JP7809155B2 - Containers and display methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container and a display method.

A commonly used method of displaying products at retail stores and other locations involves drilling a through-hole in a container containing the product and suspending the container by inserting a rod-shaped support extending from a wall or shelf through the through-hole. For example, a package suitable for such a display method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-54628 (Patent Document 1), which has a circular through-hole. Furthermore, a package disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-506547 (Patent Document 2) has a similar through-hole configured with a wide portion and a roughly semicircular portion above the wide portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-54628 Special table 2014-506547 publication

To increase the product's appeal in stores, it is desirable to display the product with the front of the container, which bears the product name and other information, facing directly toward the customer. However, when a container with a through hole, such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, is suspended from a cylindrical support, the container can vibrate when an external force is applied to it, causing it to tilt. This can make it difficult for customers to see the front of the container.

Therefore, there is a need for containers and display methods that allow displayed products to easily maintain a forward-facing position.

A container according to one aspect of the present invention is a container that is made of a base material having a thickness of 2 mm or less and made of a material selected from synthetic resin film, paper, wood chips, and metal, and that is provided with a through-hole portion having a thickness of 2 mm or less and through which a cylindrical support can be inserted, and a storage portion capable of storing an object to be stored, and that is used by being suspended from one of the cylindrical supports, wherein the material has a strength that allows the shape of the through-hole portion to be maintained when the container, with the object to be stored in the storage portion, is suspended from the cylindrical support, and the through-hole portion has a first portion through which the cylindrical support can be inserted, and a second portion in front of the first portion. and a second part connected to the first part on the opposite side to the storage part side, wherein the boundary part between the first part and the second part is an intersection of a circle that defines the peripheral part of the first part and a circle or polygon that defines the peripheral part of the second part, the width of the boundary part is smaller than the opening dimension of the first part in the width direction, a part of the peripheral part of the through-hole part is configured as a cut line provided in the base material of the container, and another part of the peripheral part of the through-hole part is configured as a connecting part that connects a separation part that is separated from the base material by the cut line to the remainder of the base material, and the connecting part is provided on the storage part side of the first part .

Furthermore, a display method according to one aspect of the present invention is a display device that is constructed from a base material having a thickness of 2 mm or less and made of a material selected from synthetic resin film, paper, wood chips, or metal, and that is provided with a storage section capable of storing an object to be stored, and a through-hole section having a thickness of 2 mm or less and that has a first portion and a second portion that is connected to the first portion on the side of the first portion opposite to the storage section side, wherein the boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion is an intersection point between a circle that defines the periphery of the first portion and a circle or polygon that defines the periphery of the second portion, and the width of the boundary portion is smaller than the opening dimension of the first portion in the width direction. a part of the peripheral edge of the through-hole portion is configured as a cut line provided in the base material, and another part of the peripheral edge of the through-hole portion is configured as a connecting portion that connects a separation portion that is separated from the base material by the cut line to the remainder of the base material, and the connecting portion includes a storage step of storing the object to be stored in a container provided on the storage portion side of the first part , and a suspension step of inserting a columnar support into the first part and suspending the container on one of the cylindrical supports, and the shape of the through-hole portion is maintained when the container is suspended on the cylindrical support.

With this container and display method, the container is suspended from the cylindrical support in a position where both ends of the boundary between the first and second portions of the through-hole abut against the cylindrical support. If an external force is applied to the container and it tilts from a forward-facing position, the container will be positioned higher than its stable state, and its potential energy will increase. A force (gravity) then acts on the container to restore the increased potential energy, causing the container to return to a forward-facing position, where potential energy is at its lowest within its range of movement. In other words, even if the container tilts due to the application of an external force, it will naturally return to the forward-facing position, which is the most stable in terms of potential energy. This makes it easier for displayed products to maintain a forward-facing position.

In this way, the shape of the boundary portion is determined by the shapes of the first and second portions, so there is no need to form the boundary portion separately. This means the size of the through-hole portion does not increase, allowing the container to be made compact. Furthermore, since the through-hole portion can be easily formed, the container can be manufactured efficiently.

In another configuration, it is preferable that the width of the boundary portion be 1.0 mm or more and 4.9 mm or less.

