JP7538731B2 - Packaging and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging body and a method for manufacturing the same.

There are various forms of packaging for absorbent articles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses pillow packaging as a form of packaging for individual packages. Patent Document 2 discloses gusset packaging as a packaged product that contains multiple individual packages. The surface of pillow packaging and gusset packaging is printed with detailed product descriptions, schematic diagrams, advertisements, and other information (hereinafter referred to as product information), and purchasers generally refer to the product information when purchasing the desired product.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-095481 Special Publication No. 2012-528766

However, because of the product label, there is a problem that the product is easily recognized by others when it is carried inside or outside the store. In addition, when the product is carried inside a carrier bag or a plastic shopping bag, the product inside the bag is visible through the bag or is easily recognized by others from the opening of the bag. When the product is a product for urinary incontinence or sanitary purposes, the purchaser feels embarrassed and does not want others to recognize it. For this reason, there is a demand for a packaging form that makes it difficult for others to recognize from the appearance that they have purchased an absorbent article for urinary incontinence or the like.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a packaging body that makes the product markings on the surface invisible at the time of purchase, and a manufacturing method thereof.

As a result of extensive research, the inventors discovered that by extending a portion of the exterior film of a package to cover the package and then inverting the extended portion at the time of purchase, the product marking on the surface of the product can be turned to the inside, resulting in a package in which the product marking is not visible at the time of purchase, and thus arrived at the present invention.
It should be noted that "at the time of purchase" includes before the purchase, when the purchase is made at the cash register, and after the purchase.

In other words, the present invention is a packaging body that contains a film as a constituent material and that contains an article to be packaged, and that has a cylindrical body with a vertical joint on the front side and a cover portion that covers from the vertical joint to at least a part of the back side of the cylindrical body, and at the top and bottom ends of the cylindrical body, from the side of the article to be packaged, a first horizontal joint where the front and back side of the cylindrical body are joined horizontally except for the vertical joint, and a second horizontal joint where the front and back side of the cylindrical body in the area covered by the cover portion are joined horizontally to the cover portion, in that order, and the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylindrical body covered by the cover portion are subjected to an opacification treatment that makes it impossible to see the article to be packaged.

The cover portion extends a specified width from one end of the film, and it is preferable that the vertical joints are seamed together except for the cover portion.

It is preferable that the vertical joint is located at the center of the front surface, and the cover portion covers from the center of the front surface to the area corresponding to the vertical joint on the rear surface of the cylinder.

The packaging of the present invention may be a pillow packaging.

The packaging of the present invention may be a gusset packaging having a gusset portion.

It is preferable that the second horizontal joint gradually becomes smaller from the side edge of the package toward the vertical joint.

It is preferable that the product markings applied to the outer surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylinder not covered by the cover portion are not displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylinder covered by the cover portion.

It is preferable that the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylindrical body 11 covered by the cover portion are marked or advertised with a product other than a diaper, urine pad, sanitary product, panty liner, or light incontinence product.

It is preferable that the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylinder covered by the cover portion include a printing area for a coupon, application form, discount coupon, or campaign QRL.

It is preferable that a digitally convertible product code is displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion and on the outer surface of the cylinder covered by the cover portion.

The opening perforation is located on any of the cylinders in the area not covered by the cover portion, and/or
It is preferable that the insulating layer is provided on the cylinder in the area covered by the cover portion.

The method for producing the packaging body of the present invention includes the steps of: A, joining the film vertically from one end of the film in the width direction, leaving a cover portion, to form a cylinder having a vertical joint on the front surface; B, joining the front and back surfaces of the cylinder horizontally at the top and bottom ends of the cylinder, excluding the vertical joint, to form a first horizontal joint; C, covering the cylinder from the vertical joint to at least a part of the back surface with the cover portion; and D, joining the front and back surfaces of the cylinder and the cover portion horizontally outside the first horizontal joint to form a second horizontal joint.

The method for manufacturing a package of the present invention may include a step in which the package is a gusset package and a gusset portion is formed on the portion that will become the side surface of the package.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a package that makes the product markings on the surface invisible at the time of purchase.

1A and 1B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a package according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the second horizontal joint. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing an embodiment of a package before and after a cover portion is inverted. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views showing an embodiment of a package before and after a cover portion is inverted. 4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing step A in the manufacturing method of the package. 4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing step B in the manufacturing method of the package. 11A and 11B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing step C in the manufacturing method of the package. 11A and 11B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing step D in the manufacturing method of the packaging body.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[Package]
The packaging body of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1(a) shows a plan view of the package of this embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 in FIG. 1(a).
The packaging body 10 of this embodiment is a gusset packaging body having a gusset portion (see FIG. 5).
1, the packaging body 10 includes a film 12 as a constituent material, and contains a packaged article 20. The packaged article 20 contained in the packaging body 10 of the present invention may be an absorbent article such as a diaper, an incontinence pad, a sanitary product, or a light incontinence product.

