JP7558117B2 - Packaging box and its usage - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging box that can store an item and has an opening for displaying the item.

Type A packaging boxes, also known as mandarin orange boxes, are known as packaging boxes for packaging various products. Type A packaging boxes are generally made from a single sheet of cardboard or other such material, which is folded along the creases to form a box shape with a body, bottom, and top. Although Type A packaging boxes have the disadvantage of being time-consuming to assemble, they are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and are therefore widely used as packaging materials for a variety of packaging purposes. Type A packaging boxes are somewhat inferior in strength, so when used to package heavy items, the necessary strength is ensured by increasing the thickness of the sheet material that forms the Type A packaging box.

In recent years, in order to save on labor costs and reduce waste, a sales format has been adopted in which a part of a packaging box used for transportation is cut out to form an opening for observing or removing the packaged product, and the product is displayed on a shelf together with the packaging box, without removing the product from the packaging box and rearranging it on the display shelf, and the product can be displayed and removed. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe an A-type packaging box capable of forming such an opening, which has perforations that allow the sheet material on the top surface side to be cut off, and which can be made to have an opening on the top surface side by cutting off the sheet material along the perforations.

JP 2019-151344 A JP 2003-246319 A

The packaging box described in Patent Document 1 is designed to form an opening by cutting out most of the top surface and a part of the body near the top surface with perforations. The opening area of the opening is relatively large, and the packaged item can be easily observed and removed through the opening, making it highly practical. However, there are relatively many perforations that cause a decrease in strength, which causes problems with strength. In particular, when used to package heavy items or when multiple packaging boxes with openings are stacked, there is a risk of deformation or buckling. In addition, the packaging box described in Patent Document 2 has a relatively small opening area formed by cutting out the sheet material with perforations, so there is room for improvement in terms of the practicality of the opening. In particular, when multiple packaging boxes are stacked, it is difficult to observe or remove the packaged items in packaging boxes other than the top one through the opening. There is no technology yet available that can achieve a high level of both strength of a packaging box capable of forming an opening and practicality of the opening.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging box that can be formed with an opening that allows easy observation and removal of the packaged items, has sufficient strength for practical use, and can be stacked and displayed with the opening formed.

The present invention has a first direction corresponding to a vertical direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
The container has a rectangular cylindrical body, a top surface portion connected to an upper end of the body, and a bottom surface portion connected to a lower end of the body, the body being formed by a pair of first body wall portions opposed to each other and a pair of second body wall portions opposed to each other in a direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of the first body wall portions,
The packaging box is provided with a break guide line that enables a cut-off portion including the top surface and the portion of the body near the top surface to be cut off, and an opening can be formed by cutting off the cut-off portion using the break guide line.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, the top surface portion includes an outer flap connected to an upper end of the first body wall portion and forming the outermost layer of the top surface portion, and an inner flap connected to an upper end of the second body wall portion and positioned more inward than the outer flap.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, a first fold line extending in the second direction is formed at the boundary between the first body wall portion and the outer flap, and a second fold line extending in the second direction is formed at the boundary between the second body wall portion and the inner flap.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, the break induction line includes a pair of first break induction lines extending in the first direction across the first fold line, a pair of second break induction lines extending in the first direction across the second fold line, and a third break induction line formed in the first body wall portion and the second body wall portion and extending in the second direction between one and the other of the pair of first break induction lines or between one and the other of the pair of second break induction lines.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, the first break guiding line and the second break guiding line each have a cross-direction extending portion extending in a direction crossing both the first direction and the second direction, and the cross-direction extending portion is formed so that the distance from the side edge of each of the body wall portion and the flap along the first direction decreases as the cross-direction extending portion moves from the first body wall portion or the second body wall portion toward the outer flap or the inner flap.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, in the cross-direction extending portion of the first break-inducing line, an acute angle θ1A between a portion located at the first body wall portion and the second direction and an acute angle θ1B between a portion located at the outer flap and the second direction are different from each other, the angle θ1A being 45 to 60 degrees and the angle θ1B being 46 to 50 degrees.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, in the cross-direction extending portion of the second break-inducing line, an acute angle θ2A between a portion located at the second body wall portion and the second direction and an acute angle θ2B between a portion located at the inner flap and the second direction are different from each other, the angle θ2A being 60 to 80 degrees and the angle θ2B being 46 to 50 degrees.
In one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, the third breakage guiding wire includes a reinforcing material separate from a material forming the body portion.

The present invention also relates to a method of using a packaging box, which comprises preparing a plurality of packaging boxes of the present invention containing packaged items, cutting the cut-out portion of each of the plurality of packaging boxes along the break guide line to form the opening, stacking the plurality of packaging boxes with the openings formed in a predetermined number of tiers, and storing, distributing, or displaying the packaging boxes in this stacked state.

The present invention provides a packaging box that can be formed with an opening that allows easy observation and removal of the packaged items, has sufficient strength for practical use, and can be stacked and displayed with the opening formed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a packaging box of the present invention as viewed from the top surface side. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway exploded view of the packaging box shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the first body wall portion and the outer flap connected thereto of the packaging box shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the second body wall portion and the inner flap connected thereto of the packaging box shown in FIG. 5A and 5B are perspective views each showing a schematic diagram of how an opening is formed in the packaging box shown in FIG. 1 by using a break guide line, in which FIG. 5A shows the state in which the body of the packaging box has been broken along the break guide line, and FIG. 5B shows the state in which the cut-out portion has been removed along the break guide line to form an opening. FIG. 6 is a perspective view that illustrates an example of a method of using the packaging box illustrated in FIG.

