Patent Application
20210316912
The present invention relates to a paper lid and a method for producing a paper lid, and particularly to a paper lid that is suitable for a liquid container and a method for producing the same.
A paper cup is used as a container for various drinks such as coffee and tea. The paper cup is covered with a lid such that a liquid which is a content does not leak from the paper cup. In many cases, a plastic lid is used as the lid and does not match the recent trend that the use of plastics is reduced and an environmentally friendly product is used. In addition, a technique where a bottom part of a paper cup is used as a paper lid has been also proposed; however, the usability has not been taken into consideration (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-248530).
According to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-248530, the taper of the paper cup and the taper of the lid are tapered forward and there is a risk of a leakage of the content when the paper cup is inclined, and thus the usability is not sufficient. In addition, a mere proposal of the paper lid has been made and details have not been studied, and thus the usability has not been sufficient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a paper lid with good usability.
According to an implementation of the teachings herein, there is provided a paper lid including a lid body portion that includes a paper material to be mounted on a container including an opening portion, a taper, and a curl portion; a first engaging portion that is provided in the lid body portion, includes a taper in the same direction as a direction of the taper, and engages with the curl portion from outside the curl portion; and a body portion side curl portion that is provided in the lid body portion and is positioned above the first engaging portion.
According to another implementation of the teachings herein, there is provided a method for producing a paper lid, the method including providing a drinking spout portion in a top lid portion using a paper material and a seal portion to be joined to the top lid portion and the drinking spout portion; and joining the top lid portion, in which the drinking spout portion and the seal portion are formed, to a tapered portion that has a tapered shape and uses a paper material.
According to yet another implementation of the teachings herein, there is provided a method for producing a paper lid to be mounted on a container including an opening portion, a taper, and a curl portion, the method including forming an engaging portion, which deforms the curl portion to engage with the curl portion, using a paper material having a fan shape; and joining a top lid portion to the engaging portion.
According to yet another implementation of the teachings herein, there is provided a paper lid including a body portion that includes a paper material; and an engaging portion that has an angle different from an angle of a taper and engages with the taper to be mounted on a container including an opening portion and the taper.
According to yet another implementation of the teachings herein, there is provided a paper lid including a body portion that includes a paper material and includes a first engaging portion which is engageable from outside an opening portion to be mounted on a container including the opening portion and a taper; and a second engaging portion that includes a paper material and is engageable from inside the opening portion.
In a paper lid described herein, the sealability of the paper lid is improved; and thereby, it is possible to improve the usability of the paper lid.
According to a method for producing a paper lid described herein, where the top lid portion where the drinking spout portion and the seal portion are formed is joined to the tapered portion that has a tapered shape and uses a paper material, it is possible to produce the paper lid with good usability.
According to a method for producing a paper lid described herein, where the engaging portion is formed to deform the curl portion of the container, the sealability of the paper lid is improved; and thereby, it is possible to improve the usability of the paper lid.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to
Paper Lid
The paper lid 1 includes a top lid portion 2, a tapered portion 3 formed in the top lid portion 2, a bottom lid portion 4, the drinking spout 5, a groove portion 6, an air hole portion 7, and the seal portion 8.
The paper lid 1 is inserted inside the container 20 and is made of a paper material. The paper material may contain at least a cellulose component, and the content of the cellulose component is not specifically limited. In addition, a paper material formed by papermaking may be used.
In addition, as the paper material, various waterproof papers such as a coated paper of which the surface is provided with a coating layer may be used, or a coating layer may be provided at least on a container side surface of the paper material. A film or a coating agent can be used as the coating layer. As the film and the coating agent, it is possible to use polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, cyanoacrylate, epoxy resin, polyacrylic resin, polymethacrylic resin, nylon, polycarbonate; biodegradable resins or biodegradable resin mixtures such as polycaprolactone, polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyhydroxybutyrate, polylactic acid, and starch-based resin such as esterified starch, cellulose acetate, polyethylene succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyglycolic acid, chitosan/cellulose/starch, poly(hydroxybutyrate/hydroxyhexanoate), poly(caprolactone/butylene succinate), polybutylene succinate, poly(butylene succinate/adipate), poly(butylene succinate/carbonate), poly(ethylene terephthalate/succinate), poly(butylene adipate/terephthalate), and poly(tetramethylene adipate/terephthalate); biodegradable biomass resins, fluororesins; silicone resin; ultraviolet curable resin; copolymers of monomer such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-propylene-butadiene copolymer, acrylic-styrene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer which form the foregoing resins; natural resin; paraffin, gelatin; cellophane; and polymethylpentene. The coating layer can be formed by applying or spraying films, emulsions, or solutions made of the foregoing resins, or coating agents such as a fluorine-based coating agent, a silicon-based coating agent, and a varnish.
The film may be a single layer film or a multilayer film, and not only one type of coating agent may be applied but also two or more types of coating agents may be repeatedly applied. It is desirable that a film made of a biodegradable resin such as a polylactic acid or a biodegradable resin mixture is used as the film or the coating agent, and in this manner, it is possible to reduce the environmental load. Even in a case where the material contains terephthalate such as poly (tetramethylene adipate/terephthalate), when the content is approximately 40%, the material has biodegradability.
In addition, when a coating agent is used, for example, a vegetable starch that does not adversely affect the human body may be used. In the present embodiment, a bottom part of a paper cup can be also used as the paper lid 1.
A step (sunken portion) having a depth of approximately 3 mm to 12 mm toward a lower side (container 20 side) is formed in the top lid portion 2, and the tapered portion 3 is formed in a side surface of the top lid portion 2. The tapered portion 3 is a taper (reverse taper) of which the taper direction is reverse to that of a tapered portion 21 of the exterior of the container 20 to be described, and has a tapered shape that is widened toward the container 20. The dimension of the tapered portion 3 in a height direction (Z direction in
When the tapered portion 3 and the tapered portion 21 are tapered reversely to each other, because a fitting force functions in surface contact but in point contact (line contact), the fitting force is exerted on a fitting portion in a more concentrated manner compared to the case of surface contact. For this reason, the fittability of the tapered portion 3 and the tapered portion 21 is improved, and thus the sealability of the paper lid 1 is improved. In addition, because the tapered portion 3 and the tapered portion 21 are made of a paper material, the tapered portion 3 and the tapered portion 21 are deformed due to fitting, to form a slight planar portion. The planar portion improves the fittability of the tapered portion 3 and the tapered portion 21. In addition, even where the tapered portion 3 has a linear shape without a taper, it is possible to obtain the foregoing effect. Namely, the inclination of the tapered portion 3 may be different from the inclination of the tapered portion 21.
Incidentally, in order to improve the sealability of the paper lid 1, the tapered portion 3 may be provided with an irregular uneven portion or a step portion.
The bottom lid portion 4 is shaped to engage with the top lid portion 2. Various methods such as press working, ultrasonic joining, heat sealing, and an adhesive (for example, a starch paste) can be used to realize the engagement between the bottom lid portion 4 and the top lid portion 2.
The drinking spout 5 is an opening provided in the top lid portion 2 and the bottom lid portion 4, to serve as a drinking spout or a hole into which a straw is inserted, and the size or the shape thereof can be appropriately set. In addition, a cut line with a half-cut may be provided, and a user may remove the half-cut.
