Packaging and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide packaging that reduces the effort required for printing labels and other information. [Solution] In a package 3 consisting of multiple containers 1 bundled together and wrapped in packaging material 2, labels 10 and 20 are printed on the containers 1 and packaging material 2 respectively, and the number of colors used for printing the labels 10 on the container 1 is set to be less than the number of colors used for printing the labels 20 on the packaging material 2.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a package or the like configured by bundling a plurality of containers and wrapping the same with a packaging material. [[Background Art]]

[0002] As a package obtained by wrapping a plurality of containers in a bundled state, for example, a can pack obtained by wrapping a plurality of beverage cans with a packaging material made of paper material is well known. In such a packaging material, product names, brands, and quality indication contents are printed on individual cans, and certain indication contents are also printed on the packaging material. As a package for products that the user does not want others to know that they are using, there has also been proposed a package in which an inconspicuously sized product name is printed on each individual product, and an indication content such as a design for promoting the product is printed on the packaging material of the product so as to be clearly recognizable even from a distant position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-335383 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] In conventional packages, the indication content printed on each individual container to be packaged is the same as the indication content printed on containers sold individually. Therefore, the number of printing man-hours required to configure the package is the sum of the man-hours for printing on individual containers and the man-hours for printing on the packaging material. In this case, depending on the printed content, there is a risk that the printing labor may increase. The package of Patent Document 1 is intended to restrict the content of the indication content to be printed on the container so as not to be conspicuous, and the scope of application thereof is limited.

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a package or the like that can reduce the printing labor related to indication contents. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] A package according to one aspect of the present invention is a package comprising a plurality of containers wrapped in a packaging material, wherein a label is printed on each of the containers and the packaging material, and the number of colors used for printing the label on the containers is less than the number of colors used for printing the label on the packaging material.

[0007] A method for creating a package according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for creating a package in which a plurality of containers are bundled together and wrapped in a packaging material, wherein a label is printed on both the containers and the packaging material, and the number of colors used for printing the label on the containers is less than the number of colors used for printing the label on the packaging material. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing an example of a can pack as a packaging body according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing an example of a group of can containers included in a canned food pack. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing an example of packaging materials used in canned cartons. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes a packaging according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 shows a packaging according to one embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated form is an example of a can pack 3, which is a package, constructed by bundling multiple can containers 1 filled with beverages such as beer with a packaging material 2. The can containers 1 are an example of containers to be included in the packaging. The number of can containers 1 included in the can pack 3 is, for example, 6. However, the number of can containers 1 in one can pack 3 may be changed as appropriate. The contents of each can container 1 included in one can pack 3 may all be the same, or the contents of at least some of the can containers 1 may be different from the contents of the other can containers 1.

[0010] Figure 2 shows multiple can containers 1 contained in a can pack 3, and Figure 3 shows the packaging material 2 that encloses these can containers 1. The can containers 1 are sold as canned beverage products once filled with beverage. Labels 10 are printed on appropriate areas of the can containers 1, such as the outer surface. Figure 2 shows a representative example of the labels 10 on one can container 1. Labels 10 are similarly printed on the other can containers 1. Note that the design of the labels 10 shown in Figure 2 is an example and does not represent the labels 10 on the actual can containers 1. The illustration of the labels 10 on the can containers 1 is omitted in Figure 1.

[0011] The labeling 10 on the can container 1 may include various characters, designs, patterns, etc., such as the product name of the beverage and a mark or logo that symbolizes the product. The labeling 10 is not limited to characters indicating the product name, etc., but also includes the background color and patterns of the can container 1, as long as they are formed by printing. If the beverage filled in the can container 1 is an alcoholic beverage, the labeling 10 includes specific information that is required to be displayed on a single can container 1 according to laws and regulations or self-regulatory agreements of industry associations regarding the sale of that beverage. For example, the printed content of the labeling 10 is set so that various matters such as the type of beverage product, net volume, alcohol content, quality of additives, etc., the name of the manufacturer, and the location of the manufacturing plant are included in accordance with laws and regulations. Even if the contents of the can container 1 are not an alcoholic beverage, specific information that is required to be displayed regarding those contents is included in the labeling 10.