This method can stabilize the position of containers on most existing cylindrical supports installed in retail stores, etc. This is because the diameter of the cylindrical supports used in retail stores, etc., is typically around 5 to 7 mm.

In this way, the connecting portion is located below the through-hole portion, and therefore does not come into contact with the cylindrical support, preventing the connecting portion from sliding on the cylindrical support and tilting the container. Furthermore, because the portion cut away from the base material to create the through-hole portion does not separate from the container, the cut-off portion is not generated as waste, which reduces the effort required to dispose of that waste.

In another configuration, when suspended from the cylindrical support, it is preferable that the opening dimension of the through-hole portion in the vertical direction be larger than the opening dimension of the through-hole portion in the horizontal direction.

This makes it less likely that the through-hole portion will become locked into the cylindrical support body at a location other than the boundary between the first and second portions. Therefore, simply inserting the through-hole portion into the cylindrical support body and releasing the container allows the product to be displayed facing forward.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a diagram showing a through-hole portion and a separation portion of a container according to the present embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the periphery of the through-hole portion in the container according to the present embodiment in an exhibited state. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display posture stabilization mechanism for containers according to the present embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing modified examples of the through-hole portion; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another modified example of the through-hole portion; 1 is a perspective view of a container according to Comparative Examples 1 to 6; 10 is a perspective view of the containers according to Comparative Examples 7 to 12.

Embodiments of a container and display method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, an example will be described in which the container according to the present invention is applied to a container 1 that can store a group of interdental cleaning tools Da and display them in a store.

[Container configuration]
First, the configuration of the container 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 , the container 1 has a blister B made of a 0.3 mm-thick synthetic resin film (an example of a substrate) and a sealing seal S that seals the back side of the blister B. The blister B has a through-hole 2 and a storage section 3. The container 1, which stores a group of interdental cleaning tools Da (stored objects) in the storage section 3, is displayed by being suspended from a cylindrical support with the cylindrical support inserted into the through-hole 2. In the following description, the up-down direction is defined based on the orientation of the container 1 when it is displayed. That is, the side of the container 1 with the through-hole 2 is defined as the "upper" side.

Through-hole portion 2 is provided as a through-hole that penetrates blister B. Therefore, the thickness of through-hole portion 2 is 0.3 mm, corresponding to the thickness of the synthetic resin film that constitutes blister B. Through-hole portion 2 also has a first portion 21 configured as part of a circle with a radius R1 of 4.0 mm, and a second portion 22 configured as part of a circle with a radius R2 of 2.5 mm. Second portion 22 is connected to first portion 21 above (i.e., the side opposite storage portion 3). The overall vertical opening dimension L of through-hole portion 2 is 9.2 mm, and the horizontal opening dimension is 8.0 mm, which corresponds to twice the radius R1. Therefore, the vertical opening dimension of through-hole portion 2 is greater than the horizontal opening dimension of through-hole portion 2.

The boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 is defined as a line segment connecting two intersections 23a, 23b of a circle of radius R1 that defines the periphery of the first portion 21 and a circle of radius R2 that defines the periphery of the second portion 22. In this embodiment, the width W of the boundary 23 is 4.9 mm. That is, the width W of the boundary 23 is smaller than the widthwise opening dimension of the first portion 21, which is 8.0 mm (twice the radius R1); more specifically, the width W of the boundary 23 is 61% of the widthwise opening dimension of the first portion 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the through-hole portion 2 is formed by providing a cut line 24 in the synthetic resin film that constitutes the blister B. Therefore, part of the periphery of the first portion 21 and the entire periphery of the second portion 22 (part of the periphery of the through-hole portion 2) are configured as the cut line 24. Because the cut line 24 does not form a closed curve, the separation portion 25 separated from the synthetic resin film by the cut line 24 is not completely separated, but is connected to the synthetic resin film body via the connecting portion 26. Here, the connecting portion 26 is provided on the underside of the first portion 21 (i.e., on the storage portion 3 side).

The storage section 3 is formed by bending the synthetic resin film that makes up the blister B, forming a space capable of storing the interdental cleaning tool group Da. The back side of the storage section 3 is open, and after the interdental cleaning tool group Da is stored through this opening, the opening is closed with the sealing seal S.