As illustrated in
Where a curl portion 9 is widened outward as illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, because the groove portions 6 are provided by press working, it is possible to improve the strength of the top lid portion 2 or the paper lid 1.
As illustrated in
A sticker indicating the content may be affixed or printed on the top lid portion 2, and a sticker of the face of a human or an animal may be affixed or printed. In this case, where the drinking spout 5 is provided to correspond to the mouth of a human or the mouth of an animal, the user can enjoy the pleasure of kissing when the user ingests the content. In addition, a half of a face may be printed on the tapered portion 3 and the remaining part of the face may be printed on the tapered portion 21 of the container 20. Thereby, when the paper lid 1 is correctly mounted, the printed face is visible.
Characters, symbols, patterns, or figures are printed on the display portion 40 to identify the content of the container 20. As described above, because the paper lid 1 is made of a paper material, printing can be easily performed. In addition, it is possible to identify whether the content is hot or cold by printing a background color on the display portion 40. For example, a hot beverage may be identified by printing a red color as the background color, and a cold beverage may be identified by printing a light blue color as the background color. In addition, the user can be also reminded of the content by the background color. For example, a black color may be printed as the background color for black coffee, an orange color may be printed for orange juice, and a white color may be printed as the background color for milk. Incidentally, when the background color is a black color, characters, symbols, patterns, or figures may be outlined.
As illustrated in the partial enlarged view, the display portion 40 includes an outside display portion 40a that is printed to correspond to the outside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1, a curl display portion 40b that is printed to correspond to the curl portion 9, and an inside display portion 40c that is printed to correspond to the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1. As shown, the peripheral wall is formed on an outer periphery of the top lid portion 2, and extends to the curl portion 9 to be connected to the curl portion 9.
A plurality of content candidates may be printed as characters on the outside display portion 40a on the outside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 such that mainly a side serving a content can recognize the content. As one example, the content candidates are a mocha coffee and a black coffee in
The curl display portion 40b is displayed in connection with at least one of the outside display portion 40a and the inside display portion 40c. For example, the server serving a content confirms a content of the container 20 among the plurality of content candidates and modifies the curl display portion 40b in connection with the outside display portion 40a indicating the content of the container 20. In this way, other persons (for example, a user or clerks other than himself or herself) can identify the content. Because the curl portion 9 is easily modified by pressing or bending the curl portion 9 with the fingers, even when a writing instrument is not used, the other persons can identify the content.
For this reason, it is preferable that the curl display portion 40b is a linear line or a curved line. For example, the curl display portion 40b is a plurality of curved lines, and the shape of the curved line is deformed due to pressing from above, to become different from the shapes of the curved lines that are not pressed. For this reason, the other persons can identify the content based on a modification of the curl portion 9 or a modification of the print. Where characters are printed on the curl display portion 40b, because the curl portion 9 is deformed into a planar shape when the curl portion 9 is pressed from above, the printed character is seen large and is greatly different in size from the characters that are not pressed. Thereby, it is possible to identify the content. The curl portion 9 is not limited to being deformed by pressing from above, and the curl portion 9 may be bent inward or may be bent outward. In this case, a cut may be provided in the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1.
In addition, a modification such as drilling a hole in the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall using a hole drilling tool may be performed. In addition, where the content is identified by a modification of the curl portion 9 is determined, the print of the curl display portion 40b may be omitted.
As described above, it is possible to recognize the content by physically modifying the curl portion 9.
The plurality of content candidates may be printed as characters on the inside display portion 40c on the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 such that mainly the user can recognize the content. For this reason, it is preferable that the inside display portion 40c is provided together with the curl display portion 40b at a position where the user can see the inside display portion 40c from the drinking spout 5. Specifically, where the drinking spout 5 is on a lower side, it is preferable that the inside display portion 40c be provided at the upper right (first quadrant) or the upper left (second quadrant) of the paper lid 1.
It is preferable that the outside display portion 40a, the curl display portion 40b, and the inside display portion 40c are provided in connection with each other. However, because the server serving the content may be able to recognize the content, the outside display portion 40a may be provided independent of the inside display portion 40c, and can be provided at a random position on the outside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1. From the viewpoint of facilitating printing, it is preferable that the printing of the display portion 40 including the curl display portion 40b is performed before the curl portion 9 is formed.
The display portion 40 may be formed as a sticker instead of printing. In addition, the top lid portion 2 may be provided with a mark related to a display of the outside display portion 40a or the inside display portion 40c. In this case, the mark may be drawn on the top lid portion 2 by a writing instrument.
In
When a part of the curl portion 9 and the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 are to be modified, as described above, a cut may be provided in the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1.
As illustrated in
Because a tip of the curl portion forming region 9a is rolled inward of the curl portion 9, even when printing of the curl display portion 40b is performed, the curl display portion 40b is not visible. For this reason, printing of the curl display portion 40b may not be performed on the tip of the curl portion forming region 9a. In addition, the curl portion forming region 9a requires rigidity to form a curl, and it is not appropriate to form the cut portions 41 in the curl portion forming region 9a before the curl portion 9 is formed. For this reason, it is preferable that the cut portions 41 are provided away from the curl portion forming region 9a outside both ends of the display portion 40. After the curl portion 9 is formed, cuts may be provided in the curl portion 9 such that a region including the display portions 40 can be bent inward or outward.
From the viewpoint of facilitating production, it is preferable that the cut portions 41 are formed after the display portions 40 are printed; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the cut portions 41 may be formed after the curl portion 9 is formed. In addition, each of the cut portions 41 may be formed as a half-cut, may be formed discontinuously, or may be provided only on one side of the display portion 40.
When the display portion 40 is bent inward, the print of the outside display portion 40a is visible, and when the display portion 40 is bent outward, the print of the inside display portion 40c is visible. As described above, when a display of the display portion 40 is confirmed by bending the display portion 40, as illustrated in the partial enlarged view of
Accordingly, the user can see the content of the container 20 by bending the display portion 40 corresponding to the content of the container 20.
It is preferable that a cut portion 41 is formed to not reach the top lid portion 2. This is to prevent the content from the container 20 from leaking from the cut portion 41. In addition, the content may be visible in connection with a display of the display portion 40 by not only bending the cut portion 41 but also modifying the curl portion 9, in which the cut portion 41 is formed, by pressing. In addition, as described above, because the curl portion 9 is modified into a planar shape by pressing from above, the visibility of the characters, the marks, or the figures printed on the curl display portion 40b are improved.
In regard to the size of the drinking spout 5, as one example from the viewpoint of the ease of drinking, a width W1 is from 10 mm to 25 mm, preferably from 15 mm to 22 mm, and a length L1 is from 10 mm to 25 mm, preferably from 14 mm to 21 mm. Where the drinking spout 5 is present at an outer peripheral end (peripheral wall part) of the top lid portion 2, because drinking becomes difficult, a length L2 from the outer peripheral end (peripheral wall part) to the drinking spout 5 may be set to be from 1 mm to 15 mm, preferably from 4 mm to 12 mm. Where the content of the container 20 is a hot beverage and the length L2 is 4 mm or greater, because the temperature of the content decreases while the content travels on the top lid portion 2, it is possible to reduce the risk of a burn when the content is ingested via the outer peripheral end (peripheral wall part). When L2 is shortened to be from 3 mm to 5 mm, it is possible to inhibit the content from spreading out on the top lid portion 2 after the content is ingested from the drinking spout 5.
