JP7800643B2 - Packaging containing masks - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a package containing a mask.

In recent years, disposable masks have become known that have ear straps or the like attached to a mask body made of laminated nonwoven fabric or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-2483

If the mask is a single color, it may be difficult for the user to distinguish between the front and back of the mask. Therefore, if a rigid member such as a welded part is provided on the non-skin side (front side) of the mask, and the user puts the mask on inside out, the rigid member will come into contact with the user's skin. This may cause pain to the user and reduce comfort.

The present invention therefore aims to provide technology that prevents users from wearing masks upside down.

To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a mask packaging with a dispenser that can form an opening of a specified width or less.

In detail, a mask according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a rectangular mask body with a first direction extending from a portion that engages with one ear to a portion that engages with the other ear and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a storage section capable of storing the mask body. The mask body has a plastic deformation portion that extends along the first direction at the center of one end edge in the second direction and that is plastically deformable in the direction perpendicular to the non-skin-contacting surface when pressurized in the direction perpendicular to the non-skin-contacting surface. The storage section is capable of storing the mask body such that the first direction of the mask body is aligned with the width direction and the non-skin-contacting surface of the mask body extends in the width direction and the depth direction. The storage section has an opening that can form an opening through which the stored mask body can be removed, or an removal section with the opening formed, at the center of the width direction and extending in the depth direction in a portion facing the non-skin-contacting surface. The opening has a width that is shorter than the length of the plastic deformation portion of the mask body stored in the storage section.

In the mask according to the above aspect, the storage section can store multiple mask bodies stacked in the same orientation with the front and back alternating, and the storage section may further include a reinforcing section that prevents the edges of the opening in the depth direction from being pulled in a direction away from the center in the width direction.

In the mask according to the above aspect, the reinforcing portion may have a welded portion formed by welding a portion of a bag body having a second opening in a portion extending in the width and height directions to overlap the second opening near the second opening, and the welded portion may be provided so as to extend in the width direction.

In the mask according to the above aspect, the reinforcing portion may be provided on the edge of the opening on a side that is located near the plastic deformation portion of the mask body accommodated in the accommodation portion.

In the mask according to the above aspect, the removal section may have perforations extending in the depth direction.

This invention provides technology that prevents users from wearing masks upside down.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a mask according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 shows an outline of a packaging bag for packaging masks. FIG. 3 is an example of a diagram illustrating a method for removing the mask from the packaging bag. FIG. 4 illustrates an outline of the mask removed from the packaging bag.

Masks according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a mask according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the mask 1 comprises a mask body 2, ear straps 3 and 4 (an example of the "ear engagement portion" of the present invention), side sections 5 and 6, and a nose fitter 7 (an example of the "plastic deformation portion" of the present invention). The mask body 2 is rectangular and made of a sheet-like breathable material, large enough to cover the wearer's mouth and nose. The ear straps 3 and 4 are made of a string-like stretchable material, and their ends are joined at the side sections 5 and 6 located on both sides of the mask body 2, forming annular loops on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, respectively.

The mask body 2 is composed of various sheets, such as breathable nonwoven fabric, and is a laminate of multiple sheets. The multiple sheets are joined together appropriately at the top, bottom, left, and right edges. The mask body 2 has folds that can form a pleated, three-dimensional shape. These folds are maintained by the side portions 5, 6, which are joined to the left and right ends of the mask body 2 when the mask body 2 is folded into pleats. In other words, the side portions 5, 6 at the left and right ends prevent the folds from unfolding, and when the mask 1 is worn, the folds unfold in the area near the center of the mask body 2, spreading the pleats of the mask body 2 and forming a three-dimensional shape. When not worn, the pleats close, allowing the mask body 2 to be flat and not bulky.

The string-like elastic material that makes up the ear straps 3, 4 is made of, for example, a woven band of rubber thread and cotton, a woven net of resin filaments, or an elastic nonwoven fabric. Both ends of this string-like material are joined to the side sections 5, 6 on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, respectively, to form loop-shaped ear straps 3, 4 on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, with one end of the material serving as the starting point and the other end of the material serving as the ending point.

