Tissue box with portable information terminal stand function

Abstract

Provided is a tissue box with a portable information terminal stand function, with which, e.g., moving image content can be enjoyed easily.　In this tissue box (1) with a portable information terminal (5) stand function, a stand part (20) for supporting the portable information terminal (5) is positioned on the front side of a front surface (11) of a box body (10). The stand part (20) is integrally formed with a base material (1A) forming the box body (10) and has a lower surface (24) extending forward from the bottom surface (14) of the box body (10) and a support part (25) protruding upward from the lower surface (24).

Description

Tissue box with built-in stand for mobile devices

[0001] The present invention relates to a tissue box having a function for holding a mobile information terminal such as a mobile phone or a tablet terminal.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a tissue box cover in which a tissue box is placed in an internal space surrounded by a top surface and an outer peripheral side surface. The tissue box cover is configured so that a mobile information terminal can be placed between the tissue box and the outer peripheral side surface.

[0003] Utility Model Registration No. 3190471

[0004] The tissue box cover disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a display window formed on the outer side surface, and the screen of a mobile information terminal placed between the tissue box and the outer side surface can be seen through the display window.

[0005] However, when placing the mobile information terminal, it is necessary to take the trouble of removing the tissue box cover from the tissue box, which is time-consuming and requires a separate tissue box cover from the tissue box.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tissue box that is an improvement over the prior art and has a stand function for a mobile information terminal, allowing users to easily enjoy video content and the like.

[0007] In order to solve the technical problem, the present invention relates to a tissue box with a stand function for a mobile information terminal, which includes a box body having an internal space for storing tissue paper, with a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a front-to-rear direction intersecting each other.

[0008] The tissue box with a stand function for a portable information terminal of the present invention is characterized in that the box body is formed from a thin, flat base material and has a top surface and a bottom surface that face each other in the vertical direction and a front surface and a rear surface that face each other in the front-to-rear direction, and a stand section for supporting the portable information terminal is located in front of the front surface of the box body, and the stand section is formed integrally with the base material and has a lower surface that extends forward from the bottom surface of the box body and a support section that protrudes upward from the lower surface.

[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the tissue box with a stand function for a mobile information terminal of the present invention, the mobile information terminal can be stably stood between the box body and the support part of the stand located in front of it, so that video content and the like can be easily enjoyed.

[0010] The drawings show specific embodiments of a tissue box with a function for holding a mobile information terminal according to the present invention, and include not only essential configurations of the invention but also optional and preferred embodiments. (a) A perspective view of the tissue box according to the present invention as seen from the front side. (b) A diagram showing the stand section unfolded. (a) A diagram showing an example of how the tissue box is used. (b) A diagram showing another example of how the tissue box is used. (c) A cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3(a). (a) A cross-sectional view of the stand section in one example of an embodiment. (b) A cross-sectional view of the stand section in another example of an embodiment. (d) A developed view of the tissue box.

[0011] The tissue box 1 according to the present invention, which has a function of holding a mobile information terminal 5, will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments include not only essential features of the present invention, but also features that can be selectively adopted and features that can be combined as appropriate.

[0012] 1 to 3, the tissue box 1 according to this embodiment has a vertical direction Y, a horizontal direction X, and a front-to-back direction Z, which intersect with one another, and includes a box body 10. The box body 10 is preferably made of cardboard, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and has front and rear surfaces 11, 12 that face each other in the vertical direction Z, top and bottom surfaces 13, 14 that face each other in the vertical direction Y, and first and second side surfaces 15, 16 that face each other in the horizontal direction X.

[0013] The tissue box 1 is formed from a thin, flat substrate 1A made of a paper board having a thickness of 2 to 10 mm, such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, or a synthetic resin (plastic) board such as polystyrene or lactic acid resin.

[0014] The box body 10 has an internal space S capable of storing tissue paper, and the internal space S stores a tissue stack 2 made up of a plurality of tissue paper sheets stacked in the vertical direction Y. An opening 18 is formed in the top surface 13 of the box body 10, and the tissue paper 2a located at the top of the tissue stack 2 protrudes upward from the opening 18.

[0015] 2(a) and 2(b), the box body 10 further includes a stand 20 located on the front side. The stand 20 is a panel-like member made of the same material as the box body 10, and includes a plurality of insertion holes 21a, 21b aligned in the lateral direction X, and a plurality of first and second folding lines 31, 32 located in front of the insertion holes 21a, 21b and extending in the lateral direction X at intervals in the front-rear direction Z. The stand 20 also includes a pair of insertion portions 22a, 22b protruding forward from a leading edge thereof.

