Molded body

Abstract

A molded body (10) is molded using a mold, and comprises: a body part (11); reinforcing parts (12a, 12b); and connecting parts (13a, 13b). The reinforcing parts (12a, 12b) are used in a state of being folded back and overlapped onto the body part (11) and reinforce at least a portion of the body part (11). The connecting parts (13a, 13b) are provided between the body part (11) and the reinforcing parts (12a, 12b), connect the reinforcing parts (12a, 12b) to the body part (11) in a foldable state, and have flat surface parts (14a, 14b) that form a portion of the bottom surface of the molded body (10), in a state in which the reinforcing parts (12a, 12b) are folded toward the body part (11) side.

Description

Formed body

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a formed body formed using a mold.

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of reducing environmental impact, as a cushioning material used in packaging boxes for electrical appliances and the like, a pulp mold cushioning material is used instead of styrofoam. A pulp mold is a formed body obtained by scooping up a liquid obtained by melting plant fibers such as waste paper with a wire mesh attached to a predetermined mold. A wire mesh is attached to the surface of a mold in which a large number of holes are formed, water and air are drawn out from the back of the wire mesh, and the pulp slurry is adhered to the surface of the mold. After dehydration, the molded pulp is peeled off from the wire mesh and dried to form it.

[0003] Although such a pulp mold formed body has a low environmental impact, since the thickness of the formed pulp mold is formed almost uniformly throughout, it has been difficult to increase the thickness partially to provide a reinforcing portion. For example, in Patent Document 1, a concave lower end receiving portion formed so that the lower end portion of the packaged object is fitted into a pulp mold cushioning material and a pulp mold reinforcing pad formed in a shape along the back side shape of the cushioning material are fitted on the back side of the cushioning material in the entire range below the lower end receiving portion to form a double structure. The configuration of the formed body is disclosed.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-313941

[0005] However, the above-mentioned conventional pulp mold formed body has the following problems. That is, in the formed body disclosed in the above publication, when the reinforcing portion is folded back with respect to the main body portion, since the area of the connecting portion connecting the main body portion and the reinforcing portion is small, there is a risk of lack of stability when the formed body is placed on the placement surface.

[0006] The object of this disclosure is to provide a molded body that can be stably placed on the main body with the reinforcing part folded over. (Means for solving the problem) The molded body according to this disclosure is a molded body formed using a mold, and comprises a main body, a reinforcing part, and a connecting part. The reinforcing part is used in a state where it is folded over and overlapped with the main body, and reinforces at least a part of the main body. The connecting part is provided between the main body and the reinforcing part, connects the reinforcing part to the main body in a state where it can be folded over, and has a flat part that forms a part of the bottom surface when the reinforcing part is folded over towards the main body. (Effects of the invention) According to the molded body according to this disclosure, the reinforcing part can be stably placed on the main body with the reinforcing part folded over.

[0007] A perspective view of the entire structure of a molded body according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. A perspective view of the bottom side of the molded body in Figure 1. A perspective view of the bottom side of the molded body in Figure 2 showing the reinforcing portion unfolded relative to the main body. A perspective view of the unfolded reinforcing portion in Figure 3 showing the unfolded reinforcing portion being folded back toward the bottom side of the main body. A side view of the molded body in Figure 3 showing the structure of the molded body in the state where the reinforcing portion is unfolded relative to the main body. An enlarged side view of the area around the connecting portion that connects the main body and the reinforcing portion in Figure 5. A side view of the molded body in Figure 5 showing multiple molded bodies stacked on a mounting surface. A perspective view of the entire structure of a molded body according to another embodiment of the present disclosure showing the reinforcing portion unfolded relative to the main body on the bottom side. A side view of the area around portion A in Figure 8. An enlarged view of portion A in Figure 8. An enlarged view of portion A1 in Figure 10.