The nose fitter 7 is a component fixed to the mask body 2 at the center of the upper portion of the mask body 2, with its longitudinal direction extending approximately 45 mm to 65 mm in the left-right direction of the mask body 2 (total length approximately 110 mm). The nose fitter 7 may be fixed inside the laminate by being sandwiched between the sheet-like breathable materials that make up the mask body 2, or it may be fixed to the surface of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is made of a plastically deformable material that has enough strength to be deformed into an appropriate shape when pressed with the wearer's fingers, and maintains its shape even when released from pressure. By providing such a nose fitter 7 at the upper portion of the mask body 2, the wearer can close any gaps that may form between their nose and the mask body 2.

The above-mentioned materials that make up the mask 1 are preferably joined by ultrasonic welding, but various joining techniques, such as sewing with sewing thread, bonding with hot melt adhesive, heat sealing, and the like, can also be applied.

Figure 2 illustrates an overview of a packaging bag 8 (an example of the "container" of the present invention) that packages the masks 1. As shown in Figure 2, the masks 1 are aligned in the same orientation and packaged in the packaging bag 8 in a stacked state from the back of the page to the front, with the non-skin-contacting surfaces 9 and skin-contacting surfaces of the mask bodies 2 alternating. When packaged in the packaging bag 8, the non-skin-contacting surfaces 9 are located at the frontmost position, facing the front surface 15 of the packaging bag 8.

One side of the packaging bag 8 is initially open in the width and height directions (not shown, an example of the "second opening" of the present disclosure), and the stacked masks 1 are placed inside the packaging bag 8 through this opening. That is, when the masks 1 are placed inside, they are passed through the opening with the end of the mask body 2 opposite the nose fitter 7 as the leading edge. The edges of the opening are then heat-sealed to seal the opening, and as a result, the masks 1 are hermetically sealed within the interior space of the packaging bag 8. The heat-sealed portion extends along the nose fitter 7 of the masks 1 placed inside. The heat-sealed portion is shown in Figure 2 as a seal portion 11 (an example of the "reinforcement portion" and "welded portion" of the present invention).

In addition, the shape of the internal space of the packaging bag 8 with the opening sealed and the masks 1 inside becomes a rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, there is almost no gap between the inner surface of the packaging bag 8 and the masks 1. In other words, the shape of the internal space of the packaging bag 8 and the external shape of the stacked masks 1 are approximately the same.

The packaging bag 8 containing the mask 1 is provided with a perforation 10 (an example of the "removal portion" of the present invention). The perforation 10 is provided along the minor axis direction (a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the seal portion 11) on the surface 15 facing the non-skin-contacting surface 9 of the mask 1. The top of the perforation 10 overlaps with the seal portion 11.

Figure 3 is an example diagram illustrating how to remove a mask 1 packaged in a packaging bag 8. As shown in Figure 3, first, the surface 15 of the packaging bag 8 is torn along the perforation 10, forming an opening 12 (an example of an "opening" in the present invention). Then, a finger is inserted into the opening 12 and the non-skin-contacting surface 9 of the mask 1 is pinched. The non-skin-contacting surface 9 is then pulled out.

Here, the width of the opening 12 is shorter than the length of the nose fitter 7. Therefore, when the mask 1 passes through the opening 12, a force acts on both sides of the nose fitter 7 in the direction opposite to the direction in which it is picked up from the lateral edges 13 of the opening 12. As a result, the nose fitter 7 is plastically deformed so that it becomes convex toward the front.

In addition, the shape of the storage space in the packaging bag 8 is approximately the same as the outer shape of the mask 1. Therefore, the picked mask 1 is picked out through the opening 12 in the same orientation as when it was stored in the packaging bag 8.

Figure 4 shows an example of an outline of the mask 1 removed from the packaging bag 8. As shown in Figure 4, the nose fitter 7 of the mask 1 is plastically deformed, so the mask 1 maintains its convex shape even after being removed from the packaging bag 8. Therefore, the user recognizes the back side of the non-skin-contacting surface 9 of the mask 1 as the skin-contacting surface, and can wear the mask 1 so that the skin-contacting surface is in contact with the user's skin. The mask 1 remaining in the packaging bag 8 is similarly removed and worn on the user's face.

[Actions and Effects]
With the packaging bag 8 as described above, the deformed state in which the nose fitter 7 is convex in the removal direction is maintained even after the mask 1 is removed from the packaging bag 8. Therefore, the user can distinguish the convex surface from the non-skin contact surface 9. This prevents the user from putting on the mask with the wrong side up.