The present invention will now be described based on preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are essentially schematic, and the ratios of the dimensions may differ from the actual ones.

Fig. 1 shows a packaging box 1 which is one embodiment of the packaging box of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a development view of the packaging box 1, i.e., a plan view of a sheet material 10 which constitutes the packaging box 1. The packaging box 1 has a first direction X which corresponds to the up-down direction of the packaging box 1 and a second direction Y which is perpendicular to the first direction X, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a rectangular cylindrical body 2, a top surface 3 connected to the upper end of the body 2, and a bottom surface 4 connected to the lower end of the body 2. The body 2 is formed by a pair of first body walls 21, 22 which face each other, and a pair of second body walls 23, 24 which face each other in a direction perpendicular to the facing direction of the first body walls 21, 22.
In a state in which the top surface portion 3 faces upward and the bottom surface portion 4 faces downward (upright state), the first direction X coincides with the vertical direction, and the second direction Y coincides with the horizontal direction.

In this embodiment, the packaging box 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in an assembled state as shown in Fig. 1, and the length L1 (see Fig. 2) of the first body wall portions 21, 22 in the second direction Y is longer than the length L2 (see Fig. 2) of the second body wall portions 23, 24 in the same direction. The first body wall portions 21, 22 form the longer sides of the packaging box 1, and the second body wall portions 23, 24 form the shorter sides of the packaging box 1.
The first body wall portion 21 is the "front wall portion" of the packaging box 1 in the assembled state, the first body wall portion 22 is the "rear wall portion" of the packaging box 1 in the same state, the second body wall portion 23 is the "left side wall portion" located on the left side of the first body wall portion 21 (front wall portion) in the packaging box 1 in the same state, and the second body wall portion 24 is the "right side wall portion" located on the right side of the first body wall portion 21 (front wall portion) in the packaging box 1 in the same state.

In this embodiment, the packaging box 1 is formed from a single sheet material 10, as shown in Fig. 2. The multiple body walls 21-24 constituting the body 2 are connected in the second direction Y to form a wall continuum, and a vertical crease line 19 extending in the first direction X is formed at the boundary between adjacent walls in the wall continuum.
In this embodiment, the body 2 further includes a glue tab 25 in addition to the body wall portions 21 to 24. The glue tab 25 has a trapezoidal shape in a plan view, and is connected to the longitudinal direction of the continuous wall body (one end in the second direction Y). When assembling the packaging box 1, the continuous wall body is folded along the vertical crease line 19, and the glue tab 25 is bonded to the end of the continuous wall body opposite to the glue tab 25 side via an adhesive.

The sheet material 10 forming the packaging box 1 is not particularly limited as long as it can be used as a packaging or packing material, and various types of paper, resin sheets, or composite sheets made by laminating these can be used, and can be selected appropriately depending on the type of packaged item, etc.
In this embodiment, the sheet material 10 is a cardboard sheet. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material 10, which is a cardboard sheet, has a three-layer structure consisting of a pair of liners 11, 11 facing each other and a core 12 disposed between them. The core 12 is a corrugated sheet in which ridges and grooves are alternately arranged in one direction. In general, the direction in which the ridges and grooves extend is called the "grain direction" (paper width direction), and the direction perpendicular to the grain direction is called the "flow direction." In this embodiment, the grain direction of the sheet material 10, which is a cardboard sheet, coincides with a first direction X, and the flow direction of the sheet material 10 coincides with a second direction Y.

From the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the packaging box 1, it is preferable that the body 2, the top surface 3, and the bottom surface 4 are each formed of a cardboard sheet having a thickness of 4 mm or more. That is, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the sheet material 10 is a cardboard sheet having a thickness of 4 mm or more. In general, the thicker the sheet material 10 is, the stronger the packaging box 1 is. However, if the sheet material 10 is too thick, there is a risk of inconvenience such as difficulty in cutting off the cut-out portion 8 by the break guide lines 5 to 7 described later. Therefore, from the viewpoint of a balance between improving the strength and facilitating cutting by the break guide lines, the thickness of the sheet material 10 is preferably 4 to 5 mm, more preferably 4.5 to 5 mm. Specific examples of cardboard sheets suitable for the sheet material 10 include A-flute (cardboard sheet thickness 5 mm) and C-flute (cardboard sheet thickness 4 mm).
The liner 11 constituting the sheet material 10 of the cardboard sheet preferably contains 30% by mass or more of virgin pulp from the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the packaging box 1, and a specific example is K-liner (containing 50% by mass or more of recycled paper). From the same viewpoint, the basis weight of the liner 11 is preferably 190 kg/ ^m2 or more, and more preferably 200 to 280 kg/m2 or ^more .

The load capacity of the packaging box of the present invention is typically preferably 8 to 40 kg, more preferably 10 to 34 kg per square ^meter of the area of the bottom surface 4 on which the packaged item is placed. By using the above-mentioned corrugated cardboard sheet as the sheet material 10, the packaging box 1 can satisfy this load capacity.

