Portion container

Abstract

This invention provides a laminated structure that can be used in containers made of biopolyethylene, allowing the contents to be removed by bending and breaking the notch. [Solution] A laminated structure comprising a layer containing a polymer alloy including biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portion container.

Background Art

[0002] A portion container is used as a container for storing a single serving of milk for coffee or tea, or gum syrup for iced coffee or iced tea.

[0003] For example, the portion container shown in Patent Document 1 has an opening notch. To take out the contents such as milk from the portion container, first, pinch the cut tab portion with a finger, bend and break the opening notch, and after folding off the cut tab portion, pull up this tab portion to peel off the lid that seals the container from the container, and further perform an operation of tilting the container.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Conventionally, as a portion container, an HIPS (high impact polystyrene) sheet excellent in rigidity, thermoformability, and trimming property has been used. However, with the recent demand for reducing CO2 emissions, it is necessary to reduce the use of raw materials derived from crude oil. Therefore, replacing a part of the crude oil-derived HIPS with plant-derived bio-polyethylene has been considered.

[0006] However, a portion container with an opening notch in which a part of the crude oil-derived HIPS is replaced with plant-derived bio-polyethylene does not break even when the notch is bent, so the cut tab portion cannot be folded off, and the contents cannot be taken out from the portion container.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a portion container that allows the contents to be removed by bending and breaking the notch, even when using biopolyethylene. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a portion container for sealing contents, comprising: a container body for containing the contents; and a flange portion extending outward from the upper edge of the container body, wherein the flange portion comprises a notch formed therein that breaks when bent, and a tab portion that separates from the flange portion upon such break, wherein the container body and the flange portion are integrally molded plastic, and the plastic has a laminated structure in which, in order, a first layer containing crude oil-derived polystyrene but not biopolyethylene, a second layer containing a polymer alloy containing biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene, and a third layer containing crude oil-derived polystyrene but not biopolyethylene, wherein the surface of the first layer is the outer surface of the portion container, the surface of the third layer is the inner surface of the portion container, the notch is formed in the thickness direction of the plastic and penetrates the first and second layers, and the tip of the notch reaches the third layer.

[0009] The biopolyethylene content in the aforementioned plastic may be 1% by mass to 65% by mass.

[0010] The thickness of the first layer may be 50 μm to 150 μm, the thickness of the second layer may be 100 μm to 250 μm, and the thickness of the third layer may be 400 μm to 500 μm.

[0011] The depth of the notch in the thickness direction of the plastic may be 150 μm to 600 μm.

[0012] The portion container of the present invention comprises a film-like lid, the lid which is in close contact with the surface of the flange portion to seal the contents, and which may also be in close contact with the tab portion.

[0013] The capacity of the container body may be between 3 mL and 100 mL. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, even when using biopolyethylene, it is possible to provide a portion container from which the contents can be removed by bending and breaking the notch. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of potion container 100, which is an example of a potion container. [Figure 2] This is a schematic enlarged view of the area around the notch 30 of a portion container 100, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a portion container 110 equipped with a lid 200. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a model diagram showing the procedure for opening the portion container 110. [Figure 5] This is a schematic enlarged view of the area around the notch 30 of a portion container in a different embodiment from the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the portion container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] [Potion container] The portion container of the present invention is a portion container for sealing its contents. Examples of contents include liquid or solid foods and beverages such as milk, gum syrup, dressing, sauce, and jelly, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

[0018] In addition, the capacity of the portion container is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of one-time use, the capacity of the container body is 3 mL to 100 mL. <Configuration of the portion container> Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a portion container 100, which is an example of a portion container. Fig. 1(a) is a top view of the portion container 100, Fig. 1(b) is a side view of the portion container 100, and Fig. 1(c) is a bottom view of the portion container 100.

[0019] The portion container 100 includes a container body 10 for containing the contents, and a flange portion 20 that extends outward from the upper edge 11 of the container body 10.

[0020] The flange portion 20 includes a bending break portion 40 that is formed with a notch 30 and breaks by bending, and a tab portion 50 that is separated from the flange portion 20 by the break.

[0021] The container body 10 and the flange portion 20 are integrally formed plastics. As shown in the schematic enlarged view near the notch 30 shown in Fig. 2, the plastics have a laminated structure in which a first layer 60, a second layer 70, and a third layer 80, which will be described below in sequence, are laminated. The surface 61 of the first layer 60 is the outer surface of the portion container 100, and the surface 81 of the third layer 80 is the inner surface of the portion container 100.

