Package

Abstract

To provide a package of film packaging excellent in openability.SOLUTION: A package is obtained by packaging a sanitary tissue paper bundle with a soft resin packaging film. The package includes a take-out port formation part formed by arranging an easy-to-cut opening line in a ring shape on an upper surface. At least one end edge of the take-out port formation part in a width direction is formed of the easy-to-cut opening line in which a cut part and a half cut part are arranged alternately.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a package in which a bundle of folded and stacked sanitary thin papers such as paper towels is wrapped with a flexible packaging film.

Background Art

[0002] As a packaging form of sanitary thin papers such as paper towels and facial tissues, there is known a form in which one or a plurality of plies are folded and stacked, and a so-called pop-up type bundle is formed such that when the top sheet is picked up and pulled out, a part of the next sheet is pulled out, and the bundle is wrapped with a flexible packaging film made of resin.

[0003] Conventionally, such a package of sanitary thin paper generally has a perforation for forming an outlet as a simple linear perforation, and a slit-shaped outlet is formed on the upper surface. However, the slit-shaped outlet has a problem that when the slit length is increased, the number of sheets remaining inside decreases, and the sheet may fall inside. Also, when the slit length is decreased, it is difficult to pull out the first sheet outside the film after opening, and the pulling resistance becomes too high at the initial stage or the final stage of use, and the packaging film may be lifted together with the sheet when pulling out the sheet, and the pop-up function may be lost.

[0004] Therefore, in order to improve the problem of the slit-shaped outlet, the perforation for forming the outlet is arranged in an elongated annular shape extending in the longitudinal direction by a die-cutting or other blanking technique, and the outlet is made to have a width in the depth direction like a substantially elliptical shape (Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). Furthermore, in recent years, in order to further improve the extractability, the outlet is made into a substantially ladle shape with the widthwise ends widened.

[0005] However, the conventional oval-shaped or ladle-shaped outlets are designed mainly for sanitary thin papers such as facial tissue papers that prioritize softness and flexibility and are mainly used for facial purposes such as wiping snot or wiping around the mouth during meals. They are not necessarily suitable for sanitary thin papers such as tissue papers with a "thick and firm quality that is difficult to tear" that are easy to use for wiping the skin other than the face or for wiping objects, or for paper towels that are more rigid than facial tissue papers and are mainly used for wiping hands after handwashing.

[0006] To improve the extractability of such sanitary thin papers, it is conceivable to form the outlet wider in the depth direction. However, it is difficult to design highly rigid sanitary thin papers in the same way as facial tissue papers that are excellent in softness and flexibility due to differences in paper quality. If the depth direction of the outlet is simply widened, problems such as a pop-up failure where the next sanitary thin paper does not lift up but falls down during pop-up, or a standing failure where it does not stand up on the upper surface of the package but lies down, are very likely to occur.

[0007] On the other hand, for example, in the outlet forming portion 105 having a substantially elliptical shape shown in Fig. 9(a) and formed by die-cutting or other blanking techniques with the perforations 150 arranged in a ring shape, there is an advantage that an outlet can be easily formed by peeling off the inner range 105Z of the ring-shaped perforations from one end 105A to the other end 105B in the longitudinal direction X as shown in Fig. 9(b). However, when such an opening operation is performed, as the perforations 150 approach the perforation 150e at the other end that is finally separated at the other end 105B, the direction in which the perforations 150 tear becomes closer to the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the inner range 105Z of the ring-shaped perforations is pulled. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 9(c), the tearing of the perforations 150 does not occur smoothly and continuously in the vicinity of the perforation 150e at the end, particularly at the end 105B, and an unintended tear 105P may occur at the end of the outlet 106 as shown in Fig. 9(d). In the outlet forming portion 105 formed with the perforations 150 arranged in a ring shape, as the end in the width direction expands in the depth direction Y, the range of the perforations that becomes closer to the direction orthogonal to the peeling direction becomes longer, making it easier for this tear to occur. Therefore, in a substantially ladle-shaped outlet forming portion with an expanded end, the tear 105P is likely to occur.