As shown in FIG. 1( b ), the packaging body 10 has a cylindrical body 11 having a vertical joint 15 on a front surface 13 , and a cover portion 16 that covers from the vertical joint 15 to the center of a rear surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 .
As shown in Fig. 1(b), the cover portion 16 extends a predetermined width from one end 15a of the film 12, and the vertical joint 15 is pasted together except for the cover portion 16 (see Fig. 5(b)). The folding position 15a for pasting together is located at the center of the width direction (X direction) of the front surface 13 of the cylindrical body 11, and one end 12a of the film 12 of the cover portion 16 is aligned with the folding position 15a of the vertical joint 15 in the up-down direction. In other words, the cover portion 16 is preferably configured to cover from the vertical joint 15 to the area of the back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 that corresponds to the vertical joint 15.
With this configuration, as described later, when the cover portion 16 is inverted, it is possible to cover substantially the entire area of the cylindrical body 11 that is not covered by the cover portion 16 before inversion. Note that the cover portion 16 shown in Fig. 1(b) is an extension of one of the films to be bonded together, but the other film may also be extended along the one film to cover it.

In this embodiment, the cover portion 16 covers only the left side of the cylindrical body 11, but the cover portion 16 may cover from the vertical joint 15 to at least a part of the back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11. That is, referring to FIG. 1(b), the tip of the film 12a may cover the side surface and extend to any part of the left half of the back surface 14 or to any part of the right half of the back surface 14. By covering at least a part of the back surface 14 in this manner, after the cover portion 16 is inverted, the cover portion can be held on the cylindrical body 11 while covering the front surface 13, side surface, and back surface of the cylindrical body 11.

At the top and bottom ends (Y direction) of the cylindrical body 11, the packaging body 10 has, in this order from the packaged item 20 side, a first horizontal joint 17 where the front surface 13 and back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 are joined in the horizontal direction (X direction) except for the vertical joint 15, and a second horizontal joint 18 where the front surface 13 and back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 in the area covered by the cover portion 16 are joined in the horizontal direction to the cover portion 16.

The first horizontal joint 17 is formed by joining the front surface 13 and back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 in the horizontal direction, excluding the vertical joint 15, and the formation of the first horizontal joint 17 provides a storage space for the packaged item 20. Note that in this embodiment, since there is a gusset portion 19 (see FIG. 5), the first horizontal joint 17 joins the front surface 13, back surface 14, and gusset portion 19 of the cylindrical body 11 together.

The second horizontal joint 18 joins the front surface 13 and back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 to the cover portion 16 in the horizontal direction. Here, as above, the gusset portion 19 is also joined together. By providing the second horizontal joint 18, the cover portion 16 is joined so that it can be reversed.

In order to make it easier to hook a finger when inverting the package, the second horizontal joint 18 may have a width that gradually decreases from the side edge 10a of the package 10 toward the vertical joint 15 as shown in Fig. 2. By widening the side edge 10a side in this way to increase the joint area, the peel strength between the joined sheets is increased, and it is possible to prevent the joint at the end from peeling off when the package is inverted.
Conversely, the width of the side edge 10a side may be gradually increased toward the vertical joint 15 side. By narrowing the width of the side edge 10a side in this way to reduce the joint area, when inserting a finger or hand into the area surrounded by the cover portion 16 and the joint and turning it over, it is possible to prevent the finger or hand from accidentally slipping out toward the vertical joint 15 side (opening side), making it easier to turn it over.
The change in width from the side edge 10a toward the vertical joint 15 may be a continuous, gradual change in width that becomes smaller or larger, or may be a discontinuous, stepwise change.
2 shows a continuous joint from the side edge 10a toward the vertical joint 15, a non-jointed portion may be provided in the middle. By providing a non-jointed portion, it is possible to prevent wrinkles in the cover portion 16 that occur during the joining process.

The inner surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the cylindrical body 11 covered by the cover portion 16 are subjected to an opacifying treatment so that the packaged article 20 cannot be seen. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(b), a floral pattern is printed in an opaque color over the entire surface.
Here, the "opacifying treatment" refers to any opaque or translucent treatment that prevents the packaged item 20 contained inside from being seen from the outside, and may involve printing the entire surface of the film 12 with an opaque or translucent single or multi-color, or printing a pattern in an opaque or translucent color on the entire surface of the film 12.