[0022] (First layer 60) The first layer 60 is a layer that contains crude oil-derived polystyrene and does not contain biopolyethylene. Crude oil-derived polystyrene is a polymer having styrene synthesized from crude oil as a monomer, and is a plastic resin. Examples of the crude oil-derived polystyrene contained in the first layer 60 include HIPS (high impact polystyrene) in which a rubber component is added to improve impact resistance, GPPS (general purpose polystyrene) having high transparency and hardness, etc. The first layer 60 can be formed by using these alone or in combination.

[0023] Furthermore, the first layer 60 may contain a coloring agent. Common coloring agents used for coloring plastics can be used as the coloring agent. Examples include dyes, pigments, masterbatches, colored pellets, colored compounds, dry colors, paste colors, etc., for colors such as white, black, red, blue, green, and yellow. Colors may be prepared by combining one or more of these coloring agents.

[0024] (2nd layer 70) The second layer 70 is a layer containing a polymer alloy including biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene. Biopolyethylene is produced, for example, from ethylene extracted from bioethanol obtained by fermenting the residual liquid such as molasses left over after extracting sugar from sugarcane juice.

[0025] The second layer 70 may be a layer formed from a polymer alloy obtained by mixing, for example, biopolyethylene with HIPS and GPPS. Furthermore, since multiple polymers are mixed to form a polymer alloy, a compatibilizer may be used to prevent phase separation during the formation of the polymer alloy.

[0026] Furthermore, the second layer 70 may contain a coloring agent. Common coloring agents used for coloring plastics can be used as the coloring agent. Examples include dyes, pigments, masterbatches, colored pellets, colored compounds, dry colors, paste colors, etc., for colors such as white, black, red, blue, green, and yellow. Colors may be prepared by combining one or more of these coloring agents.

[0027] (3rd layer 80) The third layer 80 is a layer that contains crude oil-derived polystyrene but does not contain biopolyethylene. Examples of crude oil-derived polystyrene included in the third layer 80 include HIPS (high-impact polystyrene) which has improved impact resistance due to the addition of rubber components, and GPPS (general-purpose polystyrene) which is highly transparent and rigid. These can be used alone or in combination to form the first layer 60.

[0028] The first layer 60 and the third layer 80 may be formed from resins of the same composition or from resins of different compositions. For example, the first layer 60 and the third layer 80 may be layers of the same composition, made by mixing HIPS and GPPS from the same product in the same mixing ratio, or they may be layers of different compositions, made by mixing HIPS and GPPS purchased from different manufacturers in different mixing ratios.

[0029] Furthermore, the third layer 80 may contain a coloring agent. Common coloring agents used for coloring plastics can be used as the coloring agent. Examples include dyes, pigments, masterbatches, colored pellets, colored compounds, dry colors, paste colors, etc., for colors such as white, black, red, blue, green, and yellow. Colors may be prepared by combining one or more of these coloring agents.

[0030] The laminated structure having the aforementioned laminated structure is preferably [1] to [3]. [1] A laminated structure comprising layers containing a polymer alloy including biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene. [2] The laminated structure according to [1], wherein the biopolyethylene content in the laminated structure is 1% by mass to 65% by mass. [3] The laminated structure according to [1] or [2], wherein the thickness of the layer is 100 μm to 250 μm.

[0031] [Biopolyethylene content] The bio-polyethylene content in plastics can be approximately 1% to 65% by mass. From the viewpoint of reducing the use of crude oil-derived raw materials, it is preferable that the content be 1% by mass or more. If the content is higher than 65% by mass, the raw material cost of the portion container may increase due to the price of bio-polyethylene. In addition, if the bio-polyethylene content is high, it becomes difficult to form polymer alloys, which may result in a defective appearance of the portion container. Therefore, considering the appearance of the portion container, it is preferable that the content be 30% by mass or less.

[0032] As a guideline for the bio-polyethylene content of a portion container, it is possible to advertise that it uses bio-polyethylene to reduce crude oil-derived materials, and it does not affect raw material costs. The bio-polyethylene content in the plastic is 1% to 10% by mass. To ensure that the content falls within this range, the portion container can be manufactured with a bio-polyethylene content of 5% by mass as the standard.

[0033] Furthermore, portion containers manufactured primarily from crude oil-derived polystyrene without containing bio-polyethylene are permeable to moisture. Therefore, if contents are stored in the portion container for a long period of time, moisture from the contents may permeate the plastic and escape to the outside, potentially causing the contents to solidify or lose their fluidity, rendering them unusable. For example, milk in a portion container may solidify and become unusable, or its reduced fluidity may make it difficult to use.

