Packaging container

Abstract

To provide an easily recyclable food container from which a plurality of seal labels stuck on the outer surface of a lid can be easily peeled off at a time when the food container is recycled.SOLUTION: The food container includes a container body, a lid for closing an upper opening of the container body, a transparent film (5) adhered only to a top surface of the lid via an adhesive in a peelable manner, and a seal label (8) attached to a part of the film, wherein a part of the seal label protrudes outward from the film by a dimension or more that can be picked up with fingers, the seal label and the film are adhered to each other with a force stronger than an adhesive force between the film and the top surface of the lid, and the film is peeled off together with the seal label when a protruding portion (9) is picked up with fingers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an easily recyclable food container that makes it easy to peel off a sticker label attached to the container when recycling the food container. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, food containers widely used in supermarkets and other food sections to sell food such as meat, fresh fish, and prepared foods have had sticker labels attached to the lids indicating the contents, price, etc. However, these sticker labels are firmly attached to the outside of the lids, making them very difficult to remove by hand when recycling food containers, and since they are usually attached in multiple layers, removing the sticker labels from food containers can be a tedious task.

[0003] One idea to solve this problem is Utility Model Registration No. 3104716. This idea involves adhering a peelable synthetic resin film to the outer surface of the lid or container of a food container, and affixing a sticker label printed with at least one of a barcode, ingredient list, precautions, manufacturer's name, content volume, and expiration date to the film's outer surface. When the film is peeled off, all other sticker labels affixed to the film's outer surface can be peeled off at the same time. The film is peeled off by pulling on the tab provided for pulling, and the film is laminated and adhered to the entire outer surface of the lid.

[0004] However, this idea, which seems to be useful for increasing the recycling rate of food containers, has not been implemented, and the hassle of removing sticker labels from food containers when recycling them remains unchanged. Meanwhile, environmental awareness is increasing year by year, and calls for a plastic-free society are currently being made around the world. Urgent action is also required for food containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3104716 Publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] According to the invention of Utility Model Registration No. 3104716, a peelable synthetic resin film is laminated to the outer surface of the lid, but the tab protruding from the lid surface to make it easier to peel off the film is an important part of the invention, but its structure is not described.

[0007] Regarding the structure of the tab portion of the above invention, if the tab is made by a method such as crimping another material onto the film, the structure becomes complicated, the manufacturing process increases, and the equipment becomes more expensive.

[0008] In addition, in the above-mentioned invention, the film is laminated and adhered to the entire outer surface of the lid, but if the film is attached to the entire outer surface of the lid, the peel resistance will increase, making the film difficult to peel off and requiring advanced technology for manufacturing.

[0009] Furthermore, the containers of the above invention are newly designed and made, and are not made by adding anything to existing model food containers or using molds of existing models, so the above invention cannot be applied to the vast number of existing model food containers.