In addition, depending on the setting of a height H2 of the peripheral wall, as will be described later with reference to
When the ease of drinking and the risk of a burn are taken into consideration, a ratio between the length L1 of the drinking spout 5 and the length L2 of the drinking spout 5 may be from 1.1 to 10, preferably from 1.1 to 5.3. The shape of the drinking spout 5 is not limited to the illustrated shape, and may be any shape. In addition, the drinking spout 5 may be provided with the connected portion 5a or the groove portion 6 illustrated in
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the groove portions 6 are present, so that the usability of the paper lid 1 is improved.
Returning to
One end of the seal portion 8 is a seal portion 8a that closes the drinking spout 5, and the other end 8b thereof has a function to be described later. The seal portion 8 is a releasable seal. The seal portion 8 can be made of a waterproof paper such as a paraffin paper, and a waterproof agent such as a paraffin coat, a silicon, or Teflon (registered trademark) may be applied to the paper.
The other end 8b of the seal portion 8 can be used as a pull-up portion when the seal portion 8 is peeled off. Alternatively, the other end 8b may remain joined to the top lid portion 2 when the seal portion 8a is pulled up to peel off the seal portion 8. As illustrated in
In addition, a part of an upper side of the curl portion 22 of the container 20 may be collapsed to provide a planar portion, and the planar portion may be joined to a bottom surface of the tapered portion 3 or a bottom surface of the bottom lid portion 4. Ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, and adhesion can be used as a joining method in this case.
When the other end 8b is pulled up in use, an adhesive agent may not be applied to the other end 8b. On the other hand, when the adhesive surface of the seal portion 8a is affixed to the tapered portion 21 or the curl portion 22 of the container 20, the other end 8b is more firmly bonded thereto than the seal portion 8a. In any case, the adhesive force of the seal portion 8a is different from the adhesive force of the other end 8b.
The container 20 is a paper container including an opening on an upper side thereof, and includes the tapered portion 21, the curl portion 22, and a bottom portion 23. In the present embodiment, because the tapered portion 21 of the container 20 and the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 are tapered reversely to each other, when the paper lid 1 is pushed into the container 20, the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20 is improved. Thereby, even when the container 20 is overturned, it is possible to reduce the risk of spilling the content of the container 20. In addition, various printings can be performed on the paper lid 1. A marker (a line, a mark, or a message) serving as a guide for pushing the paper lid 1 into the container 20 can be printed on the tapered portion 21 (side surface), which will be described later in detail in a third embodiment. When printing is performed on the sunken portion of the top lid portion 2, the user can easily see the printing, and a description of a product or a description of precautions can be given by printing. In addition, the marker (a line, a mark, or a message) serving as a guide for pushing in the paper lid 1 may be provided on a container 20 side, and a precautionary statement to the effect that “please push in the paper lid 1 to the marker on the container 20 side or until the marker is not visible” may be printed on the sunken portion or the tapered portion 3 of the top lid portion 2. Furthermore, a marker or a message of the paper lid 1 and a maker or a message of the container 20 may be aligned with each other to form a new marker or form a new message. The paper lid 1 of the present invention is not limited to being used for a paper container, and can be used as a lid for various containers such as a plastic container and a foamed plastic container.
Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described with reference to
In the present embodiment, the curl portion 9 is provided also in the paper lid 1. The curl portion 9 may be provided integrally with the paper lid 1, or the curl portion 9 as a separate body may be joined to the paper lid 1. A bent portion may be formed in the curl portion 9, and the shape of the bent portion may be any shape.
In the present embodiment, the curl portion 9 and the curl portion 22 differ from each other in size. Where the curl portion 9 is made large, it is possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20 when the curl portion 9 and the curl portion 22 are fitted to each other. In this case, even when the container 20 is overturned, it is possible to reduce the risk of spilling the content of the container 20.
A part of a lower end of the curl portion 9 may be collapsed to form one planar portion, a part of an upper end of the curl portion 22 may be collapsed to form one planar portion, and the planar portions may be joined to each other to form a hinge portion. In this case, the size of the curl portion 9 may be smaller than the size of the curl portion 22.
Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to
The holder 30 is made of a paper material, and is a tapered annular member having the same taper as that of the tapered portion 21 of the container 20. A part of the holder 30 which is a tapered annular member may be cut.
In order to prevent the container 20 from being accidentally dropped, unevenness may be provided in a surface of the holder 30 by press working or embossing, or an anti-slipping agent may be applied thereto.
A hinge 31 is a connection member that connects the holder 30 and the paper lid 1. The hinge 31 is made of a paper material, and one end of the hinge 31 is joined to the taper of the holder 30 and the other end thereof is joined to the paper lid 1. In this case, it is desirable that the other end of the hinge 31 is joined to the sunken portion of the top lid portion 2. The hinge 31 may be bent in several stages such that the hinge 31 has a Z-shape and spring properties. The hinge 31 may be made of a yarn or a cloth.
In addition, a mark 10 serving as a marker for pushing the paper lid 1 into the container 20 is printed on a side surface of the paper lid 1.
Various joining methods such as ultrasonic joining, heat sealing, and adhesion can be applied as a method for joining the hinge 31.
The container 20 may have various sizes (an S size, an M size, and an L size), and the diameter of the curl portion 22 or the diameter of the tapered portion 21 differs depending on the size of the container 20. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the size of the paper lid 1 and the size of the holder 30 are set to coincide with each other. For example, where the size of the paper lid 1 is an L size, the holder 30 also has an L size.
Accordingly, a position where the holder 30 is locked to the container 20 is fixed. Thus, the user does not feel discomfort.
Also in
In the present embodiment, the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 may be the same taper (forward taper) as the tapered portion 21 of the container 20.
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to
In the present embodiment, the holder 30 is a tapered annular member having a taper reverse to that of the tapered portion 21 of the container 20. A part of the holder 30 that is a tapered annular member may be cut.
In the present embodiment, the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 may be the same taper (forward taper) as the tapered portion 21 of the container 20.
In the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, because the paper lid 1 and the holder are integrated via the hinge 31, even when the content of the container 20 is hot, the container 20 does not become too hot to be held, and the content of the container 20 does not even cool down.
Because the paper lids 1 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment can be stored or transported in a stacking manner, it is possible to reduce logistics costs.
Because the paper lids 1 with the holders 30 of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment can be stored or transported in a stacking manner, it is possible to reduce logistics costs.
In addition, in the lid illustrated in the reference view of
In contrast, in the paper lid 1 with the holder 30 of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, when the paper lid 1 is removed, the paper lid 1 is held by the holder 30. Therefore, the drinking spout 5 does not come into contact with a table, and the content which adheres to the bottom lid portion 4 due to the tapered portion 3 does not fall onto the table. Thereby, it is possible to improve the usability of the paper lid 1.
In the examples described in the foregoing embodiments, the tapered portion 3 is fitted to an inside of the container 20, so that the paper lid 1 is fitted to the inside of the container 20. An example where the paper lid 1 is fitted to the outside of the container 20 will be described below.