[0008] The embodiments will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The applicant provides the accompanying drawings and the following explanation so that those skilled in the art can fully understand this disclosure, and not to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0009] (Embodiment 1) A molded body 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. (1) Overall structure of the molded body 10 The molded body 10 according to this embodiment is, for example, a pulp mold formed by drying a liquid in which plant fibers have been dissolved in a predetermined mold, and is used as a cushioning material that supports the packaged items packed inside a cardboard box at the top, bottom, left, right, or four corners. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the molded body 10 comprises a main body portion 11, reinforcing portions 12a, 12b, and connecting portions 13a, 13b.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the main body portion 11 forms the side (top surface) that supports the packaged item, and the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are arranged on its bottom side in a folded state. This creates a double structure in the overlapping portion between the main body portion 11 and the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b, thereby improving the strength of the molded body 10. The reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are integrally molded together with the main body portion 11 and the connecting portions 13a and 13b, and in Figure 3, they are connected to the left and right ends of the main body portion 11 via the connecting portions 13a and 13b, respectively. As shown in Figure 4, the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are used in a folded and overlapping state with respect to the main body portion 11, and in the state of use (see Figure 2), they reinforce all or part of the main body portion 11.

[0011] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are provided in a manner that allows them to be folded back from both the left and right ends of the main body portion 11 in the figures. As shown in Figure 5, the connecting portions 13a and 13b are provided between the main body portion 11 and the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b, and connect the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b to the main body portion 11 in a manner that allows them to be folded back. When the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are folded back toward the main body portion 11 (in use (see Figure 2)), the connecting portions 13a and 13b have flat portions 14a and 14b that form part of the bottom surface.

[0012] The flat sections 14a and 14b have a roughly rectangular (roughly polygonal) shape in plan view when the molded body 10 is in use as shown in Figure 2. As a result, the connecting sections 13a and 13b connect the reinforcing sections 12a and 12b to the main body section 11, and also have flat sections 14a and 14b on the bottom side that serve as contact surfaces when the molded body 10 is in use as shown in Figure 2, thereby increasing the contact surface area, and allowing the molded body 10 to be stably placed when in use.

[0013] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, when the reinforcing parts 12a and 12b are placed on the main body 11 before they are folded back, the connecting parts 13a and 13b are positioned diagonally with respect to the mounting surface PS. At this time, as shown in Figure 6, when the reinforcing parts 12a and 12b are placed on the main body 11 before they are folded back (unused state), the connecting parts 13a and 13b connect the lower end of the main body 11 and the upper end of the reinforcing parts 12a and 12b.

[0014] As a result, the connecting portions 13a and 13b (flat portions 14a and 14b) that form a part of the bottom surface of the molded body 10 in use are positioned diagonally with respect to the mounting surface PS during molding and in non-use states, thereby ensuring the width dimension W (see Figure 6) of the connecting portions 13a and 13b. Furthermore, the dimensions in the width direction (left-right direction in Figure 5) in the non-use state and the dimensions in the width direction (left-right direction in Figure 5) of the molding die can be suppressed.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting portions 13a and 13b have planar portions 14a and 14b that are approximately rectangular in plan view. More specifically, the planar portions 14a and 14b have a width dimension W (see Figure 6) that is larger than the wall thickness T on the main body portion 11 side connected to the connecting portions 13a and 13b. Note that the width dimension W of the connecting portions 13a and 13b refers to the dimension in the direction connecting the main body portion 11 and the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b, as shown in Figure 6.

[0016] As a result, in the molded body 10 of this embodiment, while suppressing the size of the molding die, it is possible to reinforce the main body 11 over a wider area when in use (see Figure 2, etc.). Furthermore, by securing a wide contact surface on the bottom side of the main body 11 between the bottom surface of the main body 11 and the flat surfaces 14a and 14b, stable placement is possible. In addition, when transporting multiple molded bodies 10 stacked on top of each other when not in use, as shown in Figure 7, the connecting parts 13a and 13b are arranged diagonally, allowing them to be placed on the mounting surface PS while suppressing the height dimension of the main body 11.

[0017] <Main Features> The molded body 10 of this embodiment is formed using a mold and, as shown in Figure 4, comprises a main body portion 11, reinforcing portions 12a and 12b, and connecting portions 13a and 13b. The reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are used in a state where they are folded back and overlapped with the main body portion 11, and reinforce at least a part of the main body portion 11. The connecting portions 13a and 13b are provided between the main body portion 11 and the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b, and connect the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b to the main body portion 11 in a state where they can be folded back. When the reinforcing portions 12a and 12b are folded back towards the main body portion 11, they have flat portions 14a and 14b that form a part of the bottom surface of the molded body 10.