[0008] Furthermore, particularly when the packaging film is a uniaxially stretched film stretched in the direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X of the outlet forming portion 105, such a tear 105P is more likely to occur. In particular, in the case of pillow packaging or gusset packaging forms, since the stretching direction of the packaging film is generally orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the outlet forming portion, such a tear is likely to occur.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the main problem of the present invention is to provide a film-packaged package that is excellent in openability with the edges in the width direction of the outlet being difficult to tear during opening, and further excellent in the drawability of sanitary tissue paper, particularly hard sanitary tissue paper such as paper towels.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The means for solving the above problems are as follows. The first means is a package in which a bundle of sanitary tissue paper is packaged with a flexible resin packaging film, having an outlet forming portion formed by annularly arranging an easily tearable line on the upper surface, wherein the edge of at least one end in the width direction of the outlet forming portion is constituted by an easily tearable line in which cut portions and half-cut portions are alternately arranged, and it is characterized by being such a package.

[0012] The second means is a package according to the first means, wherein the half-cut portion is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness of the packaging film.

[0013] The third means is the outlet forming portion has a shape having a narrow portion extending in the width direction at the central portion in the depth direction, a widened portion that is continuous with the end of the narrow portion and gradually widens outward in the width direction as it moves away from the narrow portion, and a curved convex portion that bulges convexly outward in the width direction and is continuous with the widened portion, and a package according to the first or second means, wherein a portion constituting the edge of at least one curved convex portion of the easily tearable line has a portion in which cut portions and half-cut portions are alternately arranged.

[0014] The fourth means is In the package according to the third means, in a range of 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion, the cut portions and the half-cut portions are alternately arranged.

[0015] The fifth means is In the package according to the third means, the length of the curved convex portion in the depth direction is 25 to 45 mm, and the bulging length in the width direction is 2.5 to 12.5 mm.

[0016] The sixth means is In the package according to the third means, for the easily tearable line, the portion constituting the edge of the widened portion continuous with the curved convex portion having a portion where the cut portions and the half-cut portions are alternately arranged has a portion where the cut portions and the half-cut portions are alternately arranged.

[0017] The seventh means is In the package according to the third to sixth means, the length of the take-out port forming portion in the width direction is 70% or more of the length of the bundle in the width direction of the upper surface, the maximum length in the depth direction is 10 to 40% of the length of the bundle in the depth direction of the upper surface, the length of the narrow portion in the width direction is 50 to 70% of the length of the bundle in the width direction of the upper surface, and the length in the depth direction is 0.5 to 10% of the length of the bundle in the depth direction of the upper surface.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, there is provided a film-packaged package in which the edge in the width direction of the take-out port is difficult to tear during opening and has excellent opening properties, and further has excellent drawability of sanitary tissue paper, particularly hard sanitary tissue paper such as paper towels.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 which are embodiments of the present invention. Note that the directions such as the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the present invention and this specification are changed depending on the orientation of the package, and do not mean the absolute directions in space. Further, the rigidity may be referred to as the firmness, stiffness, or hardness of the paper.

[0021] The package 1 according to the present invention is obtained by packaging a bundle 3 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by folding and stacking sanitary thin paper 2 such as paper towels with a flexible packaging film 4, and has an outlet forming portion 5 on the upper surface 4C. This package 1 has a substantially hexahedral shape having an upper surface 4C, a lower surface 4D facing the upper surface 4C, and long side surfaces 4B and short side surfaces 4A located between the upper surface 4C and the lower surface 4D so as to generally approximate the shape of the bundle 3.

[0022] Figures 1 to 4 show embodiments of the gusset packaging. This gusset packaging is a pillow packaging with a gusset, and the bundle 3 to be packaged is wrapped by winding it into a cylindrical shape with openings formed at both longitudinal ends by a packaging film 4. The overlapping portion 4X in the winding direction is adhered by heat-sealing or an adhesive at the bottom position of the bundle 3 or the like. Further, the edges of the portions extending beyond the short side surface 3A of the bundle 3 are adhered by heat-sealing or an adhesive from the vertical direction while forming a gusset, and the short side surface 4A is used as a sealing surface. In this gusset packaging, the sealing surface which is this short side surface 4A faces the short side surface 3A of the bundle 3, and the long side surface 4B which is the gusset faces the longitudinal side surface 3B which is the folded-back surface of the bundle 3. However, in the present invention, the packaging form of the package 1 is not limited. A simple pillow packaging without a gusset may be used, or other appropriate packaging forms such as an overlap packaging also called a caramel packaging, in which the short side surface 4A is formed by overlapping and heat-sealing flaps as shown in FIG. 7, may be adopted.