In the paper lid 1 of
The paper lid 1 of
Because the curl portion 22 is positioned between the second tapered portion 11 and the engaging portion 12, it is possible to reduce the risk that the paper lid 1 is removed from the container 20. For this reason, the engaging portion 12 may not be always in contact with the curl portion 22. For example, when the paper lid 1 is fitted to the container 20 and the second tapered portion 11 is fitted to the curl portion 22, there may be a clearance of approximately 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm between the engaging portion 12 and the curl portion 22. The engaging portion 12 may be shaped to engage with the entire periphery of the curl portion 22, or may be shaped to engage with the curl portion 22 at several places.
In the paper lid 1 of
As described above, because the engaging portion 12 includes the base portion 12a and the engaging part 12b, it is possible to reduce the amount of paper material used for the engaging portion 12.
In
In addition, when the curl portion 9 is collapsed in the height direction (in the Z direction), the height of the curl portion 9 is increased, and the distance from the drinking spout 5 formed in the sunken portion is increased. Thereby, it is possible to realize the paper lid 1 that allows easier drinking. It is preferable that the curl portion 9 is from approximately 0.5 mm to 1 mm in a width direction. When the curl portion 9 is collapsed by press working, it is possible to improve the press workability of the curl portion 9 by heating a part (for example, a lower die holding the paper lid 1) of a press machine to 50° C. to 90° C. In addition, when the curl portion 9 is collapsed, because the exterior of the paper lid 1 can be reduced, it is possible to increase the number of the paper lids 1 to be transported, reducing the transportation cost per unit of the paper lids 1.
In
Similarly, in
As illustrated in
Even when the second tapered portion 11 and the tapered portion 21 are tapered forward, the taper angle of the second tapered portion 11 may be set to be from 3 to 5 degrees and the taper angle of the tapered portion 21 may be set to be from 6 to 7 degrees such that the taper angles are different from each other.
At least a part (part that engages with the curl portion 22) of an inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 may not be provided with a coating layer. Accordingly, the paper material of the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 engages with the curl portion 22 provided with the coating layer. Thus, due to the friction of the paper material, the second tapered portion 11 and the curl portion 22 become less slippery, making it possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20. In addition, because the content of the container 20 penetrates through the paper material of the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 to cause the second tapered portion 11 to swell, it is possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20.
In the reference example illustrated in
In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, because the curl portion 9 is present above a position where the paper lid 1 and the container 20 are fitted to each other, the curl portion 9 or a peripheral wall on the periphery of the curl portion 9 can be held by the hand and then the paper lid 1 can be simply removed from the container 20. Thereby, there is no risk that the content reaches the hand of the user.
In addition, in the reference example illustrated in
In contrast, in the present embodiment, because the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall on the periphery of the curl portion 9 that is present above the drinking spout 5 and is formed on the upper side of the paper lid 1 is held by the hand and then the paper lid 1 is removed, there is no risk that the content splashes out from the drinking spout 5 to reach the hand of the user. Where the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall on the periphery of the curl portion 9 is held by the hand and then the paper lid 1 is mounted or removed, from the viewpoint of hygiene, it is desirable that the curl portion 9 in the vicinity of the drinking spout 5 is not touched by a hand. Therefore, as illustrated in
Instead of coloring the top lid portion 2 or in conjunction with coloring the top lid portion 2, the step portion 9b is provided. Thereby, it is possible to inhibit the user from touching the curl portion 9 in the vicinity of the drinking spout 5 by their hand.
Incidentally, when the paper lid 1 is a type where the paper lid 1 is removed and then the content of the container 20 is drunk, the drinking spout 5 can be omitted.
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 12 is tapered, so that a tapered portion 12c is formed. The tapered portion 12c is the same taper (forward taper) as the second tapered portion 11. However, the tapered portion 12c may be a reverse taper having a different taper direction or may have a different taper angle.
In the paper lid 1 of
Incidentally, a curl portion may be formed in an upper surface of the engaging portion 12, and the engaging portion 12 and the bottom lid portion 4 may be joined to each other by the curl portion.
In the paper lid 1 of
In the paper lid 1 of
The bottom portion 23a and the bottom portion 23b may be made of the same paper material, or may be made of different paper materials.
In
When the lower die 73 holding the bottom portion 23a moves toward the upper die 71, a tip of the bottom portion 23a comes into contact with the upper die groove portion 72, slides on a surface of the upper die groove portion 72 along the curved surface of the upper die groove portion 72, stretches out to be opened outward, is gradually curled, and then comes into contact with the lower die groove portion 74. Accordingly, the upper side of the bottom portion 23a is curled.
It is possible to produce the paper lid 1 by joining the top lid portion 2 and the top lid portion 2a and then processing the drinking spout 5 or the air hole portion 7.
In
In the present embodiment, the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 and the tapered portion 21 of the container 20 are tapered reversely to each other. However, the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 and the tapered portion 21 of the container 20 may be tapered forward, or the tapered portion 3 may have a linear shape. Where the lower end portion is bent inward and a protruding portion is provided in an inner surface of the lower end portion or the inner surface is made wavy, the paper lid 1 can be more firmly fitted to the container 20.
The technique where the curl portions are fitted to each other as illustrated in
A major diameter d5 of the curl member 52 is larger than an inner diameter d6 of the curl member 56. When the lid portion 105 is opened, at least one of the curl member 52 and the curl member 56 is elastically deformed, so that the curl member 52 is fitted internally to the curl member 56.
In
In
As is apparent from the above description, the technique where the curl portions are fitted to each other or the technique where the curl portion and the tapered portion are fitted to each other is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-138005.
Other forms of fitting can be also applied to the paper lid 1 of the sixth embodiment described above.
In
Where the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 are tapered reversely to each other, because the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 when fitted to each other are not in surface contact but in point contact (line contact), a fitting force is exerted on a fitting portion in a more concentrated manner compared to the case of surface contact. For this reason, the fittability of the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 is improved, and thus the sealability of the paper lid 1 is improved. Because the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 are made of a paper material, the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 are deformed due to fitting, to form a slight planar portion. The planar portion improves the fittability of the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21. Because a fitting length is shorter due to the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 being in point contact (line contact) compared to where the tapered portion 12c and the tapered portion 21 are tapered forward, the paper lid 1 is simply removed from the container 20.
Incidentally, the paper lid 1 of the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment may be a paper lid with the holder 30.
Various modifications can be also made thereto. Hereinafter, modification examples of the seal portion 8 of
The seal portion 8 of
In the present embodiment, the window portion 18 is a transparent member, and can be made of various films (including a biodegradable film) such as a polypropylene film and a polyethylene film. In addition, the transparent member may be made of cellulose nanofibers, and the paper lid 1 may be made of cellulose nanofibers.