[0010] The food container of the present invention was developed with the aim of realizing the function of easily peeling off multiple sticker labels attached to the outside of the lid at once when recycling, with low environmental impact and low cost, with little financial and time investment required for switching to production equipment, and in a form that is easy to introduce into the field without reducing the production volume of existing equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] As a means for solving the above problems A food container comprising a container body, a lid that closes the top opening, a transparent film that is peelably adhered only to the top surface of the lid via an adhesive, and a seal label that is attached to a portion of the film, A part of the seal label protrudes beyond the film to a size that can be pinched with fingers, and the adhesive force between the seal label and the film is stronger than the adhesive force between the film and the top surface of the lid, so that when the protruding part is pinched and lifted, the film is peeled off together with the seal label. The present invention provides an easily recyclable food container characterized by the above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The following effects were achieved by implementing the present invention. Multiple sticker labels attached to one container lid could be easily peeled off at once. 2. The desired effect was achieved even with existing food container models. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the entire container, which can be separated into a lid and a body [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire container with the lid and body connected together. [Figure 3] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film that has adhesive applied to the entire surface of the film base attached. [Figure 4] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film with adhesive spots applied. [Figure 5] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film coated with adhesive in a line pattern attached. [Figure 6] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film attached to only both ends of the film base. [Figure 7]A side view of the entire container with a product label attached to a peelable film that protrudes beyond the top of the lid by more than the size that can be pinched with fingers. [Figure 8] A perspective view of the entire container (frustum conical lid) with a product label attached to a peelable film that protrudes beyond the top of the lid by more than the size that can be pinched with fingers. [Figure 9] A perspective view of a square pyramidal lid with product label stickers protruding from the top of the lid on two sides: the front and the right side of the lid. [Figure 10] A perspective view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the tip of the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 11] A side view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the tip of the joint between the lid and the body (when the product label is attached to the tip of both the ears of the lid and the ears of the body) [Figure 12] A perspective view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and wrapped around the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 13] A side view of a container with the protruding part of the product label wrapped around the joint between the lid and the body (when the product label is only attached to the edge of the body) [Figure 14] A perspective view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the outside of the body across the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 15] A side view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the outside of the body across the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 16] A perspective view of a container with a rib attached to the front of the lid, with the protruding part of the product display sticker label extended. [Figure 17] A side view of a container with a rib where the protruding part of the product display sticker label is extended and attached to the front of the lid [Figure 18] A perspective view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the front of the lid and the outer surface of the body, spanning the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 19] A side view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the front of the lid and the outer surface of the body, spanning the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 20] A side view of a container with the protruding part of the product label extended and attached to the bottom of the body across the joint between the lid and the body. [Figure 21] A perspective view of a container with the protruding portion of the product display sticker label extended and hanging down. [Figure 22] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film attached only around the product display sticker label [Figure 23] A perspective view of a lid with a sticker label other than a product display sticker label attached anywhere on a peelable film. [Figure 24] Perspective view of the prototype container [Figure 25] Photo of the peelable film attached to the lid being peeled off along with the product label [Figure 26] A perspective view of a lid with a peelable film extending from the top of the lid and affixed to the side of the lid opposite the product label protruding from the top of the lid (when the lid is a truncated pyramid) [Figure 27] 1 is a perspective view of a lid in which a peelable film 5 is attached to a side surface other than the side opposite to the protruding product display sticker label 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] This container is a food container consisting of a container body, a lid that closes the top opening, a film that is removably adhered to the lid via an adhesive, and a seal label that is attached to a portion of the film.

[0015] The container of the present invention may be newly designed and manufactured, but it is also envisioned that it can be made by attaching a peelable film to an existing food container. Therefore, the shape of the food container on which the film is attached will be the same as an existing one, but the shape of the container will be explained in detail below by dividing it into parts.

[0016] The container body 1 is basically made of synthetic resin, but can also be made of paper or wood, and can be of any thickness and size, and can be in any shape, such as a tray or cup (Figure 1).

[0017] The lid 2 that closes the top opening can be of any shape and material, just like the main body, but for ease of processing, it is made of synthetic resin such as PET and formed by vacuum forming. The thickness of the material can be the same as that of currently available materials. Also, if it is not necessary for the contents of the container to be visible, the lid 2 can be opaque, or it can have patterns or letters printed on it. However, due to the characteristics of food containers, it is essential that the contents inside the container can be seen, so a transparent, unprinted surface is the norm. A smooth surface is preferred for the top surface 3 of the lid, as a peelable film 5 will be attached to it (Figure 1).

[0018] The lid 2 may be connected to the container body 1 or may be separate from it (see Figs. 1 and 2).

[0019] The peelable film 5 is a synthetic resin film (hereafter referred to as the film substrate 6) coated with a peelable adhesive 7a on one side and attached to the top surface 3 of the lid. Since it is desirable for the contents to be visible, the peelable film 5, like the lid 2, should be transparent and made of PET or PP. While a slightly thicker film is preferable for ease of peeling, if the container is to be incinerated, the peelable film 5 should be as thin as possible to conserve resources. The thickness of the film substrate 6 is adjusted based on the strength of the adhesive 7a applied to the film substrate 6. Conversely, if the film substrate 6 is thicker or harder, it will be easier to handle mechanically, and the peelable film 5 can also be washed and recycled. If the contents of the container do not need to be visible, the peelable film 5 can be opaque or printed with patterns or letters, and the material does not necessarily have to be synthetic resin (Figure 3).

[0020] The adhesive 7a applied to the peelable film 5 is an acrylic or urethane-based adhesive. The strength of the adhesive 7 is generally set to 0.82 to 8.17 N / 25 mm, preferably 1.63 to 3.26 N / 25 mm, which is a value generally considered to enable peeling. However, there are no limitations to these values ​​as long as the intended purpose is achieved. The adhesive 7a may be applied to the entire surface of the film substrate 6 or partially, such as in spots or lines. The form of application of the adhesive 7a is not important as long as the peelable film 5 adheres to the surface to which it is to be adhered (Figures 4 and 5). Furthermore, as long as the peelable film 5 does not peel from the surface to which it is to be adhered, even if it does not adhere closely, the adhesive 7a may be applied only to both ends of the film substrate 6 (Figure 6).