[0023] The bundle 3 of the sanitary tissue paper 2 contained in the package 1 according to the present invention is a so-called pop-up type bundle. As particularly shown in FIG. 2, in this bundle 3, a plurality of sanitary tissue papers 2 are folded and laminated such that the square sanitary tissue paper 2 is folded in half, and the folded-back pieces 2B of the other sanitary tissue papers 2 located vertically are positioned on the folded-back inner side 2A. It has a pair of longitudinal side surfaces 3B where the folded-back edges 2C of each sanitary tissue paper 2 are aligned, a pair of short side surfaces 3A where the folded-back edges 2C are not aligned, and a pair of planes (upper and lower surfaces) 3C connecting the short side surfaces 3A and the longitudinal side surfaces 3B, forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0024] The number of plies of the sanitary tissue paper 2 constituting the bundle 3 is not limited, but can be 30 to 240 sets with 1 ply or a plurality of plies as one set. The size of the bundle 3 is also not limited, but it is desirable that it is a bundle of 200 sets of sanitary tissue paper 2, with a height of 30 to 100 mm × longitudinal direction (width) of 150 to 250 mm × short direction (depth) of 100 to 130 mm. Further, when the height of the bundle is shorter than the length in the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle, the effect of improving the pop-up failure of the present invention becomes higher.

[0025] The filling rate of the bundle 3 in the package 1 is not limited as long as it does not prevent the effects of the present invention, but it is desirable that the gap between the bundle and the packaging film is in the range of 0 to 30 mm. The bundle 3 may be packaged in a slightly compressed state in the vertical direction by the packaging film. The package 1 according to the present invention is not one in which the enclosed sanitary thin paper, which is called a so-called pocket tissue or the like, is tissue paper, the number of sets is about ten to twelve sets, and the height is about 10 mm, and it is not assumed to be taken out in a pop-up manner.

[0026] Each sanitary thin paper 2 constituting the bundle 3 has a single-layer structure with one sheet or a laminated structure with a plurality of sheets stacked. The ply number is not limited, but those referred to as one sheet (1 ply) or two sheets stacked (2 plies) are desirable. The basis weight per ply is not limited, but it is desirable to be 13 to 40 g / m 2 2. It is desirable that the mass per set is 1.0 to 2.5 g. The sanitary thin paper with a basis weight sheet of 1 ply or 2 plies is particularly suitable for a paper towel suitable for wiping hands after handwashing. Furthermore, it is desirable that the paper thickness per set of this sanitary thin paper is 100 to 500 μm. Such sanitary thin paper with ply number, basis weight, and paper thickness has a high improvement effect on pop-up defects where the next sanitary thin paper does not pull up but falls during pop-up, and standing defects where it does not stand up but lies down on the upper surface of the package, due to the configuration of the present invention, particularly the shape of the characteristic outlet forming portion having a narrow portion, a widened portion, and a curved convex portion.

[0027] Note that the basis weight is measured by the measurement method of JIS P 8124 (1998). The measurement of the basis weight per ply can be calculated by basis weight = sheet weight per set / (sheet area × ply number). Also, the paper thickness is the value measured in a state of multiple plies using a dial thickness gauge (thickness measuring instrument) "PEACOCK G type" (manufactured by Ozaki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) and its equivalent machine under the conditions of JIS P 8111 (1998) after sufficiently conditioning the test piece under the same conditions.

[0028] Further, the sanitary tissue paper 2 according to the present invention is of a dried dry type and is not a so-called wet type impregnated with a chemical solution. Therefore, the bundle 3 formed by the sanitary tissue paper 2 contains a lot of air. Even in this dry-type sanitary tissue paper 2, there is a type to which a chemical solution such as a moisturizing component that increases moisture by moisture absorption such as polyol represented by glycerin is applied, and such a sanitary tissue paper may also be used.

[0029] The raw material pulp constituting the sanitary tissue paper 2 is not limited. Examples include a blend of pulp derived from coniferous trees such as NBKP and pulp derived from broad-leaved trees such as LBKP. Further, waste paper pulp may be blended, or it may be composed only of waste paper pulp. In the present invention, in order to exhibit particularly excellent effects in sanitary tissue papers with high stiffness and high rigidity such as paper towels, it is particularly preferable that the pulp derived from coniferous trees exceeds 50%.

[0030] The dry tensile strength of the sanitary tissue paper 2 is not limited, but those having a longitudinal direction of 1000 to 3000 cN / 25 mm and a transverse direction of 250 to 1500 cN / 25 mm are particularly suitable for the present invention. The measurement method of the dry tensile strength is carried out by a method conforming to JIS P8113 (1998). Examples of the measuring device include "Universal Tensile Compression Testing Machine TG-200N" manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd. and its equivalent machines.