2, the top surface 3 includes outer flaps 31, 32 connected to the upper ends of the first body walls 21, 22 and forming the outermost layer of the top surface 3, and inner flaps 33, 34 connected to the upper ends of the second body walls 23, 24 and positioned inside the outer flaps 31, 32 in the assembled packaging box 1. A first fold line 15 is formed at the "upper ends of the first body walls 21, 22", i.e., the boundaries between the first body walls 21, 22 and the outer flaps 31, 32. A second fold line 16 is formed at the "upper ends of the second body walls 23, 24", i.e., the boundaries between the second body walls 23, 24 and the inner flaps 33, 34. The first fold line 15 and the second fold line 16 are both horizontal fold lines that extend in the second direction Y and are perpendicular to the vertical fold line 19 that extends in the first direction X.

In this embodiment, the bottom surface portion 4 is configured in the same manner as the top surface portion 3. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface portion 4 includes outer flaps 41, 42 connected to the lower ends of the first body walls 21, 22 and forming the outermost layer of the bottom surface portion 4, and inner flaps 43, 44 connected to the lower ends of the second body walls 23, 24 and arranged inside the outer flaps 41, 42 in the assembled packaging box 1. A third fold line 17 is formed at the "lower ends of the first body walls 21, 22", i.e., at the boundaries between the first body walls 21, 22 and the outer flaps 41, 42. A fourth fold line 18 is formed at the "lower ends of the second body walls 23, 24", i.e., at the boundaries between the second body walls 23, 24 and the inner flaps 43, 44. The second fold line 16 and the fourth fold line 18 are both horizontal fold lines that extend in the second direction Y and are perpendicular to the vertical fold line 19 that extends in the first direction X.

When assembling the packaging box 1 in the unfolded state as shown in FIG. 2 into a box body in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped as shown in FIG. 1, typically, first, the body 2 is folded at a number of vertical creases 19 to form a rectangular tube, then, the pair of inner flaps 43, 44 of the bottom portion 4 are folded at the fourth crease line 18 to butt against each other, and further, the pair of outer flaps 41, 42 of the bottom portion 4 are folded at the third crease line 17 to butt against each other to form the bottom portion 4. In this way, the packaging box 1 with the top surface open is formed. When the packaged item is to be placed inside the packaging box 1, the packaged item is placed inside the packaging box 1 through the opening at the top surface of the packaging box 1 in this state, and then the top surface portion 3 is formed. The top surface portion 3 can be formed typically by first folding the pair of inner flaps 33, 34 at the second crease line 16 to butt against each other, and then folding the pair of outer flaps 31, 32 at the first crease line 15 to butt against each other. If necessary, the overlapping outer flaps 31, 32 and inner flaps 33, 34 may be joined with adhesive.

The break guide lines, which are one of the main features of the packaging box 1, will be described below. Figure 3 shows the first body wall 21 (front wall) and the outer flap 31 connected thereto, and Figure 4 shows the second body wall 24 (right side wall) and the inner flap 34 connected thereto. Figure 5 shows how the opening 9 is formed by the break guide lines 5-7 provided on the packaging box 1. The packaging box 1 has break guide lines 5-7 that make it possible to cut out the cutout portion 8 (see Figure 5(a)), which includes the top surface 3 and the portion of the body 2 close to the top surface 3, and thus makes it possible to form the opening 9 (see Figure 5(b)) by cutting out the cutout portion 8.

In the present invention, the "break guiding line" refers to a plane line-shaped portion that is processed so that the worker can easily break it by hand without using a tool or jig such as a cutter. As the break guiding line, any break guiding line that is used as a break guiding line for this type of packaging box can be used without any particular restrictions, except for the third break guiding line 7 described later. An example of the break guiding line is a portion that has been perforated and/or half-cut. The "perforation" here refers to a processing method in which cut portions (perforations) that penetrate the sheet material 10 in the thickness direction are formed at regular intervals, and the "half-cut processing" refers to a processing method in which one of a pair of liners 11, 11 that constitute the sheet material 10 of the cardboard sheet (for example, the liner 11 on the inner side of the packaging box 1) is cut. In the half-cut processing, in addition to the liner 11, the core 12 may also be cut.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the packaging box 1 includes, as the break induction lines, a pair of first break induction lines 5, 5 that extend in the first direction X across the first fold line 15, a pair of second break induction lines 6, 6 that extend in the first direction X across the second fold line 16, and a third break induction line 7 that does not cross a fold line.