[Display method]
Next, we will explain the method for displaying the group of interdental cleaning tools Da using the container 1. The display method according to this embodiment includes a storage step of storing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da in the container 1, and a suspending step of suspending the container 1 containing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da on a cylindrical support. Note that the method for storing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da in the container 1 in the storage step is as described above.

The container 1 containing the interdental cleaning tool group Da is suspended from a cylindrical support P installed on a retail store shelf or the like. More specifically, the cylindrical support P is inserted into the through-hole 2, and the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, with the through-hole 2 serving as a support for the entire container 1 (Figure 3).

Here, the diameter Dp of the cylindrical support P is 6.1 mm. That is, the diameter Dp of the cylindrical support P is greater than the width W of the boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22. Due to the above-mentioned relationship between the diameter Dp and the width W, when the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, the container 1 is most stable when both ends 23a, 23b of the boundary 23 abut against the cylindrical support P.

[Stabilizing display posture]
Finally, we will explain why the display posture of the interdental cleaning tool group Da is stable when it is displayed using the container 1. As described above, when the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, it is stable in a posture in which both ends 23a, 23b of the boundary 23 abut against the cylindrical support P (FIG. 4(a)). At this time, the cylindrical support P abuts against the container 1 at two points Pa and Pb. The distance between the two points Pa and Pb is equal to the width W of the boundary 23. Furthermore, the line connecting the two points Pa and Pb is perpendicular to the axis X of the cylindrical support P.

Now, let's consider a case where an external force is applied to container 1, tilting it from a forward-facing position (tilt angle θ) (Figure 4(b)). At this time, cylindrical support P abuts at two points Pc and Pd, with the distance between them equal to the width W of boundary 23. Because the line connecting points Pc and Pd is tilted with respect to the axis X of cylindrical support P, the height Hb of points Pc and Pd, where the separation distance is equal to width W, is higher than the height Ha of points Pa and Pb when container 1 is forward-facing. Therefore, container 1 is positioned higher than its stable state, and its potential energy increases. A force (gravity) then acts on container 1 to restore the increased potential energy, causing container 1 to return to the state with the smallest potential energy within its movable range, i.e., its forward-facing position. Therefore, even if container 1 is temporarily tilted, it will naturally return to its forward-facing position.

In this way, the container 1 can be maintained in a forward-facing position, i.e., the position that best displays the interdental cleaning tool group Da to consumers.

[Modification of the through hole portion]
Here, modified examples of the through-hole portion will be described.

The through-hole portion 4 shown in Figure 5 has a shape formed by connecting a circle with a radius of 4.0 mm and a circle with a radius of 1.5 mm with two straight lines. That is, the first portion 41 is configured as a part of a circle with a radius of approximately 4.0 mm, and the second portion 42 is configured as a triangle joined together with a semicircle having a radius of 1.5 mm as its vertex. The width of the boundary 43 between the first portion 41 and the second portion 42 is 4.9 mm, as in the above embodiment.

When the container 1 having the through-hole portion 4 shown in Figure 5 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, if the container 1 is tilted from the front, the distance between the cylindrical support P and the container 1 becomes longer.
That is, the position of the contact point on the container 1 is lower than when it is facing forward. At this time, the position of the cylindrical support remains unchanged, so the container 1 is in a higher position than when it is facing forward, and a force (gravity) acts to restore the increased potential energy, causing the container 1 to return to the state with the smallest potential energy within its movable range, i.e., to the forward-facing position. Therefore, as explained in the above embodiment, the container 1 will automatically return to the forward-facing position.

In the through-hole portion 5 shown in FIG. 6, the first portion 51 is configured as a part of a circle with a radius of 4.0 mm, and the second portion 52 is configured as a rounded rectangle with a width of 4.7 mm and a height of 2.5 mm.
The width of the boundary 53 between the first portion 51 and the second portion 52 is 4.9 mm, similar to the above embodiment.

In any of the above-mentioned modified examples, when the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P with the cylindrical support P inserted through the through-hole portion, the container 1 is stabilized in a position where the boundary between the first and second portions abuts the cylindrical support P. Therefore, the effect of stabilizing the display position described above is achieved in any of the above-mentioned modified examples. In this way, the shapes of the first and second portions of the through-hole portion in the present invention can be selected arbitrarily, as long as the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is smaller than the opening dimension of the first portion in the width direction.