[0031] The outlet forming portion 5 is formed by annularly arranging a tear line 50 on the upper surface 4C facing the topmost sanitary tissue paper 2 of the bundle 3 of the packaging film 4. By tearing the tear line 50 and separating and removing the range surrounded by the tear line 50, an outlet 6 for pulling out the sanitary tissue paper 2 on the upper surface 4C of the package 1 is formed. In the package 1 according to the present invention, since the bundle 3 is of a pop-up type, when one sheet of the topmost sanitary tissue paper 2 of the bundle 3 is pulled out from the formed outlet, a part of the next sanitary tissue paper located immediately below it is exposed from the outlet. Further, since the outlet forming portion 5 has the tear line 50 arranged annularly, the outlet 6 formed by separating and removing the range surrounded by the tear line 50 is not in a slit shape of only a straight line, but has a certain width in the depth direction. Such an outlet forming portion 5 can separate and remove the film in the range within the outlet forming portion 5 by continuously peeling it from one end portion 5A toward the other end portion 5B while pulling the range surrounded by the tear line 50, and thus has excellent operability at the time of opening. In this specification, the end portion located on the left side in the drawing is described as one end portion 5A, and the end portion located on the right side is described as the other end portion 5B, but this is only defined for convenience of explanation and these can be interchanged.

[0032] The package 1 in the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 has an outlet forming portion 5 having a substantially ladle-shaped shape, which is a particularly preferable shape. This outlet forming portion 5 has a narrow portion 51 extending in the width direction at the center in the depth direction of the upper surface 4C, an expanding portion 52 that is continuous with the end of the narrow portion 51 and gradually widens as it moves away from the narrow portion 51 toward the outer side in the width direction of the bundle 3, and a curved convex portion 53 that is continuous with the expanding portion 52 and bulges convexly toward the outer side in the width direction of the bundle 3.

[0033] In particular, it is desirable that the tear line 50 of the expanding portion 52 is arranged such that the angle gradually increases toward the outer side in the width direction of the bundle 3 with respect to the width direction. The taper angle ∠α of the tear line 50 forming the edge of the expanding portion 52 is preferably 25 to 60 degrees with respect to the width direction.

[0034] Further, it is desirable that the tear - prone line 50 is formed as a curve and smoothly connected from the widened portion 52 to the curved convex portion 53. When the tear - prone property 50 is arranged in this way, the tear - prone line 50 is likely to smoothly tear from the widened portion 52 toward the curved convex portion 53.

[0035] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 - 5, the outlet 6 formed by the outlet forming portion 5 has a substantially trapezoidal free edge piece 51A near the edge extending from the narrow - width portion 51 to the widened portion 52, and the edge is easily movable in the vertical direction. Therefore, particularly as shown in FIG. 4, when pulling out a set of sanitary tissue papers 2 from the bundle 3, the edge piece 51A is deformed to be slightly curled in the direction of pulling, and leans and supports the next set of exposed sanitary tissue papers 2. Also, the outlet 6 formed by the outlet forming portion 5 causes the root portion 2R of the next sanitary tissue paper, a part of which is exposed from the outlet 6 following the sanitary tissue paper pulled out from the bundle 3, to be deformed so as to be wound along the edge 6E of the curved convex portion 53, and is easily deformed into a columnar shape with high standing property. Further, since a recessed portion 6H is formed between the widened portion 52 and the curved convex portion 53 of the outlet forming portion 5 when the outlet 6 is formed, the root portion 2R of the next sanitary tissue paper, a part of which is exposed from the outlet 6, fits into this recessed portion 6H, and the standing property is also enhanced. In particular, in this outlet forming portion 5, a pop - up failure due to the depression inside the packaging film of the sanitary tissue paper, which is likely to occur when the rigidity of the sanitary tissue paper is high, is less likely to occur due to the above - described actions. Note that this effect is particularly effective in combination with the above - described suitable basis weight and paper thickness of the sanitary tissue paper, and further with a suitable packaging film described later. However, the outlet forming portion 5 according to the present invention may have a shape without the widened portion 52 as shown in FIG. 7. Also, the outlet forming portion 5 may have a linear tear - prone line connected to an annular tear - prone line within a range that does not interfere with the effects of the present invention.