[0016] As shown in the figure, the stand portion 20 is mountain-folded along the first fold line 31, the front end of the stand portion 20 is bent backward, and then a valley-fold is made along the second fold line 32, thereby forming a support portion 25 that protrudes upward.

[0017] That is, when the stand 20 is folded along the first and second folding lines 31, 32, it has a lower surface 24 extending forward from the bottom surface 14 of the box body 10 and a support portion 25 protruding upward from the lower surface 24. The support portion 25 has a generally triangular shape in cross section (see FIG. 4).

[0018] When the stand unit 20 is folded along the first and second folding lines 31, 32, the pair of insertion portions 22a, 22b are inserted into the insertion holes 21a, 21b, and the insertion portions 22a, 22b are positioned facing the outer surface of the lower surface 24. This prevents the insertion portions 22a, 22b from coming out of the insertion holes 21a, 21b during use, and allows the stand unit 20 to maintain the folded state. Although not shown, the insertion portions 22a, 22b may be folded forward after being inserted into the insertion holes 21a, 21b, making it even more difficult for the insertion portions 22a, 22b to come out of the insertion holes 21a, 21b.

[0019] 3(a) and 3(b), for example, with the tissue box 1 placed on the placement surface 8, a tablet-type mobile information terminal 5, 6 or the like can be placed between the stand 20 and the box body 10 to stand the mobile information terminal 5, 6. Specifically, with the mobile information terminal 5, 6 oriented vertically or horizontally, it can be leaned against the box body 10 and its lower portion abutted against the support portion 25 of the stand 20, thereby stably supporting the mobile information terminal 5, 6.

[0020] The mobile information terminals 5 and 6 in this specification refer to, for example, a smartphone (e.g., iPhone (registered trademark)) or a mobile phone as shown in Fig. 3(a), a tablet (e.g., iPad (registered trademark)) as shown in Fig. 3(b), or other portable electronic devices. Such mobile information terminals 5 and 6 generally include a display device (e.g., LCD screen), a user input interface (e.g., keyboard, touch panel interface) for inputting or interacting with the mobile information terminal, and the like.

[0021] The stand portion 20 is formed by bending a portion that extends continuously from the base material 1A of the box body 10, and therefore is easier to manufacture and significantly reduces manufacturing costs, resulting in superior economy, compared to when it is formed separately from the box body 10. Furthermore, because the tissue box 1 itself functions as a stand for the mobile information terminals 5 and 6, there is no need to prepare a tissue box cover with a stand function that is separate from the tissue box 1.

[0022] Furthermore, because the stand portion 20 is folded so as to be unfoldable, the user can assemble the stand portion 20 by himself, and can freely choose whether or not to provide the tissue box 1 with the function of standing the mobile information terminal 5. Furthermore, after use, the stand portion 20 can be easily unfolded by pulling out the insertion portions 22a, 22b from the insertion holes 21a, 21b, so it does not take up much space when disposed of.

[0023] Furthermore, since the stand portion 20 is formed from a thin, flat base material 1A that forms the box main body 10, there are no seams between them, and the entire underside 24 of the stand portion 20 abuts against the flat mounting surface 8, so the mobile information terminals 5 and 6 can be placed stably in the standing state.

[0024] The portable information terminals 5, 6 are supported leaning obliquely against the box body 10, so that the user can easily view videos and the like displayed on the screens 5a, 6a of the portable information terminals 5, 6 from an appropriate distance.

[0025] Referring to Figure 4, when the portable information terminal 5 is supported, the angle α between the underside 24 of the stand portion 20 extending forward from the bottom surface 14 of the box main body 10 and the portable information terminal 5 is preferably 90° or less, more preferably 30 to 90°, and even more preferably 45 to 60°.

[0026] When the angle α is within this range, the user can easily view the entire screen 5a of the mobile information terminal 5 while naturally positioned in front of the tissue box 1. It is also preferable to appropriately design the distance in the front-to-rear direction Z between the front surface 11 of the box body 10 and the support portion 25 of the stand 20 so that the angle α is within this range.

[0027] The first and second fold lines 31, 32 may be tangible such as perforations, imprints, or printing (printed characters), or may be intangible without these.

[0028] In the illustrated example, multiple insertion sections 22a, 22b and insertion holes 21a, 21b are shown as examples of a configuration for maintaining the folded state of the stand section 20, but it is also possible to apply a known adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive to a portion of the stand section 20 so that the folded state is maintained by adhesion or adhesion.