The window portion 18 can be formed by forming an opening portion in a paper material, and joining a film as a coating layer to the opening portion to cover the opening portion using various joining methods such as heat sealing and an adhesive. The film may be joined to a single surface side (for example, an upper surface side) of the paper material, or two film rolls are provided and joined to both sides (the upper surface side and a lower surface side). In addition, a film formed by T-die molding where a molten resin is extruded from a slit to form a thin film can be joined to the paper material. In this case, because the molten resin is used, when the paper material and the film are pressed by a pair of pressing rollers, the resin may adhere to a film side pressing roller. For this reason, it is preferable that the film side pressing roller be made of Teflon (registered trademark) or silicon. In addition, the pair of pressing rollers may be heated to improve the joinability between the paper material and the film. Also in this case, in order to avoid the adhesion of the resin to the film side pressing roller, it is preferable that a paper material side pressing roller is heated. The air hole portion 7 may be formed at a position different from that of the window portion 18 as illustrated in
The cut portion 24 is a portion into which a straw is inserted. In the present embodiment, the cut portion 24 includes a cut indicated by a solid line, and half-cuts that are indicated by dotted lines and are formed at both ends of the cut. However, the cut portion 24 may include only the cut or only the half-cuts. Where the paper lid 1 is for a hot beverage, the cut portion 24 may be omitted. The width of the cut portion 24 can be from approximately 0.3 mm to 1 mm. In a state where the film of the window portion 18 is stretched, in a case where a cutter is put in the film, and a cut capable of communicating with the container 20 side is provided, when the cutter is pulled out, the width of the cut becomes narrower due to the elasticity of the film toward the container 20 side. For this reason, in a state where a straw is not yet inserted, even when the paper lid 1 is fitted to the container 20 and the container 20 is turned upside down, there is almost no leakage of the content from the cut portion 24. Even when the container 20 is accidentally overturned, the content does not leak from the paper lid 1. The cut portion 24 may be cross hairs, radial lines, or a curved line (for example, an S-shape).
Because the cut is formed as described above, the straw can be easily inserted into the cut portion 24. Furthermore, because the half-cuts are formed at both ends of the cut, when a straw having a large diameter is inserted, half-cut parts are ruptured. For this reason, straws from a straw having a small diameter to a straw having a large diameter can be easily inserted into the cut portion 24 of the present embodiment.
In the examples of
Press working may be performed on the periphery of the window portion 18, in which the cut portion 24 is not formed, to improve the strength of the window portion 18.
Where the display portion 40 or the cut portion 41 described above is provided in conjunction with the formation of the window portion 18, it is possible to more easily see the content of the container 20.
In addition, a film may also be stretched on a part (lower portion of the engaging portion 12) to which reference sign 12 is assigned, to serve as the window portion 18, and a film may also be stretched on a part (lower portion of the bottom lid portion 4) to which reference sign 4 is assigned, to serve as the window portion 18. As described above, because two or more window portions 18 are provided, a space formed by the two films serves as a heat insulating portion; and thereby, it is possible to improve the heat retention of the content in container 20.
Incidentally, a curl portion may be formed in an upper surface of the engaging portion 12, and the engaging portion 12 and the bottom lid portion 4 may be joined to each other by the curl portion.
In
Any one of the second seal portions 28 can be made of a film, a paper material, aluminum, a non-woven fabric, a rubber, or a cloth. In addition, a second sub-seal portion 28a can be also made of the foregoing materials.
The cut portion 24 is formed at the center of the second seal portion 28 illustrated uppermost in
A straw can be inserted through the cut portion 24 in the second seal portion 28.
The second seal portion 28 illustrated in the middle of
As described above, because the second sub-seal portion 28a is provided, the cut portion 24 formed in the second seal portion 28 can be reinforced as in the case of the reinforcement portion 27 described above.
The second seal portion 28 illustrated lowermost in
Incidentally, printing may be performed on at least one of the second seal portion 28 or the second sub-seal portion 28a to provide a marker to help finding out an insertion point for a straw.
In addition, it is desirable that the cut portion 24 is shaped and sized so as to be usable with a paper straw or also a straw having a non-sharp tip.
The second seal portion 28 illustrated uppermost in
The second seal portion 28 illustrated in the middle of
The second seal portion 28 illustrated lowermost in
For this reason, the second sub-seal portion 28a is turned over from the second seal portion 28, so that a straw can be inserted through the cut portion 24. Incidentally, the second seal portion 28 of
Incidentally, the drawing is simplified, and the curl portion 9 and the curl portion 22 are outward curls. To simplify the drawing, the drinking spout 5 is not illustrated.
As one example of the dimensions of the paper lid 1, the diameter is from approximately 70 mm to 140 mm, an entire height H1 of the paper lid 1 is from 12 mm to 20 mm, and the height H2 of a peripheral wall from the curl portion 9 to the top lid portion 2 is from 3.5 mm to 12 mm. The height H2 of the peripheral wall depends on the capacity of the paper lid 1; however, from the viewpoint of the ease of drinking, it is preferable that the height H2 is from 6 mm to 9 mm. Where the height H2 is from approximately 36% to 53% of the entire height H1, it is possible to obtain the paper lid 1 that is well balanced. Incidentally, when transporting a plurality of the paper lids 1 in a stacking manner, the curl portion 9 and the curl portion 9 may perfectly stick to each other, making it difficult to take out the paper lid 1. For this reason, it is desirable that a height obtained by subtracting the height H2 of the peripheral wall from the entire height H1 is larger than the height H2 of the peripheral wall. It is more preferable that the height H2 of the peripheral wall be set from approximately 36% to 48% of the entire height H1. Accordingly, it is easy to take out the plurality of paper lids 1 when stacked, and the stacking height can be reduced.
Desirably, the diameter of the curl portion 9 is from approximately 2 mm to 3 mm and a height obtained by subtracting the diameter of the curl portion 9 from the height H2 of the peripheral wall is larger than the diameter (height) of the curl portion. Accordingly, even when the user puts their mouth on the curl portion 9 to sip a hot beverage from the drinking spout 5, it is possible to reduce the risk of a burn because the temperature of the content decreases according to the height H2 of the peripheral wall. As described with reference to
The recessed portion 35 of the top lid portion 2 can be formed by, for example, press working, and it is desirable that the depth of the recessed portion 35 be from approximately 0.8 mm to 2.0 mm. In addition, the width of the recessed portion 35 is preferably set such that at least an upper portion of the curl portion 22 can be accommodated at both ends of the top lid portion 2. The width of the recessed portion 35 may be slightly smaller than the width of the curl portion 22 and both ends of the top lid portion 2 may be elastically deformed to accommodate at least the upper portion of the curl portion 22. Where both ends of the top lid portion 2 accommodate at least the upper portion of the curl portion 22, the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20 is improved.
To facilitate the formation of the recessed portion 35, the paper material (or paper lid 1) is desirably heated up to a temperature (for example, from 50° C. to 100° C.), at which the coating agent of the paper material is not adversely affected, by infrared rays or hot air. In addition, the lower die of the press machine, which holds the paper material (or the paper lid 1), is preferably heated to 60° C. to 130° C., and more preferably to 70° C. to 100° C. Only either one of the heating of the paper material (or the paper lid 1) and the heating of the press machine may be performed, or both may be performed. Because the recessed portion 35 is formed, as illustrated in the partial enlarged view, a space between the second tapered portion 11 and the recessed portion 35 is reduced. As a result, when the paper lid 1 is mounted on the container 20, the sealability is improved. The recessed portion 35 may be formed such that an end portion of the recessed portion 35 comes into contact with the curl portion 22. The recessed portion 35 may be formed by performing press working on a part corresponding to the recessed portion 35, or may be formed by turning the paper lid 1 upside down and performing press working on both ends of the top lid portion 2.