The packaging box 1 has two pairs of first breakage induction wires 5, one pair formed across the first body wall portion 21 and the outer flap 31, and the other pair formed across the first body wall portion 22 and the outer flap 32.
In addition, the packaging box 1 has two pairs of second breakage induction wires 6, one pair formed across the second body wall portion 23 and the inner flap 33, and the other pair formed across the second body wall portion 24 and the inner flap 34.
The third break induction wire 7 is formed in the first body wall portions 21, 22 and the second body wall portions 23, 24, i.e., all walls that constitute the body portion 2, and extends in the second direction Y between one and the other of the pair of first break induction wires 5, 5, or between one and the other of the pair of second break induction wires 6, 6.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of first break induction lines 5, 5 and the third break induction line 7 between them are formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual straight line CL1 that bisects the first body wall portion 21, 22 and the outer flaps 31, 32 in the second direction Y and extends in the first direction X. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of second break induction lines 6, 6 and the third break induction line 7 between them are formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual straight line CL2 that bisects the second body wall portion 23, 24 and the inner flaps 33, 34 in the second direction Y and extends in the first direction X.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first break induction wire 5 and the second break induction wire 6 each have a cross-direction extending portion that extends in a direction crossing both the first direction X and the second direction Y (hereinafter also referred to as the "cross direction"), and the cross-direction extending portion is formed so that the distance from the side edge along the first direction X of each of the body wall portions 21, 22 and the flaps 31-34 decreases as it moves from the first body wall portions 21, 22 or the second body wall portions 23, 24 toward the outer flaps 31, 32 or the inner flaps 33, 34.
The cross-direction extending portion typically occupies substantially the entire break induction wires 5 and 6, specifically, 90% or more of the entire length of the break induction wires 5 and 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire break induction wires 5 and 6 are the cross-direction extending portion.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the cross-directional extension portion of the first break induction wire 5 is formed so that the distance from the side edge (vertical crease line 19) along the first direction X of the first body wall portion 21, 22 and the side edge along the first direction X of the outer flaps 31, 32 decreases as the cross-directional extension portion moves from the first body wall portion 21, 22 (front wall portion or back wall portion) toward the outer flaps 31, 32.
In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the cross-directional extending portion of the second break induction wire 6 is formed so that the distance from the side edge (vertical fold line 19) along the first direction X of the second body wall portion 23, 24 and the side edge along the first direction X of the inner flaps 33, 34 decreases as the cross-directional extending portion of the second body wall portion 23, 24 (left side wall portion, right side wall portion) moves toward the inner flaps 33, 34.
In other words, the first body wall portions 21, 22 and the outer flaps 31, 32 connected thereto have a portion (the cross-direction extending portion) where the distance between the pair of first break induction wires 5, 5 gradually increases from the first body wall portions 21, 22 toward the outer flaps 31, 32. Also, the second body wall portions 23, 24 and the inner flaps 33, 34 connected thereto have a portion (the cross-direction extending portion) where the distance between the pair of second break induction wires 6, 6 gradually increases from the second body wall portions 23, 24 toward the inner flaps 33, 34.

The packaging box 1 is characterized in that the angles formed by the intersecting extending portions of the breakage guiding wires 5, 6 with the second direction Y (the horizontal direction of the packaging box 1 in the upright state) are within a specific range.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the cross-direction extending portion of the first breakage inducing wire 5 has a portion 51 (hereinafter also referred to as the "first extending portion") located at the first body wall portions 21, 22 and a portion 52 (hereinafter also referred to as the "second extending portion") located at the outer flaps 31, 32, and an acute angle θ1A of the angle between the first extending portion 51 and the second direction Y and an acute angle θ1B of the angle between the second extending portion 52 and the second direction Y are different from each other. The angle θ1A is 45 to 60 degrees, preferably 50 to 58 degrees, and more preferably 54 to 56 degrees. The angle θ1B is 46 to 50 degrees, preferably 47 to 49 degrees, and more preferably 47 to 48 degrees.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cross-direction extending portion of the second breakage inducing wire 6 has a portion 61 (hereinafter also referred to as the "first extending portion") located at the second body wall portions 23, 24 and a portion 62 (hereinafter also referred to as the "second extending portion") located at the inner flaps 33, 34, and an acute angle θ2A between the first extending portion 61 and the second direction Y and an acute angle θ2B between the second extending portion 62 and the second direction Y are different from each other. The angle θ2A is 60 to 80 degrees, preferably 65 to 75 degrees, and more preferably 68 to 73 degrees. The angle θ2B is 46 to 50 degrees, preferably 47 to 49 degrees, and more preferably 47 to 48 degrees.

In the first break-inducing wire 5, the angles θ1A and θ1B need only be different from each other, and there are no particular restrictions on the magnitude relationship between them; angle θ1A > angle θ1B or angle θ1A < angle θ1B may be used; however, typically, as in the illustrated form, angle θ1A > angle θ1B.
In the second break induction wire 6, the angles θ2A and θ2B need only be different from each other, and there are no particular restrictions on the magnitude relationship between them; angle θ2A > angle θ2B or angle θ2A < angle θ2B may be used; however, typically, as in the illustrated form, angle θ2A > angle θ2B.

As shown in Fig. 5, the packaging box 1 is designed to form an opening 9 by cutting out the cut-out portion 8 (the portion surrounded by the break guide lines 5-7) including the top surface portion 3 and the portion of the body portion 2 close to the top surface portion 3. Since most of the sheet material 10 on the top surface portion 3 side is cut out, it is easy to observe and take out the packaged item placed on the bottom surface portion 4 through the opening 9, but there is a concern that the strength (shock resistance, etc.) may decrease, especially after the opening 9 is formed. However, in the packaging box 1, the angles θ1A, θ1B, θ2A, and θ2B formed by each of the break guide lines 5 and 6 with the second direction Y (the horizontal direction of the packaging box 1 in the upright state) are each within the specific range, so that such a concern about a decrease in strength is eliminated. In other words, the packaging box 1 is designed to be able to form an opening 9 with a large opening area and high practicality, while ensuring sufficient strength for practical use not only before the opening 9 is formed, but also after the opening 9 is formed.
In addition, since the packaging box 1 is formed so that the break guide lines 5, 6 cross the fold lines 15, 16, the cut-off portion 8 by the break guide lines 5, 6 can be smoothly cut off, and the burden of the work of forming the opening 9 is reduced.