[0021] The peelable film 5 is cut to the size of the top surface 3 of the lid by a cutter, and at least one part of the film is adhered to the top surface 3 of the lid by a labeler in the above-mentioned adhesive application form.

[0022] A peelable film 5 adhered to the top surface 3 of the lid has a product display sticker label 8 that displays the product contents, price, etc., protruding beyond the peelable film 5 to a size that can be pinched with fingers and adhering with a force stronger than the adhesive strength between the film and the top surface of the lid. When the protruding portion 9 is pinched and lifted with fingers, the peelable film 5 together with the product display sticker label 8 is lifted from the top surface 3 of the lid and peeled off. The size that can be pinched with fingers is approximately 1 to 2 cm (Figs. 1-7). The product display sticker label 8 does not necessarily have to display anything related to the product, and it does not have to display anything at all.

[0023] If the lid 2 is a polygonal truncated pyramid, the peelable film 5 may be attached by extending it from the top surface 3 of the lid to the side of the lid in the opposite direction to the direction in which the product display sticker label 8 protrudes when viewed from above (Fig. 26). The purpose of attaching the peelable film 5 in this way is to increase the area on which sticker labels 18 other than the product display sticker label can be attached and the area on which notes can be written with a marker, as will be described later (in

[0038] and

[0039] ), but extending the peelable film 5 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the product display sticker label 8 protrudes is to make it easier to peel off the peelable film 5. (If the peelable film 5 is attached to the side of the lid other than the side opposite to the direction in which the product display sticker label 8 protrudes, the peelable film 5 will be difficult to peel off because there is no peelable film 5 extending from the top surface 3 of the lid in the direction 38 of the force that tries to peel off the peelable film 5 together with the product display sticker label 8.) (Figure 27)

[0024] The product display sticker label 8 is basically made of paper, but it can also be made of synthetic resin or other materials. The adhesive 7b of the product display sticker label 8 is acrylic or rubber-based, and the adhesive strength is about 20N / 25mm, but it is not limited to these as long as the product display sticker label 8 does not peel off from the peelable film 5 when lifted from the top surface 3 of the lid. Basically, any thermal type sticker label currently in circulation and in use will suffice.

[0025] The product display sticker label 8 may protrude from any location on the top surface 3 of the lid (Figs. 8 and 9). For example, if the lid is a polygonal truncated pyramid, the product display sticker label 8 may protrude from the top surface 3 of the lid not only in one direction but also in multiple directions, such as the front surface 11 of the lid and the right side surface 32 of the lid (Fig. 9).

[0026] The protruding portion 9 of the product display sticker label 8 extends beyond the top surface 3 of the lid so that it can be pinched with fingers. The joint 10 between the lid and the body (Fig. 10-13) The front surface of the cover 11 (Fig. 16-17), the front surface of the main body 12 (Fig. 14-15), the bottom surface of the main body 13 (Fig. 20), etc. It may be attached to the outer surface of the container.

[0027] The joint 10 between the lid and the body is the part where the ear 33 of the lid and the ear 34 of the body join together (Fig. 1).

[0028] When attaching a product display sticker label 8 to the joint 10 between the lid and the body, the product display sticker label 8 can be simply attached to the end 14 of the joint (Figs. 10 and 11) or wrapped around the joint 10 between the lid and the body and attached (Figs. 12 and 13).

[0029] In this case, the product display sticker label 8 may be attached to the joint between the lid and the body at either the ear 33 of the lid, the ear 34 of the body, or both (Figs. 11 and 13).

[0030] In order to make it easier to peel off the product display sticker label 8 with the extended protrusion 9 from the joint 10 between the lid and the body, it is recommended to attach the product display sticker label 8 so that it is raised above the outer surface of the container, leaving a space 15 between the product display sticker label 8 and the container where a finger can fit (see Figures 10 to 15).

[0031] However, if the outer surface of the container has ribs 16 (Fig. 16) or the container is made of polystyrene foam 17, and the adhesive strength of the product display sticker label 8 weakens when the product display sticker label 8 is affixed to the outer surface of the container, making the product display sticker label 8 easy to peel off, the product display sticker label 8 may be attached to the outer surface of the container, such as the front surface of the lid 11 or the front surface of the main body 12, without lifting the product display sticker label 8 from the outer surface of the container (Figs. 16-19).

[0032] The method for adhering the product display sticker label 8 at the joint 10 between the lid and the main body may be other than that described above.

[0033] The lid-to-body joint 10 may be mating or non-mating.