Other Embodiments
Finally, other embodiments of the container and display method according to the present invention will be described. Note that the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the blister B provided with the through-hole portion 2 was made of a synthetic resin film. However, this configuration is not limited to this, and the through-hole portion can also be provided in a container made of a material such as paper, wood, or metal, as long as it is 2 mm or less in thickness.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the width W of the boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 of the through-hole portion 2 is 4.9 mm. However, the width of the boundary between the first and second portions of the through-hole portion is not particularly limited, as long as it is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support from which the container is suspended. However, considering that the diameter of cylindrical supports used in retail stores and the like is typically 5 to 7 mm, it is preferable that the width of the boundary between the first and second portions be 1.0 mm or more and 4.9 mm or less. Furthermore, considering that the first portion can accommodate a cylindrical support, if the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is 80% or less of the opening dimension in the width direction of the first portion, the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is likely to be smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support, which makes it easier to achieve the effect of stabilizing the display posture.

In the above embodiment, the separation portion 25 separated from the synthetic resin film by the cut line 24 is connected to the synthetic resin film main body via the connecting portion 26 .
Considering the generation of waste, the above embodiment is preferable, but is not essential to the present invention, and therefore the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and the through-hole portion may be formed in a manner that completely separates a portion of the substrate.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the opening dimension of the through-hole portion 2 in the vertical direction is larger than the opening dimension of the through-hole portion 2 in the horizontal direction. However, there are no particular limitations on the size relationship between the opening dimensions of the through-hole portion in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Regarding other configurations, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and that the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that appropriate modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, other embodiments modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention are naturally included within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention will be further explained below with reference to examples. Note that the following examples do not limit the present invention.

In Examples 1 to 5 and the Reference Example, a container 1 having the shape shown in Figure 1 was used. The thicknesses of Examples 1 to 5 and the Reference Example are as shown in Table 1. As explained above, the container 1 has a through-hole portion 2 (Figures 1 and 2).

Container 1A, with the shape shown in Figure 7, was used for Comparative Examples 1 to 6. The thicknesses of Comparative Examples 1 to 6 are as shown in Table 1. Container 1A is similar to container 1, except that a circular through-hole 2A with a radius of 4.0 mm is provided instead of through-hole 2. Furthermore, in through-hole 2A, separation portion 25A is connected to the synthetic resin film via connecting portion 26A located above through-hole 2A. Comparative Examples 1 to 6 are examples of conventional containers.

Container 1B, which has the shape shown in Figure 8, was used for Comparative Examples 7 to 12. The thicknesses of Comparative Examples 7 to 12 are as shown in Table 1. Container 1B is similar to container 1, except that a circular through-hole 2B with a radius of 4.0 mm is provided instead of through-hole 2. Furthermore, in through-hole 2B, separation portion 25B is connected to the synthetic resin film via connecting portion 26B, which is located below through-hole 2A. Comparative Examples 7 to 12 are examples of conventional containers.

[Impact resistance test]
The containers of each of the Examples, Reference Examples, and Comparative Examples were suspended from a cylindrical support with a diameter of 6.1 mm in a front-facing position and allowed to stand still. A strong impact was then applied to the container, shaking it so that it was tilted at approximately 60 degrees, and the time required for the container to stand still was measured. Furthermore, it was visually confirmed whether the container was facing forward when it stood still. The above test was performed six times for each of the containers of the Examples, Reference Examples, and Comparative Examples. Table 1 shows the number of times the container returned to a front-facing position out of the six tests, and indicators A to D, which represent the average time required for the container to stand still. Indicators A to D represent the following, respectively.
A: The average time until the robot stops is less than 10 seconds. B: The average time until the robot stops is 10 seconds or more but less than 20 seconds. C: The average time until the robot stops is 20 seconds or more but less than 30 seconds. D: The average time until the robot stops is 30 seconds or more.