[0029] 5(a) shows an example of an embodiment of the tissue box 1 according to the present invention, in which the front end portion 20a of the stand portion 20 is fixed with an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive. In this case, the stand portion 20 can be maintained in an upright position more stably than in a configuration in which the insertion portions 22a, 22b are inserted into the insertion holes 21a, 21b. Furthermore, although not shown, it is preferable that the portion coated with the adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive be covered with a peelable plastic separator.

[0030] FIG. 5(b) shows an example of yet another embodiment of the tissue box 1 according to the present invention, in which the first and second fold lines 31, 32 are not formed on the stand portion 20, and the stand portion 20 stands upright in a rolled-up state.

[0031] In this embodiment, the support portion 25 of the stand portion 20 has an approximately circular shape in cross section, and therefore the stand portion 20 is formed from a relatively hard base material 1A, and even if the mobile information terminals 5 and 6 hit the support portion 25 hard, scratches on the screens 5a and 6a can be prevented.

[0032] The tissue box 1 may be a normal tissue box that contains the tissue stack 2, or may be a tissue box cover that covers a tissue box.

[0033] 6, in an unfolded state, the tissue box 1 has front and rear surfaces 11, 12, a top surface 13, a bottom surface 14, folded-over portions 41a-41d, 42a-42d located on both sides thereof that form first and second side surfaces 15, 16, and a glue margin 43 located on the outer side in the vertical direction of the rear surface 12. The box body 10 can be assembled into a box shape by folding along a plurality of fold lines FL that extend in the vertical direction Y and the horizontal direction X to join the folded-over portions 41a-41d, 42a-42d to one another and to join the glue margin 43 to the bottom surface 14.

[0034] Furthermore, although not shown, during the manufacturing of the tissue box 1, a strip of cardboard material extending in the machine direction is cut into a predetermined shape in a cutting process, so that multiple tissue boxes can be manufactured continuously.

[0035] In this way, the tissue box 1 of the present invention can be manufactured simply by cutting and folding cardboard material. Therefore, compared to, for example, forming the box body 10 and the stand portion 20 from different materials and joining them together to assemble, manufacturing is simpler, material waste can be prevented, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0036] In the illustrated example, the stand 20 has the same dimension in the horizontal direction X as the box body 10, but it may be smaller or larger than the dimension in the horizontal direction X of the box body 10. Furthermore, a plurality of support portions 25 may be formed in the stand 20 so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction Z, and the mobile information terminals 5, 6 may be placed on support portions 25 appropriate for their size. Furthermore, the stand 20 may be colored a different color from the box body 10, and display elements such as pictures, characters, trademarks, etc. may be arranged on the box body 10 and / or the stand 20.

[0037] The present invention can include at least the following embodiments. The embodiments can be adopted separately or in combination with each other. (1) The support portion of the stand is formed by folding a part of the base material so as to be deployable. (2) The support portion of the stand has a substantially triangular or circular shape in a cross-sectional view. (3) When the portable information terminal is supported on the stand, the angle between the underside of the stand and the portable information terminal is 90° or less.

[0038] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Tissue box 1A Base material 5 Portable information terminal 10 Box body 11 Front surface 12 Rear surface 13 Top surface 14 Bottom surface 20 Stand portion 24 Lower surface 25 Support portion S Internal space X Lateral direction Y Up-down direction Z Front-rear direction

Claims

1. A tissue box with stand functionality for a mobile information terminal, including a box body with an internal space for storing tissue paper and having vertical, horizontal, and front-to-back directions that intersect with one another, wherein the box body is formed from a thin, flat base material and has a top and bottom surface that face each other in the vertical direction and a front and rear surface that face each other in the front-to-rear direction, and a stand section for supporting the mobile information terminal is located in front of the front surface of the box body, and the stand section is formed integrally with the base material and has a lower surface that extends forward from the bottom surface of the box body and a support section that protrudes upward from the lower surface.

2. The tissue box with a stand function for a mobile information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the support portion of the stand is formed by folding a part of the base material so that it can be unfolded.

3. A tissue box with a stand function for a mobile information terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support portion of the stand has a substantially triangular or circular shape in cross section.

4. A tissue box with a stand function for a mobile information terminal as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the mobile information terminal is supported by the stand, the angle between the underside of the stand and the mobile information terminal is 90° or less.

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