[0034] When the joint 10 between the lid and the body is not fitted together and the product display sticker label 8 is wrapped around the joint 10 between the lid and the body or affixed to the outside of the container body across the joint 10 between the lid and the body, the product display sticker label 8 also serves to prevent the lid 2 from opening (Figs. 12-15, 18-20).

[0035] The product display sticker label 8 may extend from the protruding portion 9 and simply hang down from the top surface 3 of the lid without adhering to the outer surface of the lid (Fig. 21).

[0036] If the peelable film 5 attached to the top surface 3 of the lid is considered to be large compared to the product display sticker label 8, the peelable film 5 can be arranged and sized efficiently according to the use of the food container, such as covering half of the top surface 3 of the lid or only around the periphery of the product display sticker label 8 (Fig. 22). However, care should be taken, as making the area of ​​the peelable film 5 too small defeats the purpose of the present invention, which is to "easily peel off multiple sticker labels attached to the outside surface of the lid at once."

[0037] As described above, by using the above-described structure rather than laminating the entire outer surface of the lid 2 with the peelable film 5, the intended effect of the present invention can be achieved even with existing food container models. Furthermore, since the container production equipment only requires adding equipment for attaching the peelable film 5 to the lid 2 to existing production equipment, the economic and time investment required for the transition to production equipment is small, and the container has a simple structure, so the speed of the production line is not slowed down. Furthermore, since less film is used compared to laminating the entire lid, the container is more eco-friendly and has lower manufacturing costs.

[0038] This container can be used, for example, when selling prepared food products at a supermarket, by attaching a product display sticker label 8 displaying the product price and other information in the above-mentioned state (protruding or extending the protruding portion beyond the top surface of the lid to a size that can be pinched with fingers) to any location on the peelable film 5 that has already been attached to the top surface 3 of the lid, and then, or at the same time, attaching a sticker label 18 other than the product display sticker label, such as a promotional or discount display, to any location on the peelable film 5 other than the product display sticker label 8 as needed (Figure 23).

[0039] At this time, the peelable film 5 serves as a base for attaching a sticker label 18 other than the product display sticker label. In addition to the above uses, the peelable film 5 may also be used as a base for writing text, such as product descriptions or notes, on the film with a magic marker.

[0040] When the container has been used, simply lift up the product display sticker label 8 by grasping it from the protruding portion 9 (Fig. 1) of the product display sticker label 8, the space 15 (Figs. 11, 13, 15) between the product display sticker label 8 and the container, or any other part of the product display sticker label 8 that can be grasped with your fingers, and peel off the peelable film 5 along with the product display sticker label 8 (Fig. 25). Example

[0041] The present invention Food containers with different shapes for the container body and lid P1: A type of container commonly used for sushi and sashimi (Kagayaki Stage 2-5, manufactured by FPCO, lid top: 90mm x 200mm, material: APET, thickness: 50μ) P2: Thin-walled container often used for prepared foods such as croquettes (HHP-50 shallow, manufactured by Kitahara Sangyo Co., Ltd., 161 x 99 x 30 mm, made of OPS with ribs) Peelable films with different adhesive strengths F1: Base material has firmness SPV-AM-500 (Nitto Denko Corporation) Special film base material Acrylic adhesive Thickness 0.050mm adhesive strength 1.50N / 20mm) F2: Suitable for resins with good conformability (SPV-P-366K Nitto Denko Corporation) Base material: polyethylene Ethylene / vinyl acetate adhesive Adhesive thickness: 0.06mm, adhesive strength: 0.60N / 20mm F3: Protects mobile phones and LCD screens E-MASK RP207 (Nitto Denko Corporation) Polyester base material, acrylic adhesive, thickness Thickness 0.059mm, Adhesive strength 0.11N / 25mm (with release paper) Sticker labels commonly used as product display labels on food containers R1: (Non-Sepata Funeothermal A Strong Adhesive E, manufactured by Sato Corporation, acrylic adhesive, thickness 104μm Adhesive force 7840mN / 25mm) R2: (LD7130 Lintec Acrylic Adhesive, Surface Backing Thickness 77μm, Adhesive Strength 19.0N / 25mm) R3: Chilled environmentally friendly label thermal seal CHILL AT 6KS, manufactured by Lintec, rubber adhesive, surface substrate thickness 80μm, adhesive strength 24.0N / 25mm A prototype was made using the following.