[0036] Further, in the shape of the outlet forming portion 5 having the narrow portion 51, the widened portion 52, and the curved convex portion 53 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in particular, the length L1 in the width direction of the entire outlet forming portion 5 is 70% or more of the length L2 in the width direction of the upper surface of the bundle 3, the maximum length L3 in the depth direction of the entire outlet forming portion 5 is 10 to 40% of the length L4 in the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle 3, the length L5 in the width direction of the narrow portion is 50 to 70% of the length L2 in the width direction of the upper surface of the bundle 3, and the length L6 in the depth direction of the narrow portion is desirably 0.5 to 10% of the length L4 in the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle 3. In such a shape of the outlet forming portion 5, in particular, a wide curved convex portion 53 is formed in the depth direction. Further, the free edge piece 51A formed near the edge of the narrow portion 51 becomes wider and larger, and the space between the narrow portions 51 can be widely opened when pulling out. Therefore, the sanitary tissue paper 2 can be smoothly taken out from the bundle 3. In particular, in a packaging form such as a gusset packaging or a pillow packaging, it is difficult to form a clear fold line at the boundary between the short side surface 4A and the upper surface 4C, and the packaging film at the upper surface position of the package 1 is likely to be deformed, or the sanitary tissue paper contained therein is a highly rigid sanitary tissue paper 2 such as a paper towel having the above-mentioned basis weight and paper thickness, and it is likely to deform the upper surface position of the package 1 when pulling out. Even in such a case, when pulling out the sanitary tissue paper 2, the entire upper surface is hardly distorted and is easily maintained in a flat plane, and it becomes particularly stable and easy to take out one sheet of the sanitary tissue paper 2 at a time. Further, the free substantially trapezoidal edge piece 51A formed near the edge of the narrow portion 51 becomes wider and larger, and a deep recessed portion 6H is formed. Therefore, the edge piece firmly adheres to the highly rigid sanitary tissue paper 2, and the falling is effectively prevented because the root portion 2R of the sanitary tissue paper 2 is supported. Further, since the length of the edge of the curved convex portion 53 becomes longer, the sanitary tissue paper 2 is gently wound along the edge of the curved convex portion 53. However, in the highly rigid sanitary tissue paper 2, it is difficult to bend, so the standing property is further enhanced.

[0037] Specifically, it is desirable that the length L3 in the depth direction of the curved convex portion 53 is 25 to 45 mm and the bulging length L7 in the width direction is 2.5 to 12.5 mm.

[0038] On the other hand, specific examples of the flexible resin-made packaging film 4 that constitutes the exterior of the package 1 include a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film, a polyester film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a nylon film, a vinylidene chloride film, a single-layer film of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, or an appropriately laminated laminate film containing these films, and a gas barrier film obtained by subjecting these films to a surface treatment such as aluminum vapor deposition. Further, a biomass film derived from plant raw materials such as sugarcane, taro (starch), and corn can also be used. The use of such a biomass film is desirable from the viewpoint of environmental protection.

[0039] In particular, a polypropylene film and a polyethylene film are preferable. Further, the packaging film 4 may be a matte film excellent in design and touch. The melting point of the film is preferably 150°C or lower. Note that a lower melting point of the packaging film enables heat sealing at a lower temperature, but the substantial lower limit is 80°C. Examples of the polypropylene film include an unstretched polypropylene film (CPP), and examples of the polyethylene film include a linear low-density polyethylene film (LLDPE), a low-density polyethylene film (LDPE), and a medium-density polyethylene film (MDPE).

[0040] Furthermore, if packaging something scented such as scented tissue paper, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin film and a polyethylene terephthalate resin film excellent in fragrance retention are desirable. A multilayer resin film with enhanced heat sealability may be used, in which a polyethylene resin film or a polypropylene resin film is laminated on one or both surfaces of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin film and the polyethylene terephthalate resin film.

[0041] Here, as particularly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outlet forming portion 5 according to the present invention is characterized in that a portion 50P forming an edge of at least one end portion (the other end portion 5B in the illustrated example) in the width direction of the outlet forming portion 5 has a tear line 50 formed by alternately arranging cut portions 50C and half-cut portions 50H. In the shape of the outlet forming portion 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in particular, in a range of 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion 53, it is a portion 50P where the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged. In this curved convex portion 53, preferably, a range of 90% or more, particularly preferably 95% or more, is a portion where the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged. The entire range may be constituted by a tear line in which the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged.