[0034] On the other hand, if the biopolyethylene content in the plastic is between 1% and 10% by mass, the water vapor permeability of the plastic can be altered. As a result, even when contents are stored in the portion container for a long period, moisture from the contents will not easily permeate the plastic. Consequently, the time it takes for the contents of the portion container to solidify or lose fluidity and become unusable can be extended, allowing the contents to be stored in the portion container for a longer period while maintaining their quality.

[0035] [Notch 30] The notch 30 is formed in the thickness direction of the plastic and penetrates the first layer 60 and the second layer 70, with the tip 31 of the notch 30 reaching the third layer 80 (Figures 1 and 2).

[0036] It is important that the notch 30 penetrates the second layer 70, which contains biopolyethylene. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the tip 35 of the notch 30 is inside the second layer 70 (Figure 5(a)), or if the tip 35a is inside the first layer 60 without reaching the second layer 70 (Figure 5(b)), even if the tab portion 50 is grasped and the flange 20 is bent at the notch 30, the second layer 70 will not break, making it impossible to break off the tab portion 50, and thus the contents cannot be removed from the portion container 110 equipped with the lid portion 200 described later.

[0037] Therefore, the tip of the notch 30 only needs to pass through the second layer 70 and reach the third layer 80. For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), the tip 31 may be inside the third layer 80, or as shown in Figure 2(b), the tip 31a may be formed on the surface of the third layer 80. In these cases, by pinching the tab portion 50 and bending the flange 20 at the notch 30, the third layer 80 breaks at the bending break portion 40, allowing the tab portion 50 to be broken off and the contents to be removed from the portion container 110 equipped with the lid portion 200 described later.

[0038] The notch 30 can be formed, for example, by making an incision in the flange portion 20 with a blade such as a notch cutter after the container body 10 and flange portion 20 of the portion container 100 have been formed. Alternatively, the notch 30 may be formed in the shape of a V-notch, as shown in Figure 2, or it may be an I-notch, a U-shaped, or a home plate-shaped notch.

[0039] Furthermore, the notch 30 may be formed by making a single cut in a straight line from end to end of the flange 20 (Figure 1(c)), or the notch 30 may be formed by multiple cuts, with some sections having cuts and others not, in a straight line.

[0040] The depth D of the notch 30 in the thickness direction of the plastic (Figure 2(a)) is preferably 150 μm to 600 μm. If the depth D of the notch 30 is less than 150 μm, the shallow depth D makes it difficult to pinch the tab portion 50 and bend the flange 20 with the notch 30, which may prevent the tab portion 50 from being broken off at the bending break portion 40, or it may become difficult to break off the tab portion 50, which may hinder the removal of the contents. Furthermore, if the depth D of the notch 30 exceeds 600 μm, the depth D is so deep that even without pinching the tab portion 50 and bending the flange 20 with the notch 30, an unexpected impact may be applied to the tab portion 50, causing the bending break portion 40 to break and the tab portion 50 to be broken off, which may cause the contents to leak out of the portion container 100 during storage.

[0041] Furthermore, the length L of the bending and breaking portion 40, which is obtained by subtracting the depth D from the thickness of the plastic, can be, for example, 100 μm to 500 μm. If the length L is less than 100 μm, an unexpected impact may be applied to the tab portion 50, causing the bending and breaking portion 40 to break and the tab portion 50 to break off, potentially causing the contents to leak out of the portion container 100 during storage. Also, if the length L is longer than 500 μm, it may become difficult to pinch the tab portion 50 and bend the flange 20 at the notch 30, making it impossible to break off the tab portion 50 without breaking it at the bending and breaking portion 40, or making it difficult to break off the tab portion 50, which may hinder the removal of the contents.

[0042] [Thickness of the first layer (60), the second layer (70), and the third layer (80)] The total thickness of the plastic is the sum of the thicknesses of the first layer 60, the second layer 70, and the third layer 80. The thickness of the plastic can be determined considering raw material costs, durability, etc. Furthermore, the thickness of each layer can be set considering the depth D of the notch 30 and the length L of the bend / break portion 40. For example, the depth D must be greater than or equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first layer 60 and the second layer 70 so that the tip of the notch 30 passes through the second layer 70 and reaches the third layer 80.

[0043] For example, the thickness of the first layer 60 can be set to 50 μm to 150 μm, the thickness of the second layer 70 to 100 μm to 250 μm, and the thickness of the third layer 80 to 400 μm to 500 μm.