The engaging portion 36 is a ring-shaped (donut-shaped) member that is made of a paper material provided with a coating layer such as a film, and is joined to an inside of the top lid portion 2 by, for example, heat sealing or ultrasonic joining. Both ends of the engaging portion 36 are free ends that are not joined to the top lid portion 2. Both ends of the engaging portion 36 may have a tapered shape, may be forward tapers having the same taper direction as that of the tapered portion 21, or may be reverse tapers having a taper direction different from that of the tapered portion 21.
The engaging portion 36 has dimensions that allow an engagement with the curl portion 22, and the free ends of the engaging portion 36 are bent upward (not illustrated) by engagement of the free ends with the curl portion 22. Because the engaging portion 36 serves as a packing, when the paper lid 1 is mounted on the container 20 it is possible to improve the sealability. Preferably, the basis weight of the engaging portion 36 is equal to the basis weight of the paper lid 1 or less, and the basis weight of the engaging portion 36 may be from approximately 150 g/m2 to 250 g/m2.
Because the engaging portion 36 has a ring shape, a space is formed inside the engaging portion 36 that serves as a heat insulating portion; and thereby, it is possible to improve the heat retention of the content in the container 20. In addition, when the container 20 is inclined, a space portion S1 formed by the curl portion 22, the top lid portion 2, and the engaging portion 36 is capable of holding the content from the container 20. Thereby, it is possible to reduce leakage of the content from the paper lid 1 excluding the drinking spout 5. The engaging portion 36 may not have a ring shape but have a solid shape. Various corrugated cardboards having flutes may be used as the paper material, and instead of the paper material, a film (for example, a polyethylene film) may be used.
A piece member of which a part is recessed is pressed, so that the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 is compressed. A part that is not pressed by the recessed part of the piece member remains as the protruding portion 37. The curl portion 22 goes over the protruding portion 37 to enter the space formed by the second tapered portion 11 and the recessed portion 35. The protruding portion 37 serves to prevent fall-out of the curl portion 22, which has entered the space formed by the second tapered portion 11 and the recessed portion 35. A plurality of the protruding portions 37 may be provided in the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion. For example, two protruding portions 37 may be formed spaced apart from each other in an upward and downward direction, and the curl portion 22 may be fitted between the two protruding portions 37. In this case, a gap between the two protruding portions 37 is narrower than the diameter of the curl portion 22, so that the curl portion 22 is collapsed (modified) and the paper lid 1 is fitted to the container 20. Thereby, it is possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20. Incidentally, the protruding portion 37 may not be continuous but be provided intermittently on an inner periphery of the second tapered portion 11. In addition, the shape of the protruding portion 37 may be any shape such as a rectangular shape, a semicircular shape, or an oval shape; however, from the viewpoint of sealability, it is preferable that the shape of a part of the protruding portion 37 is the same as the shape of the curl portion 22. For example, it is preferable that the shape of the part of the protruding portion 37, which engages with the curl portion 22, is the same circumferential shape as that of the curl portion 22.
The space portion S1 is formed by the top lid portion 2, the second tapered portion 11, the engaging portion 36, and the curl portion 22. For example, even when the container 20 made of a paper is strongly grasped with the hand and thus the container 20 is deformed, the paper lid 1 is less likely to be removed from the container 20 because the space portion S1 follows the deformation or serves as a cushion.
The foregoing paper material provided with a coating layer such as a film may be used as the engaging portion 36. In this case, it is preferable that the engaging portion 36 has a solid shape and the engaging portion 36 is joined to the top lid portion 2. The flatness of the top lid portion 2 may be deteriorated by a process of producing the top lid portion 2, and there is a risk of the occurrence of a leakage of the content from the top lid portion 2 and the curl portion 22 due to a deterioration in the flatness of the top lid portion 2. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the risk of the occurrence of the foregoing leakage by causing the curl portion 22 to engage with the engaging portion 36 of which the flatness is maintained.
The shape of the engaging portion 36 may be a ring shape.
The foregoing various joining methods can be applied as a method for joining the engaging portion 36. In addition, films other than a polyethylene film can be also used as the film. A paper material or another material, such as an air-laid material where crushed pulps are laminated together, may be also joined to the film as long as the film is elastically deformable.
In
In
Where a bottom part of a paper cup is used as the paper lid 1, there is a risk that a seam of the paper material and the paper material is formed on the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 and the content of the container 20 leaks from the seam. However, a part of the seam on the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 can be pressed and sealed by the end portion of the engaging portion 36. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the content from leaking from the paper lid 1 along the seam. Accordingly, even when the container 20 is inclined, there is no leakage of the content from the paper lid 1 excluding the drinking spout 5 because the engaging portion 36 covers the outside of the curl portion 22. In addition, because the space portion S1 is formed by the top lid portion 2, the second tapered portion 11, the engaging portion 36, and the curl portion 22, even when the container 20 made of a paper is strongly grasped with the hand and thus the container 20 is deformed, the space portion S1 follows the deformation or serves as a cushion owing to the elasticity of the space portion S1. Thereby, the paper lid 1 is less likely to be removed from the container 20.
Where the drinking spout 5 is formed in a part of the seam on the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1, the content leaks from the seam. For this reason, it is desirable that the drinking spout 5 is provided at a position different from that of the seam on the inside of the peripheral wall of the paper lid 1 (a position where there is no interference therebetween).
Where the engaging portion 36 of
In
Accordingly, even when the container 20 is inclined, there is no leakage of the content from the paper lid 1 excluding the drinking spout 5 because the engaging portion 36 covers the outside and the inside of the curl portion 22. The drinking spout 5 may be provided in a part where the recessed portion 35 and the engaging portion 36 are in contact with each other.
The thickness of the engaging portion 36 excluding the protruding portion 36a and the recessed portion 36b is from approximately 0.7 mm to 2.0 mm. Where the thickness of the engaging portion 36 is set as described above, the strength of the top lid portion 2 or the recessed portion 35 is improved, and the flatness of the top lid portion 2 or the recessed portion 35 is improved. In addition, spring properties (elasticity) can be given to the protruding portion 36a, and the protruding portion 36a can follow a deformation of the curl portion 22. Incidentally, the protruding portion 36a has a semicircular shape to engage with the curl portion 22; however, the protruding portion 36a may have an inverted U-shape or an inverted V-shape. As another example of a manner where the protruding portion 36a engages with the curl portion 22, the size (size of a semicircular shape) of the protruding portion 36a may be set smaller than the size (diameter) of the curl portion 22, and the curl portion 22 may be deformed, so that the curl portion 22 engages with the protruding portion 36a. The recessed portion 36b may have a linear shape.
The protruding portion 36a and the recessed portion 36b are formed by press working as described above. The protruding portion 36a is shaped to cover the outside of the curl portion 22, and the recessed portion 36b is shaped to cover the outside of the curl portion 22. That is, the protruding portion 36a and the recessed portion 36b are shaped to cover the curl portion 22. The protruding portion 36a and the recessed portion 36b may not cover all of the curl portion 22.
As described above, the engaging portion 36 is made of a paper material provided with a coating layer such as a film. The press working for forming the protruding portion 36a and the recessed portion 36b may be performed in a state where the film is joined to the paper material, or after the press working, the film may be stretched. When the protruding portion 36a is formed and then the film on a surface of the protruding portion 36a, which is opposite to the curl portion 22, is stretched, the protruding portion 36a is capable of engaging with the outside of the curl portion 22 using the elasticity of the film.