[0012] As an example, a resin film can be used for packaging material 2. As another example of a resin film, a shrink film that shrinks when heated can be used for packaging material 2. Figure 3 shows an example in which shrink film before heating is used as packaging material 2. In the example in Figure 3, packaging material 2 is formed into a cylindrical shape by a method such as bonding the ends of sheets together, a predetermined number of can containers 1 are placed inside the cylindrical packaging material 2, and then packaging material 2 is heated. As packaging material 2 shrinks and adheres tightly to the group of can containers 1, the can containers 1 are confined inside packaging material 2 in a bundled state in a predetermined arrangement.

[0013] The label 20 is also printed on the packaging material 2. The design of the label 20 in Figure 3 is just an example and does not represent the actual label 20 on the packaging material 2. The label 20 on the packaging material 2 may include various letters, designs, patterns, etc., such as the beverage's product name and a mark or logo that symbolizes the product, similar to the label 10 on the can container 1. The label 20 is not limited to letters, etc., indicating the product name, but also includes the background color and patterns of the packaging material 2, as long as they are formed by printing. The label 20 may also include specific information corresponding to the contents of the can container 1. Because the packaging material 2 has a larger surface area than the individual can containers 1, its label 20 may contain more information than the label 10 on the can containers 1. Since the packaging material 2 is exposed on the outside of the can pack 3, the content of the label 20 may be set to be larger and more conspicuous than the label 10 on the individual can containers 1 in order to enhance the identifiability and appeal of the can pack 3.

[0014] To reduce the printing effort required to construct the can pack 3, the number of printing colors for the label 10 on the can container 1 is set to be less than the number of printing colors for the label 20 on the packaging material 2. The number of printing colors referred to here means the number of ink colors used for printing. It does not refer to the number of colors of the display expressed by combining each ink color. For example, the number of printing colors on the can container 1 is set to one color. That is, the label 10 on the can container 1 is formed by monochrome printing. However, even with monochrome printing, gradation can be achieved by changing the dot density. In contrast, the label 20 on the packaging material 2 is formed by multicolor printing. For example, the label 20 is printed using 3 to 15 ink colors.

[0015] The labels 10 and 20 may be printed using various printing methods. For example, offset printing, screen printing, inkjet printing, etc., may be used as appropriate. The labels 10 on the can container 1 are not limited to being printed directly on the outer surface of the can container 1, but may also be formed by a film labeling method in which a resin film on which the labels 10 are printed is attached to the can container 1.

[0016] As described above, with the can pack 3 configured as described, the number of colors used for printing the label 10 on the can container 1 is less than the number of colors used for printing the label 20 on the packaging material 2. Therefore, the amount of work required to print the label 10 on the can container 1 can be reduced compared to the case where the label 10 on the can container 1 is multi-color printed in the same way as the label 20 on the packaging material 2. In particular, if the label 10 is printed in a single color, the amount of work required to print the label 10 can be minimized. On the other hand, since the label 20 on the packaging material 2 is multi-color printed, the relatively large surface area of ​​the packaging material 2 can be utilized to provide the label 20 in a way that enhances the identifiability and appeal of the can pack 3.

[0017] By reducing the number of colors used for printing the label 10 on the can container 1, the printing process is streamlined. Therefore, there is no need to impose restrictions on the content of the label 10 itself, such as limiting it to inconspicuous content. Consequently, it can be applied to various types of packaging. There are also no particular restrictions on the printing area of ​​the can container 1. For example, if a specific color symbolizes the canned beverage, it is possible to color a relatively large area of ​​the can container 1, such as the entire outer perimeter, with that specific color to enhance the identifiability and appeal of the can container 1 itself.