The second extension portion 52 of the first breakage-inducing wire 5 may be connected to the side edge of the outer flaps 31, 32 along the first direction X. However, if the second extension portion 52 is connected to the side edge, there is a possibility that the outer flaps 31, 32 may be unintentionally broken by the second extension portion 52, and therefore it is preferable that the second extension portion 52 is not connected to the side edge.
The distance between the end of the second extension portion 52 opposite the first fold line 15 and the side edge of the outer flaps 31, 32 along the first direction X that is adjacent to said end is preferably 15 to 3 mm, and more preferably 8 to 5 mm, from the viewpoint of balancing between preventing such inconveniences and facilitating the formation of the opening 9.
From a similar viewpoint, it is preferable that the second extension portion 62 of the second break induction wire 6 is not connected to the side edges of the inner flaps 33, 34 along the first direction X, and the distance between the two can be the same as the distance between the second extension portion 52 of the first break induction wire 5.

In order to address the problem of strength reduction that may occur when the opening 9 having a relatively large opening area is adopted, the packaging box 1 is designed not only for the break guide wires 5 and 6 described above, but also for the third break guide wire 7. That is, the third break guide wire 7 of the packaging box 1 includes a reinforcing material that is separate from the sheet material 10 that is the material forming the body 2 in which the third break guide wire 7 is formed. The high strength of the packaging box 1 is achieved by the design of the break guide wires 5 and 6 described above and the adoption of the configuration of the third break guide wire 7 that includes such a reinforcing material.
The break guide wires 5 and 6 are arranged around the corners of the packaging box 1, and have a relatively small effect on the strength of the packaging box 1. Therefore, any known break guide wire can be used as the break guide wires 5 and 6 without any particular restrictions, and may be formed, for example, by perforation or half-cutting. In contrast, the third break guide wire 7 is formed in the central region in the second direction Y of each of the body walls 21 to 24 constituting the body 2, and has a significant effect on the strength of the packaging box 1. Therefore, in the present invention, the strength of the third break guide wire 7 itself is improved by using a reinforcing material separate from the material (sheet material) forming the body (packaging box).

The third break guiding wire 7 including the reinforcing material can be formed, for example, by arranging the reinforcing material at the planned position of the third break guiding wire 7. Specifically, for example, the third break guiding wire 7 can be formed by fixing the reinforcing material to the inner surface of the first body wall portion 21 at a position overlapping the planned position of the third break guiding wire 7 in a plan view. In this case, since the reinforcing material cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the packaging box 1, a mark may be provided by printing or the like at a position overlapping the reinforcing material on the outer surface of the first body wall portion 21 in a plan view, as necessary. Note that the dashed line indicated by the reference numeral 7 in the figure indicates the arrangement position of the reinforcing material.
As the reinforcing material, for example, a resin or non-resin base material having an adhesive applied on one surface thereof can be used.
The third breakage guide wire 7 typically does not include a break in the sheet material 10, such as a perforation or half-cut processing, but may include the break on the condition that a reinforcing material is included.

In this embodiment, the third breakage guiding wire 7 includes a pair of cutouts 71, 71 provided at both ends in its longitudinal direction, i.e., the second direction Y, as shown in Figures 2 to 4. The reinforcing material is disposed between the pair of cutouts 71, 71. The cutout 71 is a part of the sheet material 10 that is cut so that it can be pinched with the fingers, and can function as a pinch portion. In this way, when using the third breakage guiding wire 7 configured with the reinforcing material disposed between the pair of cutouts 71, 71, it is sufficient to pinch one of the pair of cutouts 71, 71 with the fingers and pull it toward the other. In this way, the reinforcing material is pulled in the same direction, and the sheet material 10 is broken by the pulled reinforcing material.