As shown in FIG. 3( a ), the package 10 has a product marking printed on the upper surface, i.e., on the front surface 13 of the cylindrical body 11 and the cover portion 16 .
As shown in Fig. 4(a), before the package 10 is inverted, the cover portion 16 covers the left side of the cylindrical body 11. Next, the cover portion 16 is inverted. As shown in Fig. 4(b), the package 10 is inverted so that the cover portion 16 covers the right side of the cylindrical body 11. Then, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the floral pattern appears on the surface.
With this configuration, when the cover portion 16 is turned over at the time of purchase, the product display printed on the surface of the package 10 can be hidden, so that other people will not know that an absorbent article or the like has been purchased.

Before the cover portion 16 is inverted, it is preferable that the product display on the outer surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the cylinder 11 not covered by the cover portion 16 are not displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the cylinder 11 covered by the cover portion 16. By adopting such a configuration, when the product is inverted, the product display that was displayed before inversion can be simply turned inward and hidden.

Before the cover portion 16 is inverted, it is preferable that the inner surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the cylinder 11 covered by the cover portion 16 are provided with opaque or semi-transparent areas over almost the entire surface. By providing opaque or semi-transparent areas, the product display before inversion can be completely hidden after inversion.

Before the cover portion 16 is inverted, the inner surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the tubular body 11 covered by the cover portion 16 may be labeled or advertised for products other than diapers, urine pads, sanitary products, panty liners, and light incontinence products. By displaying product labels or advertisements unrelated to absorbent articles, it is possible to prevent third parties from imagining any product image of the contents.

Before the cover portion 16 is turned over, the inner surface of the cover portion 16 and the outer surface of the cylinder 11 covered by the cover portion 16 may include a printing area for a coupon, application form, discount coupon, or campaign QRL. By using such a form, the contents are not known to anyone other than the person who purchased the product, and can be communicated only to the purchaser.

If it is desired to invert the product display at the time of checkout, a digitally convertible product code may be displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion 16 and on the outer surface of the cylindrical body 11 covered by the cover portion 16. The product code may be any combination of letters, figures, numbers, etc., and examples of such codes include product barcodes and QR codes.

The opening perforation may be provided in any of the areas of the cylinder 11 that are not covered by the cover portion 16 and/or in the area of the cylinder 11 that is covered by the cover portion 16. If the opening perforation is provided in any of the areas of the cylinder 11 that are not covered by the cover portion 16, it is useful when the inverted cover portion 16 is returned to its original position during use. If the opening perforation is provided in the area of the cylinder 11 that is covered by the cover portion 16, the cover portion 16 can be turned over and then opened without having to be returned to its original position during use.

In this embodiment, a gusseted package having a gusset portion 19 has been described, but the package of the present invention may also be a pillow package.

[Manufacturing method of packaging body]
The method for producing the package of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8. The same elements as those in Figures 1 to 4 are given the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted. Figures 5 to 8 show a part of the production line.

(Process A)
FIG. 5(a) shows a plan view of step A, and FIG. 5(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2 in FIG. 5(a).
5, the process A is a process of joining the film 12 in the vertical direction (Y direction) while leaving a cover portion 16 from one end 12a of the film 12 in the width direction (X direction) to form a cylinder 11 having a vertical joint portion 15 on the front surface 13. A long film can be used as the film 12. A known gusset packaging device can be used as the manufacturing device.
The vertical joint 15 is formed by folding the film 12 at a folding position 15a, and joining the other end and the back surface of the film 12 together by seaming.
Simultaneously with or before or after the joint sealing is performed, the article 20 to be packaged is placed inside the cylindrical body 11 .

The packaging body 10 of this embodiment is a gusset packaging body, so in process A, after forming the cylindrical body 11, a process is performed to form the gusset portion 19 on the part that will become the side surface.

(Process B)
FIG. 6(a) shows a plan view of step B, and FIG. 6(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line X3-X3 in FIG. 6(a).
As shown in Fig. 6, step B is a step of joining the front surface 13 and the back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 in the horizontal direction at the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical body 11, except for the vertical joint 15, to form a first horizontal joint 17. In this embodiment, in forming the first horizontal joint 17, the front surface 13, the back surface 14, and the gusset portion 19 of the cylindrical body 11 are joined together as shown in Fig. 6(b). Heat sealing can be used for joining.

(Process C)
FIG. 7(a) shows a plan view of step C, and FIG. 7(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line X4-X4 in FIG. 7(a).
7, step C is a step of covering from the vertical joint 15 to at least a part of the back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11 with the cover portion 16. In this embodiment, the cover portion 16 covers from the vertical joint 15 to the center of the back surface 14 of the cylindrical body 11. Specifically, the vertical joint 15 is tilted to the left side of the paper, and the cover portion 16 covers from the folding position 15a to the left gusset portion and over to the back surface 14. The cover portion 16 is provided in advance with a width that covers the cylindrical body 11 up to the center of the back surface 14.