[0018] Because shrink film is used for the packaging material 2, the shrunk packaging material 2 adheres tightly to the group of can containers 1, making the silhouette of the can containers 1 visible from the outside. Therefore, it is easy to understand what kind of can containers 1 are wrapped in the can pack 3. If the packaging material 2 is transparent or translucent, it is possible to identify the can containers 1 even more easily. The entire can pack 3 can also be immersed in cold water or the like to cool the beverage. It is not necessarily required that all the can containers 1 contained in the same can pack 3 be the same shape and size. Even if at least some of the can containers 1 are of different shapes or sizes, they can be wrapped in shrink film and packaged together as a single unit.

[0019] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be implemented in forms that include appropriate modifications or alterations. For example, the containers included in the package are not limited to can-shaped containers, and containers of various other shapes such as bottle-shaped, pouch-shaped and the like may be covered. The container may be formed from various materials such as resin, paper, metal or other materials, either alone or in an appropriate combination. The contents of the container are not limited to beverages, and various articles may be set as the contents. For example, gels, seasonings, medical drugs, cosmetics, semi-solid gels, sols, granular materials, tablets, powders and other various articles may be used as the contents of the container. The packaging material is not limited to resin films. For example, a packaging material made of paper material may be used. The number of printing colors for the indication on the container is not limited to one color. The indication on the container may be printed in two or more colors as long as the number of colors is smaller than the number of printing colors for the indication on the packaging material.

[0020] Various aspects of the present invention derived from each of the above-described embodiments and modifications are described below. In the following description, to facilitate understanding of each aspect of the present invention, corresponding components illustrated in the accompanying drawings are added in parentheses, but this does not limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiments.

[0021] A package (3) according to one aspect of the present invention is a package configured by wrapping a plurality of containers (1) with a packaging material (2) so as to bundle the plurality of containers, wherein an indication (10, 20) is printed on each of the container and the packaging material, and the number of printing colors of the indication (10) on the container is smaller than the number of printing colors of the indication (20) on the packaging material.

[0022] A method for producing a package (3) according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a package obtained by wrapping a plurality of containers (1) with a packaging material (2) so as to bundle the plurality of containers, wherein an indication (10, 20) is printed on each of the container and the packaging material, and the number of printing colors of the indication (10) on the container is set to be smaller than the number of printing colors of the indication (20) on the packaging material.

[0023] According to the above aspect, while providing various display items that enhance the distinctiveness and appeal of the package on the packaging material, the number of printing colors for the display items of the container wrapped by the packaging material can be reduced, thereby reducing the man-hours required for printing. Accordingly, when considering the package as a whole, it is possible to reduce the printing labor related to the display items.

[0024] In the above aspect, the following matters can be further added. It should be noted that the various matters below may be appropriately combined and applied as long as no contradiction occurs between each other.

[0025] In the above aspect, the number of printing colors for the indicator on the container may be one color. According to this, the man-hours required for printing the container can be minimized.

[0026] The indicator on the container may include specific information that is required to be displayed on each of the plurality of containers. For example, when it is mandatory to indicate items such as the name and quality of the contents on the container, by printing such information as specific information with a small number of colors, it is possible to reduce the labor related to printing of the package while satisfying the display requirements necessary for the container.

[0027] The packaging material may be a shrink film. According to this, by shrinking the shrink film with heat, a package with a simple configuration in which a plurality of containers are bundled can be provided. Since the silhouettes of the containers included in the package are visible from the outside, it is easy to grasp what kind of containers are packed in one package. It is also possible to include containers of different shapes and sizes in the same package. Description of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1 Can container 2 Packaging material 3 Can pack 10 Indicator 20 Indicator

Claims

1. A packaging body consisting of multiple containers wrapped together in packaging material, Each of the container and packaging material has a label printed on it. A package in which the number of colors printed on the label in the container is less than the number of colors printed on the label in the packaging material.

2. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the number of colors used for printing the label on the container is one color.

3. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the label on the container includes specific information that is required to be displayed on each of the plurality of containers.

4. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the packaging material is shrink film.

5. A method for creating a package in which multiple containers are wrapped together in packaging material, The container and the packaging material are each printed with a label, A method for creating a package in which the number of colors used for printing the label on the container is less than the number of colors used for printing the label on the packaging material.

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