[Exhibitability test]
Each container in the Examples, Reference Examples, and Comparative Examples was manually suspended on a cylindrical support with a diameter of 6.1 mm. After 20 seconds or more had elapsed since the container was released, the size of the angle (corresponding to θ in Figure 4) formed between the container and the cylindrical support in a planar view was measured. The above test was performed six times for each container in the Examples, Reference Examples, and Comparative Examples. Table 1 shows the range of the angle measured in the six measurements. The measured angle value was taken as a positive value when the container was tilted clockwise in a planar view, and a negative value when the container was tilted counterclockwise.

[Test results]
As shown in Table 1, in the impact resistance test, the containers returned to a frontal orientation in all six runs of Examples 1 to 5 and the Reference Example. On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 to 12, there were cases where the containers did not return to a frontal orientation. In particular, the thinner the blister B, the more difficult it was to return to a frontal orientation (Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and 7 to 9). Furthermore, the time required for the containers to come to rest was less than 10 seconds (A) in all of Examples 1 to 6, whereas the time required for the containers to come to rest was longer in the Comparative Examples (Comparative Examples 1 to 4 and 7 to 9) in which the blister B was thinner.

Furthermore, in the displayability test, the tilt of the container was within the range of ±5° in all six tests for Examples 1 to 5 and the Reference Example. On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 to 12, there were cases where the container tilted significantly.

These test results demonstrate that the problem of conventional containers (Comparative Examples 1 to 12) being prone to tipping is particularly pronounced when blister B is thin. Furthermore, it was found that even when blister B is thin, Examples 1 to 5 effectively prevent the container from tipping.

The present invention can be used, for example, in containers for storing small products such as interdental cleaning tools and displaying them in stores.

1: container 2: through-hole portion 21: first portion 22: second portion 23: boundary 24: cut line 25: separation portion 26: connection portion 3: storage portion 4: through-hole portion (modified example)
5: Through-hole portion (modified example)
P: Cylindrical support B: Blister S: Sealing seal Da: Interdental cleaning tool group

Claims (4)

It is composed of a substrate having a thickness of 2 mm or less and made of a material selected from a synthetic resin film, paper, wood chips, or metal;
a through-hole portion having a thickness of 2 mm or less through which a cylindrical support member can be inserted;
a storage section capable of storing an object to be stored,
A container used by being suspended from one of the cylindrical supports,
the material has a strength sufficient to maintain the shape of the through-hole portion when the container containing the object to be contained in the containing portion is suspended from the cylindrical support body,
The through-hole portion is
a first portion through which the cylindrical support member can be inserted;
a second portion connected to the first portion on the opposite side of the first portion to the housing portion side,
a boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion is an intersection point between a circle defining a periphery of the first portion and a circle or a polygon defining a periphery of the second portion,
the width of the boundary portion is smaller than the opening dimension of the portion in the width direction;
a portion of a periphery of the through-hole portion is configured as a score line provided in the base material of the container;
the other portion of the periphery of the through-hole portion is configured as a connecting portion that connects a separation portion separated from the base material by the cut line to a remaining portion of the base material,
The connecting portion is a container provided on the storage portion side of the first portion . The container described in claim 1, wherein the width of the boundary portion is 1.0 mm or more and 4.9 mm or less. 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein , in a position where the container is suspended from the cylindrical support, the opening dimension of the through-hole portion in the vertical direction is larger than the opening dimension of the through-hole portion in the horizontal direction. a container that is made of a base material having a thickness of 2 mm or less and made of a material selected from a synthetic resin film, paper, wood, or metal, and that is capable of accommodating an object to be accommodated; and a through-hole portion having a thickness of 2 mm or less and that has a first portion and a second portion that is connected to the first portion on the side of the first portion opposite to the accommodating portion, wherein a boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion is an intersection of a circle that defines the periphery of the first portion and a circle or polygon that defines the periphery of the second portion, and the width of the boundary portion is smaller than the opening dimension of the first portion in the width direction, and a portion of the periphery of the through-hole portion is configured as a cut line provided in the base material, and another portion of the periphery of the through-hole portion is configured as a connecting portion that connects a separation portion that is separated from the base material by the cut line to the remainder of the base material , and the connecting portion is configured as a
a suspending step of inserting a cylindrical support into the first portion and suspending the container on the cylindrical support;
A display method in which the shape of the through-hole portion is maintained when the container is suspended from the cylindrical support.