(D process)
FIG. 8(a) shows a plan view of step D, and FIG. 8(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line X5-X5 in FIG. 8(a).
In step D, the front surface 13, the back surface 14, and the cover portion 16 of the cylindrical body 11 are joined in the horizontal direction (X direction) outside the first horizontal joint 17 to form a second horizontal joint 18. In this embodiment, the second horizontal joint 18 is formed by joining the cover portion 16, the front surface 13, the back surface 14, and the gusset portion 19 of the cylindrical body 11 together as shown in Fig. 8(b) . Also, as shown in Fig. 7(b) , the folding position 15a of the cover portion 16 and one end 12a of the film 12 of the cover portion 16 coincide in the vertical direction. Therefore, by joining the portion having the cover portion 16, the vertical joint 15 that is not joined at the first horizontal joint 17 can be sealed at the same time.
In step D, the sheet may be cut at cutting positions 30 at the same time as the joining, and divided into individual products.
The joining can be performed by heat sealing, similarly to the first horizontal joining portion 17 .

The material for film 12 can be polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, or polyethylene terephthalate.

The thickness of the film 12 is preferably 30 μm to 100 μm, more preferably 40 μm to 90 μm, and even more preferably 50 μm to 80 μm. When the thickness of the film 12 is 30 μm or more, the film 12 can accommodate the packaged article 20 without breaking. When the thickness of the film 12 is 100 μm or less, the joints can be hardened, and the package can be prevented from becoming stiff or hard.
The thickness of the film 12 is a value measured based on JIS Z 1702.

The manufacturing method of the packaging body of the present invention can also be applied to pillow packaging bodies.

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the above embodiments, and it is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the description of the claims that forms incorporating such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Package 10a Side edge (of package) 11 Cylinder 12 Film 12a One end (of film) 13 Front surface 14 Back surface 15 Vertical joint 15a Folding position 16 Cover portion 17 First horizontal joint 18 Second horizontal joint 19 Gusset portion 20 Packaged article 30 Cutting position

Claims (13)

A packaging body containing a film as a constituent material and containing an article to be packaged,
A cylindrical body having a vertical joint on a front surface and a cover portion covering from the vertical joint to at least a part of the rear surface of the cylindrical body,
At the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical body, from the packaged article side, there are provided, in this order, a first horizontal joint portion where the front surface and the back surface of the cylindrical body are joined horizontally except for the vertical joint portion, and a second horizontal joint portion where the front surface and the back surface of the cylindrical body in the area covered by the cover portion are joined horizontally to the cover portion,
A packaging body in which the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylindrical body covered by the cover portion are subjected to an opacifying treatment so that the packaged article cannot be seen. The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover portion extends a predetermined width from one end of the film, and the vertical joint is seamed except for the cover portion. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vertical joint is located at the center of the front surface, and the cover portion covers from the center of the front surface to an area of the rear surface of the cylinder that corresponds to the vertical joint. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the package is a pillow package. The packaging body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the packaging body is a gusset packaging body having a gusset portion. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second horizontal joint is gradually smaller from the side edge of the package toward the vertical joint. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the product markings applied to the outer surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylinder not covered by the cover portion are not displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylinder covered by the cover portion. 8. A packaging body as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the inner surface of the cover portion and the outer surface of the cylindrical body covered by the cover portion are provided with product markings or advertisements other than those for diapers, urine pads, sanitary products, panty liners, and light incontinence products. 9. The package according to claim 1, further comprising a printing area for a coupon, an entry ticket, or a discount ticket on the inner surface of the cover portion and on the outer surface of the cylindrical body covered by the cover portion. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in which a digitally convertible product code is displayed on the inner surface of the cover portion and on the outer surface of the cylinder covered by the cover portion. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein an opening perforation is provided on either the cylinder in an area not covered by the cover portion and/or on the cylinder in an area covered by the cover portion. A method for producing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising the steps of:
A process in which the film is joined in a vertical direction from one end of the film in a width direction, leaving the cover portion, to form a cylindrical body having a vertical joint on a front surface;
A step B of joining the front surface and the back surface of the cylindrical body in a horizontal direction, except for the vertical joint, at the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical body, to form a first horizontal joint;
A step C of covering the vertical joint portion to at least a part of the rear surface of the cylindrical body with the cover portion;
A step D of joining the front surface, the back surface and the cover portion of the cylindrical body in a lateral direction on the outside of the first lateral joint to form a second lateral joint;
A method for producing a package having the above structure. 13. The method for producing a package according to claim 12, wherein the package is a gusset package, and the method further comprises the step of forming a gusset portion on a portion that will become a side surface of the package.

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