The break induction wires 5 and 6 are typically formed by processing involving cutting of the sheet material 10, such as perforation processing and half-cut processing, and have a configuration in which the break portions of the sheet material 10 are arranged intermittently in the extension direction of the break induction wires 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the patterns (planar shape and arrangement) of the break portions are partially different in each of the break induction wires 5 and 6. That is, in the first break induction wire 5, as shown in FIG. 3, the first extension portion 51 located on the first body wall portion 21, 22 and the second extension portion 52 located on the outer flaps 31, 32 have different planar shapes of the break portions and/or intervals between the break portions. In the second break induction wire 6, as shown in FIG. 4, the first extension portion 61 located on the second body wall portion 23, 24 and the second extension portion 62 located on the inner flaps 33, 34 have different planar shapes of the break portions and/or intervals between the break portions. In this way, by having partially different patterns of breakage in the break induction wires 5 and 6, the breakage of the sheet material 10 by the break induction wires 5 and 6 can be performed more smoothly.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a method of using the packaging box of the present invention, which is a method of using the above-mentioned packaging box 1. In the method of use shown in Fig. 6, a plurality of packaging boxes 1 (three in the illustrated embodiment) are prepared, and for each of the plurality of packaging boxes 1, the cut-out portion 8 is cut off along the break guide lines 5 to 7 as shown in Fig. 5 to form an opening 9, and further, the plurality of packaging boxes 1 with the openings 9 formed therein are stacked in a predetermined number of stages (three stages in the illustrated embodiment).
In the plurality of packaging boxes 1 stacked vertically in this manner, not only the top packaging box 1 in which the opening 9 is completely exposed, but also the middle and bottom packaging boxes 1 in which the top surface side is hidden by the upper packaging box 1 have openings 9 formed on the front (first body wall portion 21), back (first body wall portion 22) and both sides (second body wall portions 23, 24), so that the packaged items in the packaging boxes 1 can be easily observed and removed through the openings 9. Moreover, the packaging boxes 1 have sufficient strength for practical use due to the characteristic configuration of the breakage guide lines 5 to 7 described above, so that they are unlikely to deform even when stacked vertically with the openings 9 formed, as shown in FIG. 6. Such packaging boxes 1 having both sufficient strength for practical use and highly practical openings 9 are suitable for use in storage, distribution and display in a vertically stacked state. For example, a method can be adopted in which a plurality of packaging boxes 1 containing products as packaged items are manufactured in a factory, the plurality of packaging boxes 1 are stacked vertically on a pallet as shown in Fig. 6, the pallet is transported to a store, and the boxes are displayed in the store in the state of being stacked vertically on the pallet. This method of use reduces costs, including transportation costs.

3, the distance D1 in the first direction X between the first fold line 15 and the third break induction line 7 is preferably 30-50%, more preferably 30-40%, of the length H1 in the same direction of the first body wall portions 21, 22 in which the third break induction line 7 is formed. The distance D1 corresponds to the length in the first direction X of the opening 9 formed in the first body wall portions 21, 22 (front wall portion, rear wall portion). This ensures that the effects of the characteristic configuration of the break induction lines 5-7 described above are more reliably achieved, making it possible to achieve a higher level of compatibility between the strength of the packaging box 1 and the practicality of the opening 9, and ensuring that the desired effects of the present invention are more reliably achieved. If this ratio is too low, it will have a positive effect on the strength of the packaging box 1, but the reduction in the opening area of the opening 9 may have a negative effect on the practicality of the opening 9; conversely, if this ratio is too high, it will have a positive effect on the practicality of the opening 9, but may have a negative effect on the strength of the packaging box 1.

To ensure that the desired effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, referring to FIG. 4, the distance D3 in the first direction X between the second fold line 16 and the third breakage guiding line 7 is preferably 30-50%, and more preferably 30-40%, of the length H3 in the same direction of the second body wall portions 23, 24 in which the third breakage guiding line 7 is formed. The distance D3 corresponds to the length in the first direction X of the opening 9 formed in the second body wall portions 23, 24 (left side wall portion, right side wall portion).

In addition, the "third break guide line" when determining the separation lengths D1 and D3 is the reinforcing material of the third break guide line 7. In other words, the separation lengths D1 and D3 refer to the distance in the first direction X between the first fold line 15 or the second fold line 16 and the reinforcing material of the third break guide line 7.
The separation length D1 and the separation length D3 may be the same as each other or may be different from each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the separation length D1 and the separation length D3 are the same as each other.
Furthermore, the length H1 in the first direction X of the first body wall portions 21, 22 and the length H3 in the same direction X of the second body wall portions 23, 24 may be the same or different from each other, but are usually the same.

In order to ensure that the desired effect of the present invention is achieved more reliably, referring to FIG. 3, the length D2 in the first direction X of the second extension portion 52 of the first breakage guide wire 5, i.e., the extension length D2 in the first direction X of the second extension portion 52 from the first fold line 15, is preferably 30 to 50%, and more preferably 30 to 40%, of the length H2 in the same direction of the outer flaps 31, 32 on which the second extension portion 52 is formed.

From a similar viewpoint, referring to FIG. 4, the length D4 in the first direction X of the second extension portion 62 of the second breakage induction wire 6, i.e., the extension length D4 in the first direction X from the second fold line 16 of the second extension portion 62, is preferably 30 to 50%, more preferably 30 to 40%, of the length H4 in the same direction of the inner flaps 33, 34 in which the second extension portion 62 is formed.

The length D2 of the second extension portion 52 and the length D4 of the second extension portion 62 may be the same as or different from each other. Also, the length H2 in the first direction X of the outer flaps 31, 32 and the length H4 in the same direction of the inner flaps 33, 34 may be the same as or different from each other.

Referring to FIG. 3, the distance W1 in the second direction Y between the intersections of the pair of first breakage guiding wires 5, 5 with the first fold line 15 is preferably 82-90%, and more preferably 82-86%, of the total length L1 of the first fold line 15. This allows the strength of the packaging box 1 and the practicality of the opening 9 to be compatible at a higher level, and the desired effects of the present invention can be more reliably achieved.