[0042] First, a container of the basic type of the present invention was manufactured in the following manner (Figure 24). 1 Prepare 9 containers P1 and P2. 2 Three pieces of peelable film F1, F2, and F3 cut to the size of the top surface 3 of the lid of the prepared containers P1 and P2 were attached to each container on the top surface 3 of the lid. 3 Next, the sticker labels R1 to R3 were cut to a width of 7 cm and attached to all of the attached peelable films F1 to F3, 5 cm from the front edge of the top surface 3 of the lid. 4 The attached sticker label was cut while it was protruding 2 cm from the top surface 3 of the lid.

[0043] The three types of films F1 to F3 attached to the top surface 3 of the lid of the completed containers did not peel off even when the containers were rubbed against each other, and it was found that even F3, which had an adhesive strength of 0.11 N / 25 mm, which was considerably weaker than the expected value of 1.63 to 3.26 N / 25 mm, could withstand use.

[0044] Next, we held the protruding portion 9 by hand and peeled off the product display sticker label 8 to see if the expected usage conditions were achieved. As a result, for all combinations of containers P1 and P2, peelable films F1 to F3, and sticker labels R1 to R3, the product display sticker label 8 could be peeled off, and the peelable film 5 could also be easily peeled off (Figures 24 and 25).

[0045] Finally, the product display sticker label 8 with the protruding portion 9 extended is 1 At the tip of the joint 14 (Fig. 10-11) 2 Wrap the joint 14 (Fig. 12-13) 3 Lift the outer surface of the container and place it partly on the outer surface of the main body (Fig. 14 and 15). 4. Press the cover firmly against the front surface 11 (see Figures 16 and 17). 5. Fit the cover over the joint 10 between the cover and the body, and adhere it to both the front surface 11 of the cover and the front surface 12 of the body (see Figures 18 and 19). 6 Lift the outer surface of the container and press it firmly against the outer surface of the bottom of the main body (Fig. 20). We observed how well the product adhered to the container P1 (with ribs) and P2 (without ribs) with different outer surface shapes, and how easily it could be peeled off, along with the ease of peeling. Also, because polystyrene foam 17 is often used for the bottom 13 of the main body of general food containers, we also observed how easily the product display sticker label 8 could be stuck to and peeled off the container P1, whose bottom is made of the same material.

[0046] As a result, the peelable films F2 and F3 did not adhere to the container P2 whose outer surface was ribbed 16 or the container P1 whose bottom surface 13 was polystyrene foam 17, but in the other combinations, in any of cases 1 to 6 described in

[0035] , the seal labels R1 to 3 could adhere to the relevant parts of the containers P1 and P2 and could be peeled off again. However, in case 2 described in

[0035] , the seal labels R1 to 3 were difficult to peel off.

[0047] As described above, although there are some areas where the container does not stick easily depending on the combination of container and seal label, the present invention can be implemented with the standard containers P1 and P2 and seal labels R1 to 3 currently on the market. Therefore, by adjusting the adhesive strength and attachment position of the product display seal label 8, it is believed that the present invention can be implemented with most food containers currently on the market.

[0048] The adhesive strength of the peelable film 5 is thought to be 0.11 to 1.875 N / 25 mm, and the adhesive strength of the product display sticker label 8 is thought to be 7.8 to 23.25 N / 25 mm.

[0049] The present invention has a very simple structure, but no single structural condition is missing, and the problem can be solved by combining this simple structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Main unit 2 lid 3 Top of the lid 4 Connecting part 5 Peelable Film 6 Film substrate 7a Adhesive (peelable film) 7b Adhesive (product display sticker label) 8 Product display sticker labels 9 Protrusion 10 Lid and body joint 11 Front of the lid 12 Front of the unit 13 Bottom of the unit 14 Joint tip 15 Finger space 16 Ribs 17 Styrofoam 18 Sticker labels other than product display sticker labels 30 Product display sticker label adhesive part 31 Side of the lid 32 Right side of the lid 33 Lid Ear 34 Body ears 35 Direction of product display sticker label protruding 36 Product display sticker label in the opposite direction to the protruding direction 37 The side of the lid opposite to the protruding product label 38 Direction of force applied to peel off the peelable film along with the product label 39 The sides of the lid other than the side of the lid opposite the protruding product label (in the case of this lid: left side, right side, and back)

Claims

[Claim 1] A food container comprising a container body, a lid that closes the top opening, a transparent film that is peelably adhered only to the top surface of the lid via an adhesive, and a seal label that is attached to a portion of the film, A part of the seal label protrudes beyond the film to a size that can be pinched with fingers, and the adhesive force between the seal label and the film is stronger than the adhesive force between the film and the top surface of the lid, so that when the protruding part is pinched and lifted, the film is peeled off together with the seal label. This food container is characterized by being easily recyclable.

Images