The opening portion 36c is an opening for positioning to join the engaging portion 36 to the recessed portion 35, and the size of the opening portion 36c can be appropriately set. The opening portion 36c may be omitted, and the positioning of the engaging portion 36 to be joined to the recessed portion 35 may be performed using an outer periphery of the engaging portion 36, or a notch may be formed in the engaging portion 36 to perform the positioning of the engaging portion 36 to be joined to the recessed portion 35.
As the paper material having elasticity, a paper material and a foamed polyethylene may be laminated together, or a soft paper material subjected to embossing or an air-laid material may be laminated. In this case, it is preferable that a coating layer such as a film is provided on or a waterproof agent is applied to at least a single surface (e.g., the surface opposite to the container 20) of the paper material. In addition, the paper material having elasticity may be laminated between layers of paper material. Instead of the paper material having elasticity, various non-woven fabrics may be used.
The air-laid material may be heat-sealed with a film instead of being laminated with a paper material, so that a heat-sealed surface of the air-laid material is sealed by heat treatment. As described above, the engaging portion 36 may be configured to include a coating layer (waterproof layer) and an elastic layer.
In addition, the paper material having elasticity may be formed by laminating a plurality of thin papers and providing coating layers on the laminated thin papers.
The free end of the engaging portion 36 of
Dimensions of the end portion of the engaging portion 36 may be set such that the free end of the engaging portion 36 engages with the curl portion 22 to be bent upward (toward the space portion S1).
The gap between the second tapered portion 11 and the end portion of the engaging portion 36 may be smaller than the size of the curl portion 22, and the curl portion 22 may be deformed, so that the curl portion 22 engages between the second tapered portion 11 and the end portion of the engaging portion 36.
In
In addition, in
Instead of the engaging portion 36, an elastic member may be provided on a curl portion 22 side of the top lid portion 2 or on the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 to engage with the curl portion 22. A film, a rubber, a foamed polyethylene, a polyurethane, a silicone, or a hotmelt can be used as the elastic member.
In
The protruding portion 37 is not limited to a case where the protruding portion 37 is formed by attaching a separate member. The protruding portion 37 may be integrally formed on the inside of the tapered portion by a molding device including a piece member to be described later.
The seal portion 8 has an inverted C-shape, and the lower surface of the seal portion 8 and the recessed portion 35 are joined to each other by the adhesive 13 that is provided to correspond to an upper surface of the drinking spout 5. A tip of a free end of the seal portion 8 extends upward to serve as a pull-up portion of the seal portion 8.
The adhesive 14, which is releasable, is dispersedly applied to a surface of the seal portion 8 that is opposite to the lower surface of the seal portion 8 to which the adhesive 13 is applied. The adhesive 14 may be applied to a plurality of places in a dot pattern, may be applied in a spiral pattern, or may be continuously applied. When the pull-up portion is pulled in the direction indicated by an arrow in
As illustrated in an enlarged view of
After the pull-up portion is pulled in a direction indicated by an arrow in
In the present embodiment, the adhesive force of the adhesive 13 is larger than the adhesive force of the adhesive 14. Instead of the foregoing manner or in conjunction therewith, it is preferable that the coating amount of the adhesive 13 is larger than the coating amount of the adhesive 14. An adhesive may be applied to the entirety of the back surface of the seal portion 8 and a wax may be applied to the pull-up portion or a part where the adhesive force is to be weak to cancel out the adhesive force of the adhesive. In this case, it is possible to appropriately reduce the coating amount of the adhesive or increase the coating amount of the wax with respect to the pull-up portion or the part where the adhesive force is to be weak. The lower surface of the seal portion 8 and the recessed portion 35 may be joined to each other by heat sealing instead of the adhesive 13. The seal portion 8 may be formed as a Z-fold. The recessed portion 35 may not be formed, and the top lid portion 2 may be flat.
In regards to the size of the drinking spout 5 illustrated in
Method for Producing Paper Lid
A material (referred to as a fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer) forming the tapered portion 3 of the paper lid 1 is mold cut into a fan shape as illustrated in
The fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer is transported to a first processing station 61. In the first processing station 61, in a state where both ends of the fan shape of the fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer partially overlap each other, both ends are joined to each other by, for example, ultrasonic joining. Accordingly, the tapered portion 3 is formed (step S2). In this case, the tapered portion 3 is formed using a die by which the tapered portion 3 is mold cut. A partially overlapped part becomes a seam.
Further, a lower edge of the fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer is bent inward by press working, so that the second tapered portion 11 is formed. An upper side of the fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer becomes the curl portion 9 or the peripheral wall surrounding the top lid portion 2, which will be described later.
The fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer, of which the processing has been completed in the first processing station 61, is transported to a fourth processing station 64. Before describing a process in the fourth processing station 64, a method for producing the top lid portion 2 will be described.
A raw material 60 is a paper material including a coating layer, and is used to form the top lid portion 2. As illustrated in
On the other hand, as illustrated in
In the present embodiment, because three or more rows of the top lid portions 2 are extracted from one sheet of the raw material 60a by the method in
Returning to
The raw material 60 to which the seal portions 8 are joined is transported to a third processing station 63. In the third processing station 63, a process of forming the drinking spout 5 is performed using a cutting tool. In addition, in the third processing station 63, the extraction of the top lid portion 2 is performed using the cutting tool. The drinking spout 5 is processed while using the seal portion 8, which is joined to the raw material 60, as a marker.
The top lid portion 2 is extracted as indicated by a circular dotted line. In addition, the outer periphery of the top lid portion 2 is bent by press working such that the top lid portion 2 is joined between the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section and the second tapered portion 11 (step S3). Either of the processing of the drinking spout 5 and the extraction of the top lid portion 2 may be preferentially performed, or both may be performed at the same time.
The layout may be modified to exchange the position of the second processing station 62 and the position of the third processing station 63, and the process in the third processing station 63 may be performed prior to the process in the second processing station 62. In this case, the seal portion 8 is joined to the top lid portion 2 while using the drinking spout 5 as a marker.
In the present embodiment, the top lid portion 2 of which the processing has been completed at the third processing station 63 is transported to the fourth processing station 64.
In the fourth processing station 64, the top lid portion 2 of which the outer periphery is bent by press working is fitted between the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section and the second tapered portion 11. A heat treatment is performed in a state where the top lid portion 2 is fitted between the tapered portion 3 and the second tapered portion 11 (step S4). The films with which the top lid portion 2, the tapered portion 3, and the second tapered portion 11 are coated are melt by the heat treatment, so that the top lid portion 2, the tapered portion 3, and the second tapered portion 11 are jointed to each other by heat sealing. The joining of the top lid portion 2, the tapered portion 3, and the second tapered portion 11 by heat sealing may be performed over the entire surfaces thereof or may be partially performed. For example, the joining of the tapered portion 3 and the second tapered portion 11 by heat sealing may not be performed in the vicinity of the protruding portion 37.
In addition, the peripheral wall surrounding the top lid portion 2 is formed by the tapered portion 3. In the above description, in step S2, the lower edge of the fan-shaped paper material including a coating layer is subjected to press working to form the second tapered portion 11, and in step S3, the outer periphery of the top lid portion 2 is bent by press working. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, immediately before the heat treatment in step S4 is performed or while the heat treatment is performed, at least one of the foregoing press workings may be performed.