[0042] As shown in the plan view of FIG. 6(a) and the b-b cross section of FIG. 6(b), for the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H, the cut portion 50C is a portion that is completely cut from the front surface side 41, which is the side surface of the packaging film 4 that does not face the bundle 3, to the back surface side 42, which is the side surface facing the bundle 3, in the thickness direction Z of the packaging film 4. The half-cut portion 50H is a portion that is not completely cut and is cut into a predetermined depth range L8 in the thickness direction Z from the front surface side 41 to the back surface side 42. In this way, in the portion where the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged, when tearing the tear line, the tearing is more likely to proceed continuously and smoothly compared to the portion where the cut portions 50C and the uncut portions 50U without any cuts are alternately arranged. This is because the difference in the force required for the packaging film 4 to tear is smaller between the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H than between the cut portion 50C and the uncut portion 50U, so the tearing can proceed continuously and smoothly from the cut portion 50C to the half-cut portion 50H and from the half-cut portion 50H to the cut portion 50C.

[0043] Incidentally, particularly in the case of the shape of the outlet forming portion 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, for the portion constituting the edge of the widened portion 52 that is continuous with the curved convex portion 53 having a portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged, it is desirable that the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged. In particular, it is preferable that 80% or more of the range of the portion constituting the edge of the widened portion 52 is a portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged. Preferably, 90% or more, particularly preferably 95% or more of the range is a portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged. The entire range may be composed of an easily tearable line where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged.

[0044] Here, it is desirable that the half-cut portion 50H is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness L9 of the packaging film. If it is cut by 20% or more, when forming the outlet by the opening operation, a continuous and smooth tear between the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H can be sufficiently generated. The upper limit value of the cutting depth is not limited, but if it is 80% or less, more preferably 60% or less, unintended tearing is less likely to occur.

[0045] In the outlet forming portion 5 according to the present invention, in a general opening operation of continuously pulling from one end portion 5A to the other end portion 5B within the range surrounded by the tear line 50, at the end portion in the width direction (the other end portion 5B in the illustrated example) which is the most easily tearable portion to be torn last, a portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged is located. Therefore, even when performing an opening operation of continuously pulling from one end portion 5A to the other end portion 5B, there is a small risk that the packaging film 4 will accidentally tear at the other end portion 5B to be finally separated. In particular, in the case of a substantially scoop-shaped configuration having a narrow portion 51, a widened portion 52, and a curved convex portion 53 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, which is excellent in drawability such as a highly rigid paper towel, and more particularly in the case of having the above-mentioned preferred numerical range, the range of the tear line constituting the edge portion of the curved convex portion 53 is long and is arranged along the depth direction. Therefore, the intersection angle between the pulling direction at the time of opening and the tearing direction of the tear line is large, and it becomes a shape in which the packaging film 4 is likely to tear during the opening operation. However, by providing a portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged at the end portion, the risk of tearing is significantly reduced. This is particularly effective in a packaging form such as pillow packaging or gusset packaging, in which the stretching direction of the packaging film 4 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outlet forming portion 5 and tearing is likely to occur.

[0046] In the tear line 50 constituting the edge of the outlet forming portion, the portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged may be at both end portions of the outlet forming portion 5, or may be only at one end portion. If it is formed only on one side, the opposite end portion can be, for example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), a continuous cut portion in the range L10 from the middle of the widened portion 52A on one side in the depth direction to a position exceeding the outer end 53t of the curved convex portion 53A. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a free piece 5T is formed in the range including the outer end from the one depth side to the one end portion 5A of the outlet forming portion 5, and it becomes easier to pick up and roll the free piece 5T, making the opening operation easier.

[0047] The ratio of the lengths of the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H at the end of the outlet forming portion 5 is not necessarily limited. However, the length of the cut portion 50C is 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, preferably 7 mm or more and 13 mm or less, and the length of the half-cut portion 50H is 0.3 mm or more and 3 mm or less, preferably 0.7 mm or more and 1.3 mm or less. Within this range, smooth and continuous tearing progresses from the cut portion 50C to the half-cut portion 50H and from the half-cut portion 50H to the cut portion 50C, and unintended tearing is less likely to occur.

[0048] Here, the thickness L9 of the packaging film 4 may be appropriately selected, but preferably, the thickness measured in accordance with JIS P 8118 (1998) is desirably 25 to 75 μm. If the thickness is 25 to 75 μm, in particular, the effects of the present invention can be effectively exhibited. The thickness L9 is measured using a dial thickness gauge (thickness measuring instrument) "PEACOCK G-1A type" (manufactured by Ozaki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) and its equivalent after sufficiently conditioning the measurement sample under the conditions of JIS P 8111 (1998).