[0018] As a result, the connecting parts 13a and 13b that connect the main body 11 and the reinforcing parts 12a and 12b have flat parts 14a and 14b that constitute the bottom surface of the molded body 10 when in use, so that the molded body can be stably placed on the mounting surface PS when the reinforcing parts 12a and 12b are folded back relative to the main body 11. (Embodiment 2) The molded body 50 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 8 to 11.

[0019] In this embodiment, the molded body 50 differs from the molded body 10 of the first embodiment in that the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b provided on both the left and right sides of the main body 51 are supported on the sides of the main body 51 by connecting portions 55a and 55b before they are folded back relative to the main body 51. That is, as shown in Figure 8, the molded body 50 of this embodiment has connecting portions 55a and 55b on the bottom side that connect the main body 51 and the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b when the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b are unfolded relative to the main body 51.

[0020] As shown in Figure 8, the connecting portions 55a and 55b are provided in pairs at both the left and right ends of the main body portion 51 in the figure. Then, as shown in Figure 9, the connecting portions 55a and 55b, together with the connecting portions 53a and 53b (flat portions 54a and 54b), support the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b on the sides of the main body portion 51. As shown in Figure 9, the connecting portions 55a and 55b support the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b on the sides of the main body portion 51 before the reinforcing portions 52a and 52b are folded back relative to the main body portion 51.

[0021] As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b are held on substantially the same plane as the bottom surface of the main body 51 without sagging down on the side of the main body 51, thereby stabilizing the shape of the molded body 50 when not in use and making it easier to place on a mounting surface or to stack multiple molded bodies 50 on a mounting surface. In addition, the connecting parts 55a and 55b connect the lower end of the main body 51 and the lower end of the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, before the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b are folded back relative to the main body 51.

[0022] Furthermore, when the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b are folded back relative to the main body 51, the connecting parts 55a and 55b are cut along the cutting line CL, for example, using a utility knife, as shown in Figure 11. As a result, the connecting parts 55a and 55b are used to hold the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b on the side of the main body 51 when not in use (see Figure 9, etc.). Then, by cutting the connecting portion between the main body 51 and the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b along the cutting line CL shown in Figure 11, the reinforcing parts 52a and 52b can be folded back toward the bottom surface of the main body 51 to transition to the use state.

[0023] [Other Embodiments] Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the disclosure. (A) In the above embodiments 1 and 2, a configuration in which reinforcing parts 12a, 12b, 52a, and 52b are provided on both the left and right sides of the main body parts 11 and 51, respectively, was described as an example. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0024] For example, the main body may be configured such that a reinforcing portion is provided on only one side (left or right) of the main body in a foldable manner. Alternatively, the main body may be configured such that reinforcing portions are provided not only on the left and right sides, but also on at least one side (front or back). (B) In the embodiments 1 and 2 described above, an example was given in which the main body 11 and 51 and the reinforcing portions 12a, 12b, 52a, and 52b are connected in a foldable manner via substantially rectangular connecting portions 13a, 13b, 53a, and 53b in a plan view. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0025] For example, the main body and the reinforcing part may be connected using connecting parts having other polygonal shapes such as a roughly square or roughly trapezoid. (C) In the above embodiments 1 and 2, molded bodies 10 and 50 were described using molded bodies made of pulp mold as examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0026] For example, instead of pulp molds, resin molded articles formed using molds may be used. (D) In ​​embodiments 1 and 2 described above, molded articles 10 and 50 used as cushioning materials were given as examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0027] For example, the configuration of the present disclosure may be applied as a reinforcing structure for a molded body used for purposes other than cushioning material. <Note> The above description of embodiments discloses the following technologies. (Technology 1) A molded body according to Technology 1 is a molded body formed using a mold, comprising: a main body; a reinforcing part used in a state where it is folded over and overlapped with the main body, and reinforcing at least a part of the main body; and a connecting part provided between the main body and the reinforcing part, connecting the reinforcing part to the main body in a state where it can be folded back, and having a flat part that forms a part of the bottom surface when the reinforcing part is folded back toward the main body.