When the top lid portion 2, the tapered portion 3, and the second tapered portion 11 are joined to each other by heat sealing, it is preferable that the drinking spout 5 is away from the seam formed in the tapered portion 3 (also referred to as the peripheral wall surrounding the top lid portion). For this reason, it is desirable that a mark provided in the seam or in the vicinity of the seam is detected by an unillustrated detection device and, based on a detection result, the top lid portion 2 may be rotated to adjust the position of the drinking spout 5 before the foregoing heat sealing is performed.
The drinking spout 5 may be formed after the top lid portion 2 is joined to the tapered portion 3 and the second tapered portion 11. The seal portion 8 may be formed subsequent to the formation of the drinking spout 5, or the seal portion 8 may be formed in a later step.
The inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 is pressed by a piece member of which a part is recessed, so that a part of the second tapered portion 11 that is not pressed by the recessed part of the piece member is formed as the protruding portion 37 (step S5). The protruding portion 37 is formed in an upper end portion of the second tapered portion 11, and the position of the protruding portion 37 in the height direction can be appropriately adjusted by the shape of the piece member. In addition, the height of the protruding portion 37 can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure under which pressing the piece member is performed. The height of the protruding portion 37 may be adjusted by the basis weight of the second tapered portion 11.
In a case where, after the inner peripheral surface of the second tapered portion 11 is pressed by the piece member, the dimension of the inner diameter of the tip (bottom lid portion 4 side) of the second tapered portion 11 is the same as or slightly smaller than that of the outer diameter of the curl portion 22, the curl portion 22 is collapsed (deformed) when the paper lid is fitted to the container 20, so that the paper lid 1 and the container 20 are fitted to each other. Therefore, it is possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20. Instead of the foregoing manner or in conjunction therewith, the inner diameter of the tip of the protruding portion 37 that the curl portion 22 enters may be set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the curl portion 22. Accordingly, at least one of the curl portion 22 or the protruding portion 37 is deformed to allow the curl portion 22 and the protruding portion 37 to be fitted to each other. Thereby, it is possible to improve the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20.
After the protruding portion 37 is formed, the top lid portion 2, the tapered portion 3, and the second tapered portion 11, which are joined to each other by heat sealing, are transported to a fifth processing station 65.
In the fifth processing station 65, the curl portion 9 is formed by the curl molding die 70 illustrated in
In addition, because the raw material 60 is a paper material including a coating layer as described above, when the window portion 18 illustrated in
Examples where the protruding portion 37 of
Here, it is assumed that the top lid portion 2 is already joined to the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section. In a state where the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section is fixed by the fixing member 80, the piece member 81 is eccentrically rotated by an unillustrated driving mechanism to cause the upper tapered portion 82 and the lower tapered portion 84 to press the inner periphery of the second tapered portion 11, so that the protruding portion 37 of
Heat Retention
In regards to an improvement in the heat retention of the content in the container 20, other effects can be obtained by the paper lid 1. Hereinafter, an improvement in heat retention obtained by the paper lid 1 of the fifth embodiment will be described.
In a state where 150 cc of water (content) at 75° C. was put in the 5 oz container 20 and the paper lid 1 was fitted to the container 20, a heat retention test was carried out to measure the temperature of the water per elapsed time. In addition, tests were performed in two types of states such as a state where the drinking spout 5 was closed and a state where the drinking spout 5 was open.
In addition, as a comparative example, the tests were performed also on a plastic lid in current use. Because the plastic lid is not a type of lid where the top lid portion 2 and the engaging portion 12 are joined to each other, a bonding part is not present.
As shown in Table 1, the heat retention of the paper lid 1 is not inferior to that of the plastic lid in current use, and in a measurement in the example where the adhesive 25 is applied to the central portions and a measurement in the example where the adhesive 25 is applied to the outer peripheries, the heat retention is better by 1° C. to 2° C. than that of the plastic lid. This is due to the heat insulating effect of the space portion 26. The heat retention effect of the paper lid 1, which is environmentally friendly, was confirmed. Incidentally, the joining of the top lid portion 2 and the engaging portion 12 is not limited to bonding, and so long as the space portion 26 can be formed, any joining method may be used.
In
It is preferable that, as illustrated in
Where the content of the container 20 is a hot beverage, there is a risk that the protruding portion 37 is deformed due to steam or heat or the protruding portion 37 and the curl portion 22 slide on each other to cause a deterioration in sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20. However, where the protruding portion 37 is shaped to support a lower side of the curl portion 22, the influence when the protruding portion 37 is deformed is small, and the influence when the protruding portion 37 and the curl portion 22 slide on each other is also small. So long as the protruding portion 37 is shaped to support the curl portion 22, the protruding portion 37 may have a tapered shape, or a plurality of the protruding portions 37 may support the curl portion 22.
In addition, the top lid portion 2 of which the outer periphery is bent by press working is fitted between the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section and the second tapered portion 11. However, the dimensions of the bent part are shortened to form a space S2. As described above, because the dimensions of the bent part are shortened, it is possible to reduce the amount of the paper material used to produce the top lid portion 2. In addition, because the rigidities of the tapered portion 3 having a U-shaped cross-section and the second tapered portion 11 can be reduced by the space portion S2, the curl portion 22 easily enters the paper lid 1.
Also in the modification example of
Where the sealability between the paper lid 1 and the container 20 can be secured by the protruding portion 37, the tapered portion 3 and the second tapered portion 11 may have a linear shape. Also in this case, as illustrated in
The foregoing embodiments are exemplary embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and the foregoing embodiments may be appropriately combined, or a part of the configurations may be omitted. In addition, the configurations may be partially modified. For example, a cut may be provided in the curl portion 9 to weaken the rigidity of the curl portion 9. The container 20 using the curl portion 9 provided with the cut may be fitted from outside. Further, a technique where a part of the press machine is heated when press working is performed has been disclosed, and also when ultrasonic joining is performed, a part (for example, a part holding the paper lid 1) of an ultrasonic joining device may be heated to approximately 50° C. to 85° C. As described above, because the paper lid 1 is produced while being subjected to heat, even when the content of the container 20 is a hot beverage (60° C. to 100° C.), the paper lid 1 is less likely to be deformed to the shape before press working; and thereby, it is possible to reduce the risk that the paper lid 1 is removed from the container 20.
At least one member of the engaging portion 12, the base portion 12a, the engaging part 12b, the curl portion 29, or the engaging portion 36 may be made of an air-laid material where crushed pulps are laminated together. In this case, the basis weight of the air-laid material is from 20 g/m2 to 100 g/m2, preferably from 40 g/m2 to 60 g/m2. In addition, it is desirable that films (for example, polyethylene films) are laminated on both surfaces of the air-laid material and are joined thereto by ultrasonic joining. Because air-laid material is used, the air-laid material is capable of serving as a cushioning member or a packing.
The paper lid 1 of the present embodiment may be used as a lid for a food such as a confection, or may be used as a lid of a wet tissue package accommodating wet tissues.
As described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention.
The following is a list of reference numerals used in the specification.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-226847 | Dec 2018 | JP | national |
| 2019-003320 | Jan 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/003670 | 2/1/2019 | WO | 00 |