From a similar perspective, referring to FIG. 3, the length W2 in the second direction Y of the second extension portion 52 of the first breakage induction wire 5 is preferably 5 to 10%, and more preferably 7 to 9%, of the total length L1 of the first fold line 15.

Referring to FIG. 4, the distance W3 in the second direction Y between the intersections of the pair of second break guide wires 6, 6 with the second fold line 16 is preferably 60-74%, and more preferably 60-70%, of the total length L2 of the second fold line 16. This allows the strength of the packaging box 1 and the practicality of the opening 9 to be compatible at a higher level, and the desired effects of the present invention can be more reliably achieved.

From a similar perspective, referring to FIG. 4, the length W4 in the second direction Y of the second extension portion 62 of the second breakage guiding wire 6 is preferably 15 to 20%, and more preferably 15 to 18%, of the total length L2 of the second fold line 16.

The dimensions of each part of the packaging box 1 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the dimensions, weight, and number of packaged items to be stored inside the packaging box 1, the distribution form of the packaging box 1, and the dimensions of a product shelf when the packaging box 1 is displayed on a product shelf. Preferred examples of the dimensions of each part of the packaging box 1 are as follows.
The length H1 in the first direction X of the first body wall portions 21, 22 (see FIG. 3) and the length H3 in the first direction X of the second body wall portions 23, 24 (see FIG. 4) are preferably 9 to 14 cm, more preferably 10 to 14 cm. The lengths H1 and H3 correspond to the height of the assembled packaging box 1 as shown in FIG.
The length H2 (see FIG. 3) of the outer flaps 31, 32 in the first direction X is preferably 9 to 11 cm, and more preferably 9 to 10 cm.
The length H4 (see FIG. 4) of the inner flaps 33, 34 in the first direction X is preferably 9 to 11 cm, and more preferably 9 to 10 cm.
The total length L1 of the first fold line 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is preferably 40 to 50 cm, and more preferably 44 to 46 cm. The total length L1 of the first fold line 15 corresponds to the total length in the second direction Y of the first body wall portions 21 and 22 having the first fold line 15.
The total length L2 of the second fold line 16 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) is preferably 15 to 25 cm, and more preferably 18 to 23 cm. The total length L2 of the second fold line 16 corresponds to the total length in the second direction Y of the second body wall portions 23, 24 having the second fold line 16.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Examples 1 to 24, Comparative Examples 1 to 13]
A-type packaging boxes having the same basic structure as the above-mentioned packaging box 1 and equipped with first to third break guide lines were manufactured to serve as the packaging boxes of each Example and Comparative Example. A single A-flute corrugated cardboard sheet having a thickness of 5 mm (K liner basis weight of 210 kg/ ^m2 ) was used as the material for forming the packaging box. The packaging boxes of each Example and Comparative Example had different patterns of break guide lines. The dimensions of each part of the packaging boxes of each Example and Comparative Example were as follows: That is, referring to Figures 2 to 4, the lengths H1, H3 (height of the packaging box) in the first direction of the first body wall portion (front wall portion, rear wall portion) were 14 cm, the length H2 in the first direction X of the outer flap was 10 cm, the length H4 in the first direction X of the inner flap was 10 cm, the total length L1 of the first fold line (total length in the second direction of the first body wall portion) was 42 cm, and the total length L2 of the second fold line (total length in the second direction of the second body wall portion (left side wall portion, right side wall portion)) was 18 cm.

[Evaluation test: Impact resistance when stacked vertically]
From the packaging boxes of each Example and Comparative Example, the cut-out portion surrounded by the break guide wires was cut off by the first to third break guide wires to form an opening, and 12 bags of bagged macaroni (each bag weighing 200 g) were placed inside the packaging box through the opening. Three packaging boxes containing 12 bags of packaged goods were prepared for each type of packaging box to be evaluated, and the three boxes were stacked vertically in three tiers, the upper tier, the middle tier, and the lower tier, with the corners of each packaging box aligned as shown in Figure 6. Then, while maintaining the vertical stacking state, the three vertically stacked packaging boxes were dropped vertically from a height of 40 cm above a concrete floor surface onto the floor surface. In this dropping operation, the lower surface (ground surface) of the lower packaging box was made parallel to the floor surface immediately before dropping, so that the entire lower surface would contact the floor surface almost simultaneously when dropped. After repeating this dropping operation 10 times, the packaging box in the lower tier was visually observed and rated on a 5-point scale according to the following evaluation criteria. If the position of the packaging box shifted from before the drop due to one dropping operation, the position shift was corrected before the next dropping operation. For each type of packaging box to be evaluated, this procedure (three boxes were stacked vertically and dropped 10 times) was repeated 10 times, and the arithmetic mean value of the 10 evaluation points was used as the evaluation point for the impact resistance of the packaging box to be evaluated. The higher the evaluation point, the stronger the packaging box was, and the less likely it was to break, and the higher the evaluation. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 5.

<Evaluation criteria for impact resistance when stacked vertically>
5 points: The lower packaging box is not deformed or crushed at all.
4 points: The front or back wall of the lower packaging box is bent or folded.
3 points: Both the front and back walls of the lower packaging box are folded or bent.
2 points: The lower packaging box is twisted.
1 point: The entire lower packaging box is twisted, resulting in the upper packaging box being tilted.