[0028] (Technology 2) The molded body according to Technology 2 is the molded body according to Technology 1, wherein the planar portion has a width dimension greater than the wall thickness of the main body portion connected to the connecting portion. (Technology 3) The molded body according to Technology 3 is the molded body according to Technology 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion is positioned diagonally with respect to the mounting surface when it is placed in a state before the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body portion.

[0029] (Technology 4) The molded body according to Technology 4 is the molded body according to Technology 3, wherein the connecting portion connects the lower end of the main body and the upper end of the reinforcing portion when the reinforcing portion is placed on the main body before it is folded back. (Technology 5) The molded body according to Technology 5 is the molded body according to any one of Technology 1 to 4, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided in a manner that allows it to be folded back from both the left and right ends of the main body.

[0030] (Technology 6) The molded body according to Technology 6 is a molded body according to any one of Technologies 1 to 4, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided in a manner that allows it to be folded back from one of the left or right ends of the main body. (Technology 7) The molded body according to Technology 7 is a molded body according to any one of Technologies 1 to 6, further comprising a connecting portion that supports the reinforcing portion on the side of the main body before the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body.

[0031] (Technology 8) The molded body according to Technology 8 is the molded body according to Technology 7, wherein the connecting portion connects the lower end of the main body and the lower end of the reinforcing portion in the state before the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body. (Technology 9) The molded body according to Technology 9 is the molded body according to Technology 7, wherein the connecting portion is cut when the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body.

[0032] (Technology 10) The molded article according to Technology 10 is a molded article according to any one of Technologies 1 to 9, and is used as a cushioning material. (Technology 11) The molded article according to Technology 11 is a molded article according to any one of Technologies 1 to 10, and is a pulp mold formed by drying a liquid in which plant fibers have been dissolved in a mold.

[0033] The molded body of this disclosure has the effect of being able to be stably placed on the main body with the reinforcing portion folded back, and is therefore widely applicable to molded bodies made using various materials.

[0034] 10 Molded body 11 Main body 12a, 12b Reinforcement parts 13a, 13b Connecting parts 14a, 14b Flat part 50 Molded body 51 Main body 52a, 52b Reinforcement parts 53a, 53b Connecting parts 54a, 54b Flat part 55a, 55b Connection part CL Cutting line PS Mounting surface T Wall thickness W Width dimension

Claims

1. A molded body formed using a mold, comprising: a main body; a reinforcing part used in a folded and overlapping state with respect to the main body, and reinforcing at least a part of the main body; and a connecting part provided between the main body and the reinforcing part, connecting the reinforcing part to the main body in a state in which the reinforcing part can be folded back, and having a flat part that forms a part of the bottom surface when the reinforcing part is folded back toward the main body.

2. The molded body according to claim 1, wherein the planar portion has a width dimension greater than the wall thickness of the main body portion connected to the connecting portion.

3. The molded body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion is positioned diagonally with respect to the mounting surface when the reinforcing portion is placed on the body before it is folded back.

4. The molded body according to claim 3, wherein the connecting portion connects the lower end of the main body and the upper end of the reinforcing portion when the reinforcing portion is placed on the main body before it is folded back.

5. The molded body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided in a manner that allows it to be folded back from both the left and right ends of the main body.

6. The molded body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided in a manner that allows it to be folded back from one of the left or right ends of the main body.

7. The molded body according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a connecting portion that supports the reinforcing portion on the side of the main body before the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body.

8. The molded body according to claim 7, wherein the connecting portion connects the lower end of the main body and the lower end of the reinforcing portion in the state before the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body.

9. The molded body according to claim 7, wherein the connecting portion is cut when the reinforcing portion is folded back relative to the main body.

10. A molded article according to claim 1 or 2, used as a cushioning material.

11. The molded article according to claim 1 or 2, which is a pulp mold formed by drying a liquid containing dissolved plant fibers in a mold.

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