[0049] In the easily tearable line 50 constituting the outlet forming portion 5 according to the present invention, portions other than the portions where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged can be a perforation, a slit cut provided with an uncut portion (non-cut portion), etc. However, it is not limited thereto. A portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged may also be used.

[0050] If it is a perforation, the type thereof is not limited. Examples thereof include a normal perforation in which the cut portion 50C is a straight line, a micro-perforation in which the cut portion is a hole, and perforations in which the shape of the cut portion is Y-shaped, substantially L-shaped, or < -shaped. Preferably, it is a normal perforation. The slit cut is a portion where the film is cut into a slit shape, but by having an uncut portion, the uncut portion and the cut portion are alternately arranged. In some cases, the slit cut having an uncut portion may simply be referred to as a slit cut. The perforation and the slit cut having an uncut portion may not be distinguished, but in the present invention, the slit cut is referred to as a slit cut when the length of the cut portion is less than 2 pitches, that is, when cut portions of the same length do not continue twice. Generally, the slit cut is formed such that the length of the cut portion is longer than that of the perforation.

[0051] In the shape having the narrow portion 51, the widened portion 52, and the curved convex portion 53 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, since the edge portion of the narrow portion 51 has the same direction as the pulling direction during the opening operation from the one end portion 5A to the other end portion 5B and the extending direction, it is desirable to be composed of a perforation having an uncut portion rather than a half-cut portion. This is desirable because the edge of the narrow portion 51 is less likely to be torn unintentionally.

[0052] The cut ratio in the perforation and the slit cut having an uncut portion is determined at an appropriate interval according to the ease of breakage of the film to be used. The length of the cut portion is preferably designed appropriately from the range of 0.8 mm or more and 20.0 mm or less, and the length of the uncut portion (tie portion or uncut portion) is preferably designed appropriately from the range of 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

[0053] Note that the easy tear line 50, including the portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged in the perforation and the slit cut having an uncut portion, can be formed at once, for example, by die cutting.

Example

[0054] Next, Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2 of the present invention were prepared, and tests were conducted on the dropping of the sanitary tissue paper and the tearing of the opening and extraction port. The shape of the extraction port forming portion of the packages according to Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 is a substantially ladle-shaped one having a narrow portion, a widened portion, and a curved convex portion shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The extraction port forming portion of the package according to Comparative Example 2 is a simple linear perforation.

[0055] The bundle contained in the package according to each example is 200 sets of a single-ply paper towel (Ariel Fresh Hand Towel manufactured by Daio Paper Corporation) with a basis weight of 35.5 g / m 2 and a paper thickness of 255 μm, folded and stacked in a pop-up manner. Also, the packaging form according to each example is a gusset packaging, and the stretching direction of the packaging film is orthogonal to the width direction of the extraction port forming portion.

[0056] For the test of the "number of drops", the easily tearable line related to the extraction port forming portion was torn to form an extraction port, and the operation of pulling out the paper towels constituting the bundle from the extraction port one by one until the last sheet was performed, and the number of times of actual dropping was counted.

[0057] Regarding "openability", the samples according to each example were given to the subjects, and they were made to perform an operation of opening by pinching one end portion and pulling it toward the other end, and it was evaluated whether tearing occurred at the other end portion of the extraction port. With N = 10, the examples where tearing occurred were evaluated as "yes", and those where it did not occur were evaluated as "no".

[0058] The dimensions of the extraction port forming portion in each example, the ratio to the depth direction length and width direction length of the upper surface of the bundle, and the test results, etc. are shown in Table 1 below.

[0059]

Table 1

[0060] From Table 1, in Examples 1 to 4 in which the portions constituting the edge of the end part (curved convex part) were arranged with cut parts and half-cut parts alternately, the maximum length in the depth direction of the outlet, that is, the length in the depth direction of the curved convex part which is the end part, was as long as 35 mm and was in the range of 30% of the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle. Although it had a configuration that was prone to tearing, no tearing of the end part of the outlet was confirmed during the opening operation.

[0061] Comparative Example 1 was obtained by making the non-cut part which is a conventional general one instead of the half-cut part between the cut parts of the curved convex part in Example 1. However, in this Comparative Example 1, tearing of the end part of the outlet occurred during the opening operation. Even for an easily tearable line that constitutes the edge of a very long curved convex part as in the example, it was shown that by arranging the cut parts and the half-cut parts alternately in that part, tearing of the end part of the outlet was prevented during the opening operation.

[0062] Therefore, for example, for other narrow outlet shapes without a widened part as shown in FIG. 7, it can be said that by arranging the easily tearable line that constitutes the edge of the end part with cut parts and half-cut parts alternately, tearing of the end part of the outlet during the opening operation is further prevented.

[0063] Regarding falling in, in Comparative Example 2 in which the outlet becomes a slit with a single perforation in the outlet forming part, 12 times of falling-in times were confirmed. On the other hand, in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1, the number of falling-in times was 0 and falling in could not be confirmed. That is, in particular, it was shown that the outlet with the shape of the outlet forming part having a narrow part, a widened part, and a curved convex part is excellent in falling-in prevention property.

[0064] From the above, the package according to the present invention is a film package that is excellent in openability with the edge in the width direction of the outlet being difficult to tear during opening, and further excellent in drawability of sanitary thin paper, particularly hard sanitary thin paper such as paper towels.

Explanation of Signs

[0065] 1... Package, 2... Hygienic tissue paper, 2A... Folded inner side, 2B... Folded piece, 2C... Folding edge, 2R... Root part of the hygienic tissue paper exposed from the outlet, 3... Bundle of hygienic tissue paper, 3A... Short side surface, 3B... Long side surface, 3C... Upper and lower surfaces of the bundle, 4... Packaging film, 4A... Short side, 4B... Long side, 4C... Upper surface, 4D... Lower surface, 4X... Overlapping part of the packaging film, 5... Outlet forming part, 5A, 5B... Longitudinal ends, 5T... Free piece, 6... Outlet, 6E... Edge of the outlet, 6H... Depression of the outlet. 41... Front side of the packaging film, 42... Back side of the packaging film, 50... Easy tear line, 50C... Cut part, 50H... Half cut part, 50U... Non-cut part (tape part), 50P... Part where the cut parts and half cut parts are alternately arranged, 51... Narrow part, 51A... Edge piece in a substantially trapezoidal shape, 52... Widening part, 53... Curved convex part, ∠α... Taper angle of the widening part. L1... Length in the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the outlet forming part 5, L2... Length in the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the upper surface of the bundle, L3... Maximum length in the depth direction (short hand direction) of the outlet forming part 5, L4... Length in the depth direction (short hand direction) of the upper surface of the bundle, L5... Length in the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the narrow part, L6... Length in the depth direction (short hand direction) of the narrow part, L7... Bulging length in the width direction of the curved convex part, L8... Depth of the half cut part, L9... Thickness of the packaging film, L10... Range from the middle of the widening part on one side in the depth direction to a position beyond the outer end of the curved convex part. 105... Outlet forming part, 105A... One end of the outlet forming part, 105B... The other end of the outlet forming part, 105P... Tear of the film, 150... Perforation, 150e... Perforation at the width direction end, X... Longitudinal direction (width direction), Y... Direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (depth direction), Z... Thickness direction of the packaging film.

Claims

1. A package in which a bundle of sanitary tissue paper is wrapped with a flexible resin packaging film, having an outlet forming portion formed by annularly arranging tear lines on the upper surface, The outlet forming portion has a narrow portion extending in the width direction at the central portion in the depth direction, a widened portion that is continuous with the end of the narrow portion and gradually widens as it moves away from the narrow portion toward the outer side in the width direction, and a curved convex portion that is continuous with the widened portion and bulges convexly toward the outer side in the width direction, and has a shape. The portion constituting the edge of the narrow portion is a perforation in which cut portions and uncut portions are alternately arranged, 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the widened portion and 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion are portions in which cut portions and half-cut portions are alternately arranged. A package characterized by this.

2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the half-cut portion is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness of the packaging film.

3. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the length of the curved convex portion in the depth direction is 25 to 45 mm, and the bulging length in the width direction is 2.5 to 12.5 mm.

4. The outlet forming portion has a length in the width direction that is 70% or more of the length in the width direction of the upper surface of the bundle, a maximum length in the depth direction that is 10 to 40% of the length in the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle, a length in the width direction of the narrow portion that is 50 to 70% of the length in the width direction of the upper surface of the bundle, and a length in the depth direction that is 0.5 to 10% of the length in the depth direction of the upper surface of the bundle. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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