[0044] [Lid part 200] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a portion container 110 equipped with a lid 200. Figure 3(a) is a top view of the portion container 110, and Figure 3(b) is a side view of the portion container 110.

[0045] The portion container of the present invention may include a film-like lid portion 200, as shown in Figure 3, for the portion container 110. The lid portion 200 adheres tightly to the surface of the flange portion 20 to seal the contents and also adheres tightly to the tab portion 50.

[0046] Typically, the contents are placed in the container body 10 of the portion container 110, sealed with the lid 200, and supplied to the consumer.

[0047] The lid portion 200 may be a laminated film, similar to the lids of commonly used portion containers. For example, it may be a laminated film composed of a surface material layer / sealant layer, or a surface material layer / adhesive layer / aluminum foil layer / sealant layer, etc. Examples of surface material layers include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide resins, and polypropylene resins. The sealant layer is, for example, an adhesive plastic such as an alkyl acrylate-vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, and is usually peelably bonded to the flange portion 20 by heat sealing. The shape of the lid portion 200 is such that it covers the surface of the flange portion 20 and can be bonded to the flange portion 20. The lid portion 200 may be larger than the outer circumference of the flange portion 20, or it may have the same outer circumference as the flange portion 20.

[0048] Figure 4 shows a model diagram illustrating the procedure for opening the portion container 110 shown in Figure 3. Figure 4(a) shows the state in which the tab portion 50 is pinched with fingers, bent at the notch 30 to break the bendable portion 40, and the tab portion 50 is broken off. Figure 4(b) shows the state in which the tab portion 50 is further lifted from Figure 4(a) and a part of the lid portion 200 is peeled off.

[0049] To remove the contents from the portion container 110, first, as shown in Figure 4(a), pinch the tab portion 50 with your fingers and bend the flange 20 at the notch 30, then break off the tab portion 50. After that, as shown in Figure 4(b), pull up the tab portion 50 further to release the welded seal of the lid portion 200 that seals the container body 10, and then tilt the portion container 110 to remove the contents.

[0050] The portion container is preferably one of the following [1] to [6]. [1] A portion container for sealing the contents, A container body for containing the contents, A flange portion extending outward from the upper edge of the container body, Equipped with, The flange portion comprises a notched portion that breaks when bent, and a tab portion that separates from the flange portion upon such break. The container body and the flange portion are made of integrally molded plastic. The aforementioned plastics are, in order The first layer contains crude oil-derived polystyrene and does not contain biopolyethylene, A second layer comprising a polymer alloy containing biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene, The third layer contains crude oil-derived polystyrene and does not contain biopolyethylene, It has a laminated structure in which layers are stacked, The surface of the first layer is the outer surface of the portion container, The surface of the third layer is the inner surface of the portion container, The notch is formed in the thickness direction of the plastic and penetrates the first and second layers, with the tip of the notch reaching the third layer. Portion container. [2] The portion container according to [1], wherein the biopolyethylene content in the plastic is 1% to 65% by mass. [3] The thickness of the first layer is 50 μm to 150 μm, The thickness of the second layer is 100 μm to 250 μm. The thickness of the third layer is 400 μm to 500 μm. The potion container described in [1] or [2]. [4] The portion container according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the depth of the notch in the thickness direction of the plastic is 150 μm to 600 μm. [5] A portion container according to any one of [1] to [4], comprising a film-like lid, the lid being in close contact with the surface of the flange portion to seal the contents and in close contact with the tab portion. [6] A portion container according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the capacity of the container body is 3 mL to 100 mL. [Examples]

[0051] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited in any way to the following examples.

[0052] [Example of manufacturing sheet for portion containers] Based on the formulations shown in Table 1, a sheet for portion containers was manufactured using an extrusion lamination method in which the raw materials were melt-mixed and then extruded through a T-die. The sheet consisted of a first layer 60 with a thickness of 100 μm, a second layer 70 with a thickness of 170 μm, and a third layer 80 with a thickness of 450 μm. All quantities and totals in Table 1 are in mass percent.

