 once it has been opened. In other words, the lid material 20 can reseal the container body 10.

The locking pieces 232 arranged on both longitudinal ends of the lid material 20 are locked to the underside of the flange portion 13, thereby restricting the lid material 20 from moving upward. In other words, the lid material 20 is held on the container body 10 while blocking the upper opening 14 of the container body 10. With each of the two locking pieces 232 locked to the flange portion 13, the lid material 20 is locked to the container body 10 when resealing. This makes it difficult for the lid material 20 to open even if an external force such as vibration or impact acts on the container 100.

In this way, by resealing the container body 10 with the lid material 20, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as water (liquid), dust, and dirt from entering the storage space 10S of the container body 10. This makes it possible to store the contents even after opening while preventing the entry of foreign matter.

After the container body 10 is resealed with the lid 20, the lid 20 can be used to open the container body 10 using the procedure described above (see Figures 6 to 8). In other words, the container 100 can be opened and resealed multiple times by using the lid 20.

In addition, because the lid material 20 is resealable, the amount of resin waste can be reduced compared to a configuration that has a separate resin outer lid, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and various modifications are possible. Configurations obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different configurations are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used as a container that can hold food and other contents and has a lid that can be opened and closed multiple times.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Container 10 Container body 10S Storage space 11 Bottom 12 Side wall 13 Flange 14 Opening 200 Blank plate 20 Lid 21 Top plate 21a Long side 21b Long side 21c Short side 21d Short side 211 Protruding portion 22 Fixed portion 221 Adhesive portion 222 Movable portion 23 First engaging portion 231 Slit 24 Second engaging portion 241 Slit 30 Resin sheet Ct1 Cutting line Ct2 Cutting line L1 Folding line L2 Folding line L3 Folding line L4 Folding line

Claims (3)

A cylindrical container body having a bottom and a rectangular opening in a plan view ;
a lid material formed by folding a paper blank plate and capable of resealing the opening of the container body by attaching it to an upper part of the container body;
The container body includes:
A side wall portion;
a rectangular flange portion that extends outward from the opening at the upper end of the side wall portion and has a curved corner portion and two straight line portions adjacent to the curved corner portion in a plan view;
The lid material is
a top plate portion having a rectangular shape capable of covering the opening formed at the upper end of the container body and having an outer shape overlapping an outer edge portion of the flange portion in a plan view ;
an engagement portion connected to an outer edge of the top plate portion and extending in a direction perpendicular to the top plate portion;
having
The engagement portion is
a window portion penetrating the engagement portion in a thickness direction;
a locking piece that is connected to a peripheral portion of the window portion and protrudes into the window portion toward the top plate portion, the protruding tip of the locking piece being recessed in a curved shape;
a portion of the engagement portion adjacent to the window portion that has a curved portion that expands outward;
The lid material is a container that is held on the container body by engaging the locking piece of the engagement portion with the underside of the flange portion . The engagement portion is
A pair of first engagement plates connected to the long sides of the top plate portion;
a pair of second engagement plates connected to the short sides of the top plate portion;
the second engagement plate is fixed to the first engagement plate,
The container according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement portions are arranged in pairs on at least both of the pair of first engagement plates and on at least one of the pair of second engagement plates. 3. The container according to claim 1, further comprising : a resin sheet sealed to a flange portion extending outward from the opening at the top of the container body.