As shown in Tables 1 to 4, the packaging boxes of the examples had angles between the first to third breakage guide lines and the second direction (the horizontal direction of the packaging box in the upright state) that were within the specific ranges described above, and therefore had superior impact resistance when openings were formed and multiple boxes were stacked vertically, compared to the comparative examples that did not satisfy this requirement.

As shown in Table 5, in Examples 19 to 23, the "ratio of the distance D1 between the first fold line and the third break guide line in the first direction (the vertical direction of the packaging box in the upright state) to the total length in the same direction of the first body wall portion in which the third break guide line is formed" is 30 to 50%, and therefore, compared to Examples 18 and 24 which do not satisfy this, the strength of the packaging box (impact resistance when multiple boxes are stacked vertically) and the practicality of the opening are both achieved at a higher level. The packaging box of Example 18 has excellent impact resistance, but because the distance D1 is short, it is inferior to the other Examples in terms of ease of observation and ease of removal of the packaged items through the opening.

1 Packaging box 2 Body 21 First body wall (front wall)
22 First body wall part (rear wall part)
23 Second body wall part (left side wall part)
24 Second body wall part (right side wall part)
25 glue margin 3 top surface 31, 32 outer flap 33, 34 inner flap 4 bottom surface 41, 42 outer flap 43, 44 inner flap 5 first break guide line 51 first extension portion 52 second extension portion 6 second break guide line 61 first extension portion 62 second extension portion 7 third break guide line 71 cut portion 8 cut-out portion 9 opening 10 sheet material 11 liner 12 core 15 first fold line 16 second fold line 17 third fold line 18 fourth fold line 19 vertical fold line X first direction Y second direction

Claims (6)

a first direction corresponding to a vertical direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
The container has a rectangular cylindrical body, a top surface portion connected to an upper end of the body, and a bottom surface portion connected to a lower end of the body, and the body is formed by a pair of first body wall portions opposed to each other and a pair of second body wall portions opposed to each other in a direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of the first body wall portions,
A packaging box including a break guide line that allows a cut-off portion including a portion of the top surface portion and a portion of the body portion close to the top surface portion to be cut off, and an opening can be formed by cutting off the cut-off portion using the break guide line,
The top surface portion includes an outer flap that is connected to an upper end of the first body wall portion and forms an outermost layer of the top surface portion, and an inner flap that is connected to an upper end of the second body wall portion and is disposed on the inside of the outer flap,
A first fold line extending in the second direction is formed at a boundary between the first body wall portion and the outer flap, and a second fold line extending in the second direction is formed at a boundary between the second body wall portion and the inner flap,
The break induction wires include a pair of first break induction wires extending in the first direction across the first fold line, a pair of second break induction wires extending in the first direction across the second fold line, and a third break induction wire formed in the first body wall portion and the second body wall portion and extending in the second direction between one and the other of the pair of first break induction wires or between one and the other of the pair of second break induction wires,
The first breakage guiding wire and the second breakage guiding wire each have a cross-direction extending portion extending in a direction crossing both the first direction and the second direction, and the cross-direction extending portion is formed so that the distance from the side edge of each of the body wall portion and the flap along the first direction decreases as the cross-direction extending portion moves from the first body wall portion or the second body wall portion toward the outer flap or the inner flap,
In the cross-direction extending portion of the first fracture guiding wire, an acute angle θ1A between a portion located at the first body wall portion and the second direction and an acute angle θ1B between a portion located at the outer flap and the second direction are different from each other, the angle θ1A being 45 to 60 degrees and the angle θ1B being 46 to 50 degrees,
In the cross-direction extending portion of the second breakage guiding wire, an acute angle θ2A between a portion located at the second body wall portion and the second direction and an acute angle θ2B between a portion located at the inner flap and the second direction are different from each other, the angle θ2A being 60 to 80 degrees and the angle θ2B being 46 to 50 degrees,
The third breakage guiding wire includes a pair of cutouts provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof, and a reinforcing material disposed between the pair of cutouts and separate from the material forming the body portion;
The packaging box is configured such that by pinching one of the pair of cut portions with fingers and pulling it toward the other, the reinforcing material is pulled in the same direction, and the sheet material constituting the body is broken by the pulled reinforcing material . The packaging box according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the first fold line and the third breakage guide line in the first direction is 30 to 50% of the total length in the same direction of the first body wall portion in which the third breakage guide line is formed. The packaging box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the intersections of the pair of first break guide lines with the first fold line in the second direction is 82 to 90% of the total length of the first fold line. The packaging box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distance between the intersections of the pair of second break guide lines with the second fold line in the second direction is 60 to 74% of the total length of the second fold line. The packaging box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the body, top and bottom are each formed from a cardboard sheet having a thickness of 4 mm or more. A method of using a packaging box, comprising: preparing a plurality of packaging boxes according to any one of claims 1 to 5, each containing an item to be packaged; cutting the cut-out portion of each of the plurality of packaging boxes along the break guide line to form the opening; stacking the plurality of packaging boxes with the openings formed in a predetermined number of tiers; and storing, distributing, or displaying the packaging boxes in the stacked state.

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