[0053] The raw materials used for the portion container sheets were E640N (manufactured by Toyo Styrene Co., Ltd.) as HIPS, HF77 (manufactured by PSJ) and 679 (manufactured by PSJ) as GPPS, SHC7260 (manufactured by Braschem) as biopolyethylene, H1043 (manufactured by Asahi Kasei) as a compatibilizer, and PS-NX0326 (manufactured by Nikko Bix) and PS-NX0027 (manufactured by Nikko Bix) as white pigments.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055] [Evaluation of water vapor permeability of sheets for portion containers] <Example 1> Based on the formulation shown in Table 1, a 650 μm thick sheet for portion containers was manufactured by an extrusion lamination method in which the raw materials were melt-mixed and then extruded through a T-die. This method produced a laminated structure consisting of a 100 μm thick first layer 60, a 100 μm thick second layer 70, and a 450 μm thick third layer 80. The biopolyethylene content in the portion container sheet of Example 1 was 5% by mass, meaning the biopolyethylene content in the plastic was 5% by mass. <Example 2> Based on the formulation shown in Table 1, a 650 μm thick sheet for portion containers was manufactured by an extrusion lamination method in which the raw materials were melt-mixed and then extruded through a T-die. This method produced a laminated structure consisting of a 100 μm thick first layer 60, a 150 μm thick second layer 70, and a 400 μm thick third layer 80. The biopolyethylene content in the portion container sheet of Example 2 was 5% by mass, meaning the biopolyethylene content in the plastic was 5% by mass. <Conventional Examples> Based on the formulation of the first layer 60 shown in Table 1, a 650 μm thick single-layer sheet for portion containers was manufactured by an extrusion lamination method in which the raw materials were melted and mixed before being extruded through a T-die. The biopolyethylene content in the conventional portion container sheet was 0% by mass, meaning that the biopolyethylene content in the plastic was 0% by mass.

[0056] The water vapor permeability of the portion container sheets in Examples 1 and 2 and the conventional example was tested using a water vapor permeability test based on the JIS K7129B method. The apparatus used was a PERMATRAN-W 3 / 31 (manufactured by MOCON), and the measurement conditions were 40°C, 90%RH, and a permeable area of ​​50 cm². 2 The number of measurements was set to n=1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0057] [Table 2]

[0058] As shown in Table 2, the portion container sheets of Examples 1 and 2, by incorporating a second layer 70 containing biopolyethylene, exhibited lower water vapor permeability compared to conventional portion container sheets that did not contain biopolyethylene. This reduced water vapor permeability meant that even when contents were stored in the portion container for a long period, moisture from the contents was less likely to permeate the plastic. Therefore, it is clear that portion containers molded from the portion container sheets of Examples 1 and 2 can extend the time before the contents solidify or lose fluidity and become unusable, thus maintaining the quality of the contents and allowing for longer storage.

[0059] (summary) Based on the above, the present invention provides a portion container that allows the contents to be removed by folding and breaking the notch, even when using biopolyethylene. This container is industrially useful because it can maintain the quality of the contents and store them for a longer period of time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Container body 11 Upper edge 20 Flange section 30 Notches 31 Tip 31a Tip 35 Tip 35a Tip 40 Folded and broken section 50 Tab section 60 1st layer 61 Surface 70 2nd layer 80 3rd layer 81 Surface 100 potion containers 110 Potion Containers 200 Lid D Depth L Length

Claims

1. A portion container for sealing its contents, A container body for containing the contents, A flange portion extending outward from the upper edge of the container body, Equipped with, The flange portion comprises a notched portion that breaks when bent, and a tab portion that separates from the flange portion upon such break. The container body and the flange portion are made of integrally molded plastic. The aforementioned plastics are, in order The first layer contains crude oil-derived polystyrene and does not contain biopolyethylene, A second layer comprising a polymer alloy containing biopolyethylene and crude oil-derived polystyrene, The third layer contains crude oil-derived polystyrene and does not contain biopolyethylene, It has a laminated structure in which layers are stacked, The thickness of the first layer is 50 μm to 150 μm. The thickness of the second layer is 100 μm to 250 μm. The thickness of the third layer is 400 μm to 500 μm. The surface of the first layer is the outer surface of the portion container, The surface of the third layer is the inner surface of the portion container, The notch is formed in the thickness direction of the plastic and penetrates the first and second layers, with the tip of the notch reaching the third layer. Portion container.

2. The portion container according to claim 1, wherein the biopolyethylene content in the plastic is 1% by mass to 65% by mass.

3. The portion container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the depth of the notch in the thickness direction of the plastic is 150 μm to 600 μm.

4. A portion container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a film-like lid portion, the lid portion being in close contact with the surface of the flange portion to seal the contents, and also in close contact with the tab portion.

5. The portion container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the capacity of the container body is 3 mL to 100 mL.

6. The portion container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second layer further comprises a compatibilizer.

Images