Furthermore, because the length of the nose fitter 7 is longer than the width of the opening 12, when the mask 1 is removed from the opening 12, a pulling force acts on the edge 14 of the opening 12 in the depth direction (see Figure 3) in a direction away from the center in the width direction. However, with the packaging bag 8 described above, the edge 14 on which the pulling force acts overlaps the seal portion 11. This prevents the edge 14 from tearing in the horizontal direction. Therefore, even when multiple masks 1 are removed from the packaging bag 8, the width of the opening 12 is prevented from widening beyond its initial width. This maintains the function of the nose fitter 7 becoming convex in the removal direction when the mask 1 is removed from the opening 12. This prevents the user from putting the mask 1 on upside down.

Furthermore, with the packaging bag 8 described above, the seal portion 11 is provided so as to extend in the width direction. This enhances the effect of preventing the edge 14 of the opening 12 from tearing in the width direction.

Furthermore, the edge 14 of the opening 12 is located near the nose fitter 7. Therefore, when the mask 1 is removed from the opening 12, a greater tensile stress is applied in the width direction to the edge than to the opposite edge. However, with the packaging bag 8 described above, the seal portion 11 is provided on the edge 14, which prevents the edge 14 from tearing in the width direction.

Furthermore, with the packaging bag 8 described above, the opening 12 is easily formed by tearing the perforation 10. This makes it easy to seal the packaging bag 8 and form an opening 12 with a width shorter than the length of the nose fitter 7.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the packaging bag 8 is illustrated as an example of a packaging body, but the packaging body may also be a box made of cardboard, for example. In such a case, cardboard may be placed over the location where the seal portion 11 is located (an example of a "reinforcement portion" in the present invention). In addition, in the above embodiment, the packaging bag 8 has a perforation 10, but instead of the perforation 10, an opening and a seal that covers the opening may be provided (an example of a "removal portion" in the present invention). Furthermore, the seal portion 11 may be located at the end of the surface 15 opposite the side where the nose fitter 7 is housed. Furthermore, the seal portion 11 does not have to be provided. The number of masks housed in the packaging bag 8 may be one.

The embodiments and variations disclosed above can be combined with each other.

1. Mask 2. Mask body 3, 4. Ear straps 5, 6. Side portion 7. Nose fitter 8. Packaging bag 9. Non-skin contact surface 10. Perforation 11. Sealed portion 12. Opening 13, 14. Edge of opening 15. One side of packaging bag

Claims (5)

a mask having a first direction that is a direction from one ear engaging portion toward the other ear engaging portion, and a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction;
a storage section capable of storing the mask,
The mask has a plastic deformation portion that extends along the first direction at the center of one end side in the second direction and that is plastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the non-skin contact surface when pressurized in the direction, and a rectangular sheet-like mask body,
the storage section has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and can store the mask such that the first direction of the mask is aligned with a width direction, the second direction of the mask is aligned with a depth direction, and the non-skin contact surface of the mask body extends in the width direction and the depth direction,
the storage section has a take-out section that can form an opening through which the stored mask can be taken out or that has the opening formed therein;
the opening has a length between edges in the width direction that is shorter than a length in the first direction of the plastic deformation portion of the mask accommodated in the accommodation portion, and extends in the depth direction at a center in the width direction of a surface facing the non-skin contact surface,
The storage unit stores the plurality of masks stacked in the same direction so that the non-skin contacting surfaces and the skin contacting surfaces of the plurality of masks alternate .
A package containing a mask . the storage section includes a reinforcing portion extending in the width direction on an edge side in the depth direction of a surface on which the opening is provided,
A package containing the mask according to claim 1. the reinforcing portion has a welded portion formed by welding a portion of the accommodation portion having a second opening on a surface on one end side in the second direction and adjacent to the second opening,
The welded portion is provided so as to extend in the width direction.
A package containing the mask according to claim 2 . the reinforcing portion is provided on the edge of the opening, the edge being located near the plastic deformation portion of the mask accommodated in the accommodation portion.
A package containing the mask according to claim 2 or 3 . The removal section has a perforation extending in the depth direction.
A package containing the mask according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .