Opening detection sheet capable of suppressing deterioration in visibility of stored object, and package

Abstract

Provided is an opening detection sheet 30 attached to a unit-dose pouch 20. The opening detection sheet 30 includes: a translucent base layer 35; a metal layer 32 provided on the base layer 35 and having wiring 32A to be broken when the unit-dose pouch 20 is opened; an IC 33 mounted on the metal layer 32 and connected to the wiring 32A to communicate with an external device; and a translucent adhesive layer 34 provided in a manner capable of adhering to the unit-dose pouch 20. The metal layer 32 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the base layer 35.

Description

Opening detection sheet and packaging material that can prevent deterioration of visibility of contained contents

[0001] The present technology relates to an opening detection sheet and a packaging material that can suppress a decrease in visibility of contained contents.

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology for detecting the opening of a storage section in a packaging material having a storage section for storing tablets or the like, and one example of such a technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The medicine packet described in Patent Document 1 contains a single dose of medicine packaged together, and an RFID tag is attached to the back surface. It is described that when the medicine packet is opened, the antenna is cut off and the RFID tag is no longer able to transmit a signal, thereby detecting the opening.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-013518

[0004] (Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Patent Document 1 describes that the medicine packet is made of a translucent material and that the medicine is visible from the front side. However, the back side on which the RFID tag is provided has wiring including an antenna formed over the entire surface, which raises concerns that it may be difficult to identify the medicine from the back side. For example, when opening the medicine packet with the back side facing forward, the position of the medicine (contents) cannot be accurately seen, which raises concerns that some of the medicine may unexpectedly fall out of the medicine packet (sachet). In addition, for example, there is a concern that it may be difficult to confirm the type and number of medicines contained.

[0005] This technology was developed based on the above-described circumstances, and aims to realize an opening detection sheet that can prevent a decrease in the visibility of the contents, and a packaging material that includes the same.

[0006] (Means for solving the problem) The opening detection sheet related to the technology described in the present specification is an opening detection sheet that is attached to a sachet, and comprises a translucent base layer, a metal layer provided on the base layer and having wiring that breaks when the sachet is opened, an IC mounted on the metal layer and connected to the wiring for communicating with external equipment, and a translucent adhesive layer that is adhesively attached to the sachet, and the metal layer is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the base layer.

[0007] The IC may be provided on the outer peripheral edge of the base layer.

[0008] The base layer may have a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the metal layer may be disposed along at least three sides of the outer periphery of the base layer.

[0009] The sachet may also be provided with an identification portion that indicates the opening start point when the sachet is opened.

[0010] The identification portion may be formed by a gap in the metal layer.

[0011] At least one of the base layer and the adhesive layer may be colored.

[0012] The packaging material related to the technology described in this specification comprises the above-mentioned opening detection sheet, and a sachet bag to which the opening detection sheet is attached, having a storage section and a sealing section provided on the outer peripheral edge of the storage section.

[0013] Furthermore, the opening detection sheet and the storage section of the sachet may be rectangular in plan view, the sealing section may be arranged along at least three sides of the outer peripheral edge of the rectangular storage section, and the metal layer of the opening detection sheet may be arranged along the three sides that overlap with the sealing section.

[0014] The sachet may also include a plurality of the storage sections arranged in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of the opening detection sheets may be attached to each of the storage sections.

[0015] Effect of the Invention According to the present technology, it is possible to realize an opening detection sheet that can suppress a decrease in the visibility of contained contents, and a packaging material including the same.

[0016] 3B is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the sachet bag; FIG. 3C is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the sachet bag following FIG. 3A; FIG. 3D is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the sachet bag following FIG. 3B;

[0017] <Embodiment 1> A packaging material 10 according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the packaging material 10 includes a sachet 20 that contains contents 90, and an opening detection sheet 30 that is attached to the sachet 20. In this embodiment, a pharmaceutical product is exemplified as the contents 90, but the contents 90 may be something other than a pharmaceutical product (e.g., food, chemicals, precision parts) as long as it is opened and used or consumed. Note that some of the drawings show X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and each axial direction is drawn to be a common direction in each drawing.

[0018] The sachet 20 has a plurality of storage sections 21 (four in this embodiment) arranged along a predetermined direction (X direction), and a sealing section 23 provided on the outer periphery of each storage section 21. Each storage section 21 stores (packages) a group of contents 90 that are to be taken (used, consumed) at the same time.

[0019] Sealing portion 23 surrounds storage portion 21 so as to divide and form the internal space that becomes storage portion 21. Adjacent storage portions 21 are divided by sealing portion 23. Sealing portion 23 located between adjacent storage portions 21 is provided with a tear line (perforation) 20A for cutting sachet 20 into individual storage portions 21. However, sachet 20 may have only one storage portion 21, in which case tear line 20A is not required.

[0020] Sachet 20 is formed, for example, by folding a substantially rectangular strip-shaped sheet (film) 50 (see FIG. 3A) in half and thermocompressing it. Any known sheet that can be bonded by heat and pressure can be used for sheet 50. Sheet 50 may be, for example, a laminated film in which a thermoplastic resin is laminated onto a base material (a laminate of cellophane and polyethylene). Sheet 50 is preferably translucent and flexible, and strong enough to be broken by hand. Sheet 50 has a thickness of, for example, 100 μm or less (for example, 60 μm or less).

[0021] When manufacturing the sachet 20, first, the sheet 50 shown in FIG. 3A is folded in half along the center line in the width direction (Y direction) as the fold line 20B. The folded and overlapped sheet 50 is then heat-sealed at both ends in the length direction (X direction) and at the boundary between adjacent storage sections 21 ( FIG. 3B ). This forms a first sealed section 23A along the Y direction. The section between the two first sealed sections 23A becomes the storage section 21. Contents 90 are placed into each storage section 21 through the end (open end) 20C opposite the fold line 20B. A perforation line (perforation) 20A is formed in the first sealed section 23A at the boundary between adjacent storage sections 21 using a perforation knife or the like.

[0022] After the contents 90 are inserted, the open end 20C, which serves as the insertion port into the storage section 21, is heat-sealed as shown in Fig. 3C. The heat-sealed portion becomes the second sealing section 23B. As a result, the sealing section 23, which is made up of the first sealing section 23A and the second sealing section 23B, is formed along three sides of the outer periphery of each rectangular storage section 21 (the three sides excluding the fold line 20B of the four sides constituting the outer periphery).

[0023] Next, the opening detection sheet 30 will be described in detail. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the opening detection sheet 30 is a sheet-like composite material and includes an IC (Integrated Circuit) 33. The IC 33 is provided to communicate with an external device to detect opening. The opening detection sheet 30 is attached to the sachet 20 as shown in Figure 1. There are no particular limitations on the method of attachment, and it may be done manually or using a machine such as an automatic labeler.

[0024] 1 and 2 , the opening detection sheet 30 according to this embodiment has a size (planar size) such that it overlaps one storage section 21 of the sachet 20 and the sealing section 23 surrounding one storage section 21 in a plan view. One opening detection sheet 30 is attached to each storage section 21. However, the opening detection sheet 30 may be formed so that it can be attached to multiple storage sections 21 of the sachet 20 at once. In that case, the opening detection sheet 30 may have a cut line that overlaps with the cut line 20A of the sachet 20, and may be formed so that it can be cut together when the sachet 20 is cut into individual storage sections 21.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5, the opening detection sheet 30 is a composite material formed by laminating an adhesive layer 34, an IC 33, a metal layer 32, and a base layer 35 in this order from the sachet 20 side. Portions of the opening detection sheet 30 other than the metal layer 32 and the IC 33 (i.e., the adhesive layer 34 and base layer 35) are translucent. This makes these portions of the opening detection sheet 30 transparent or translucent depending on their light transmittance. It is preferable that the opening detection sheet 30 be strong enough to be broken by hand.

[0026] At least one of the base layer 35 and the adhesive layer 34 may be colored. In this way, the opening detection sheet 30 is colored, and therefore the packaging material 10 can be color-coded according to the timing of taking the contents 90 (for example, color-coded into three colors corresponding to after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner) depending on the color of the opening detection sheet 30.

[0027] The base material layer 35 is a sheet-like member that is translucent and insulating. The base material layer 35 is large enough to overlap each storage section 21 of the sachet 20 and the sealing section 23 surrounding each storage section 21 in a planar view. The base material layer 35 is made of, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polyimide, or paper. The thickness of the base material layer 35 is, for example, 100 μm or less (for example, 60 μm or less). The base material layer 35 is provided on the entire surface as the outermost layer of the opening detection sheet 30 and also serves to protect the entire opening detection sheet 30 from damage due to external forces during transportation.

[0028] The metal layer 32 is made of a metal material and has light-blocking properties. As shown in FIG. 5 , the metal layer 32 is provided on the main surface 35A of the base layer 35 facing the sachet 20. The metal layer 32 has wiring 32A that breaks when the storage compartment 21 of the sachet 20 is opened. The wiring 32A includes an antenna wiring routed to function as at least an antenna. As shown in FIG. 4 , the wiring 32A of the metal layer 32 is formed so as to wrap around the outer periphery of the base layer 35. Since the base layer 35 according to this embodiment has a rectangular shape and the outer periphery is composed of four sides, the wiring 32A wraps around the four sides. More specifically, the wiring 32A wraps around the outer periphery of the base layer 35 two or more times from the starting point 32P1 to the ending point 32P2. As a result, at least two wirings 32A are routed in parallel on each side. The trace 32A has a gap G1 at an arbitrary position between the start point 32P1 and the end point 32P2.

[0029] The wiring 32A of the metal layer 32 is formed, for example, by supplying a conductive ink in a predetermined pattern on the main surface 35A of the base layer 35 and then curing the ink. The conductive ink is a conductive composition in which conductive particles are dispersed in a vehicle containing a binder, and various particles made of materials exhibiting good conductivity, such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, and alloys thereof, as well as carbon black, are used. The conductive ink can be supplied by various printing methods, such as supply using a dispenser, gravure printing, and inkjet printing. The conductive composition can be cured by a drying curing method, a heat curing method, or the like, depending on the type of conductive ink used.

[0030] The IC 33 is mounted on the metal layer 32 and connected to the wiring 32A in a manner that straddles the gap G1 between the wiring 32A (overlapping in a plan view). The tamper detection sheet 30 achieves wireless communication with an external communication device via the wiring 32A and the IC 33 on the metal layer 32. The IC 33 and the wiring 32A are configured to receive a signal transmitted from the external communication device and, in response, transmit a signal back to the external communication device. A short-range wireless communication technology such as RFID is used as the wireless communication method, but the communication method is not limited thereto.

[0031] The adhesive layer 34 is formed by applying and drying an adhesive onto the metal layer 32 and the IC 33 mounted thereon. The adhesive layer 34 is applied over the entire sheet surface of the tamper-evident sheet 30 (the entire area that overlaps with the base layer 35 in a plan view). The base material of the adhesive layer 34 has fluidity, and when applied, flows into the periphery of the IC 33 and into the IC 33 between the wiring of the metal layer 32. As a result, the IC 33 is embedded in the adhesive layer 34 while mounted on the metal layer 32, preventing it from accidentally peeling off.

[0032] The adhesive layer 34 is translucent and insulating. A known adhesive for PTPs can be used as appropriate for the adhesive layer 34. Examples of PTP adhesives include polyester-based, polypropylene-based, vinyl chloride-based, and vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer-based (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-based) adhesives. A release paper may be provided on the surface of the adhesive layer 34 facing the sachet 20 (the surface opposite the base layer 35). If a release paper is provided and the release paper is removed before attachment to the sachet 20 to expose the adhesive layer 34, the tamper detection sheet 30 can be easily stored or distributed on its own.

[0033] When the opening detection sheet 30 configured as described above is attached to the sachet 20, as shown in Fig. 2, the metal layer 32 of the opening detection sheet 30 is positioned so as to overlap the outer peripheral edge of the storage section 21 of the sachet 20 in a plan view. When the storage section 21 is opened, the outer peripheral edge of the storage section 21 is broken, for example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2, and the wiring 32A of the metal layer 32 is disconnected. As a result, the reply signal from the IC 33 in response to the transmission signal from the external communication device is cut off or significantly reduced, making communication impossible, and the opening of the storage section 21 is detected.

[0034] Furthermore, the light-blocking metal layer 32 is positioned so as not to overlap the storage section 21 in a plan view, and therefore the contents 90 in the storage section 21 are not obscured by the metal layer 32. In this way, it is possible to realize an opening detection sheet 30 that can suppress a decrease in visibility, and a packaging material 10 that includes the same.

[0035] Furthermore, IC 33 is mounted on metal layer 32, and is also disposed in a position that overlaps the outer peripheral edge of storage section 21 of sachet 20 in a plan view. This ensures that IC 33, which has light-blocking properties, does not overlap storage section 21, and reduces the visibility of contents 90 in storage section 21.

[0036] <Embodiment 2> An opening detection sheet 130 according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The opening detection sheet 130 differs from embodiment 1 in the configuration of the wiring 132A of the metal layer 132. In embodiment 2, the same configurations, actions, and effects as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0037] 6, the wiring 132A includes an antenna wiring 132A1 and a lead wiring 132A2. The antenna wiring 132A1 has a meandering portion so that the path from a starting point 132P1 to an end point 132P2 functions as an antenna. The lead wiring 132A2 is an auxiliary wiring provided to connect the antenna wiring 132A1 and the IC 33 and to ensure that it is broken when the housing 21 is opened.

[0038] The lead-out wiring 132A2 according to this embodiment is provided on one of the three sides that form the outer periphery of the opening detection sheet 130 (base layer 35). The lead-out wiring 132A2 has a larger line width than the antenna wiring 132A1 and has an arrow-shaped gap G2.

[0039] Gap G2 in lead wire 132A2 of metal layer 132 serves as an identification part that indicates the opening start point when storing section 21 of sachet 20 is opened. The user can open storing section 21 more easily by making a cut along gap G2 (in the direction of the arrow) in open detection sheet 130 attached to sachet 20.

[0040] <Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0041] (1) The shape and manufacturing process of sachet 20 can be changed as appropriate. For example, sachet 20 may be manufactured by stacking two sheets of the same size and forming sealing portions 23 on all of the portions corresponding to the outer periphery of each storage section 21 (all of the four sides if storage section 21 is rectangular).

[0042] (2) In the opening detection sheet 130 according to the second embodiment, the identification portion is formed by the gap G2 between the lead wires 132A2, but the configuration and shape of the identification portion are not limited to this. For example, the surface of the opening detection sheet 30 (the surface opposite the metal layer 32 of the base material layer 35) may be embossed to form the identification portion with at least one of a recessed portion and a protruding portion.

[0043] 10: Packaging material, 20: Sachet, 21: Storage section, 23: Sealing section, 30, 130: Opening detection sheet, 32, 132: Metal layer, 32A, 132A: Wiring, 33: IC, 34: Adhesive layer, 35: Base layer, G2: Gap (identification section)

Claims

1. An opening detection sheet that is attached to a sachet, comprising: a translucent base layer; a metal layer provided on the base layer and having wiring that breaks when the sachet is opened; an IC mounted on the metal layer and connected to the wiring for communicating with external devices; and a translucent adhesive layer that is adhesively attached to the sachet, wherein the metal layer is provided on the outer periphery of the base layer.

2. The tamper-evident sheet according to claim 1, wherein the IC is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the base material layer.

3. An opening detection sheet as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base layer is rectangular in plan view, and the metal layer is arranged along at least three sides of the outer periphery of the base layer.

4. An opening detection sheet according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is provided with an identification part that indicates the opening start point when the sachet is opened.

5. The tamper-evident sheet according to claim 4, wherein the identification portion is formed by a gap in the metal layer.

6. The tamper-evident sheet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the base layer and the adhesive layer is colored.

7. A packaging material comprising: an opening detection sheet according to claim 1 or claim 2; and a sachet to which the opening detection sheet is attached, the sachet having a storage section and a sealing section provided on the outer periphery of the storage section.

8. The packaging material described in claim 7, wherein the opening detection sheet and the storage section of the sachet are rectangular in plan view, the sealing section is arranged along at least three sides of the outer peripheral edge of the rectangular storage section, and the metal layer of the opening detection sheet is arranged along the three sides that overlap with the sealing section.

9. The packaging material according to claim 7, wherein the sachet has a plurality of storage sections arranged in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of the opening detection sheets are attached to each of the storage sections.

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