JP2009095283A - Toy - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toy enabling a user to enjoy, and giving consideration to the environment. <P>SOLUTION: This toy 1 has containers 11 and 12 formed into an egg-like shape, and raising seeds 2 to be held in the containers 11 and 12. The containers 11 and 12 are made of a biodegradable material, and fertilizer ingredients are added to or held in the containers 11 and 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toy.

  In recent years, as part of efforts to address environmental problems, there are packaging materials and toys that use biodegradable resins (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since the biodegradable resin is decomposed into harmless materials such as water and carbon dioxide in the soil after it is discarded, it is often used as a material considering the natural environment.

In addition, in order to promote greening, a plant in which plant seeds are included in a biodegradable packaging bag and can be sprayed in the air has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-182772 A JP 2006-56760 A

  On the other hand, there is a demand for toys that allow users to tackle environmental problems while having fun. Raising user awareness of environmental issues and greening is important in improving the natural environment.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toy that can be enjoyed by a user and is environmentally friendly.

According to the invention of claim 1,
An egg shaped container;
And seeds for cultivation housed in the container,
A toy is provided in which the container is made of a biodegradable material, and a fertilizer component is attached to or contained in the container.

According to invention of Claim 2,
The toy according to claim 1, wherein a fertilizer component is mixed and attached to the material of the container.

According to invention of Claim 3,
The toy according to claim 1, wherein a fertilizer component is applied and attached to the inner surface of the container.

According to invention of Claim 4,
The toy as described in any one of Claims 1-3 which formed the groove | channel in the inner surface of the said container is provided.

According to the invention of claim 5,
The toy according to claim 4, wherein the entire inner surface of the container is divided into a plurality of regions, and grooves are formed so that the contour of each region is smooth.

According to the invention of claim 6,
In addition, equipped with a toy for gaming,
The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the game toy is accommodated in the container.

  According to invention of Claim 1, the container which accommodates a seed is made into an oval shape, and is comprised with a biodegradable material. Furthermore, a fertilizer component is attached or accommodated in a container. Thereby, the user can enjoy the growth process of the seed and can use it as soil as fertilizer of the seed 2 instead of discarding the container. Since the container is biodegraded by placing it in the soil together with the seeds, the container can be reduced without harm to the natural environment, and a toy that is environmentally friendly can be obtained. Moreover, since the container imitates an egg, a user's interest can be heightened. In fact, when growing plants, eggshells are often placed on the soil as fertilizer components, and the scenery using eggshell-like containers for the soil is familiar to users, so it is also very suitable for ornamental use. Yes.

  According to invention of Claim 2, a fertilizer component can be attached integrally with a container at the time of shaping | molding of a container.

  According to invention of Claim 3, a fertilizer component can be attached after shaping | molding of a container.

  According to invention of Claim 4, it can be set as the structure where a user is easy to crush a container. By crushing, the container can be made into small pieces and placed in the soil, and the biodegradation speed can be increased and the fertilizer component can be supplied uniformly into the soil.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to make a small piece with a constant size, to prevent the outline of each fragment from becoming sharp at the time of crushing, and to improve the safety of the toy. .

The toy 1 in this embodiment is shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toy 1 is configured such that a plant seed 2 and a chick toy 3 are accommodated in an egg-shaped container 10. The toy 1 can enjoy the growth of plants by sowing the seed 2 in the soil. The container 10 can be crushed when the contents are taken out, and the fragments can be used as fertilizer by mixing with the soil in which the seeds 2 are seeded.

The container 10 includes an upper lid 11 and a bottom lid 12 as shown in FIG. 2, and these items are fitted together as shown in FIG. When taking out the contents, the container 10 is crushed and taken out.
The container 10 is formed to have an egg shape when the top lid 11 and the bottom lid 12 are fitted. The formation is performed by injection molding or the like, and the texture, color, size, thickness, and the like are imitated by an eggshell.

  The container 10 is composed of a biodegradable material. The biodegradable material refers to an organic material that is finally decomposed into a harmless natural environment such as water or carbon dioxide by the action of a natural substance such as a microorganism. As the biodegradable material, polylactic acid, polyethylene succinate, polybutylene succinate, polyglycolic acid, polysuccinic acid ester, polyoxalic acid ester, polycaprolactone, etc. can be used, but the toy 1 touches the user's hand. From the viewpoint of ease, plant-derived polylactic acid is preferred. In consideration of performing injection molding, a thermoplastic material is preferable.

In addition, since the container 10 is crushed when taking out the contents, it is necessary to form the container 10 with a hardness and thickness that can be crushed by the user, and since the container 10 is imitated as an eggshell, the color is preferably white. The material of the container 10 is selected from materials that meet these conditions, or the hardness, color, etc. are adjusted by mixing a plurality of materials.
It should be noted that biodegradable materials of relatively low molecular weight such as polysaccharide derivatives such as cellulose, starch and chitin, and peptides such as collagen and casein may be mixed, and additives for adjusting hardness may be mixed. Also good.

  The container 10 has a groove 13 as shown in FIG. 3 formed on the entire inner surface so that the user can easily crush it. FIG. 3 is a view of the top lid 11 as viewed from the opening portion, but the grooves 13 are similarly formed on the inner surface of the bottom lid 12. The groove 13 is formed so that the inner surface of the container 10 is divided into a plurality of regions 14, and the contour of each region 14 is formed to be smooth. Since the portion of the groove 13 is thinner than the other portions, a crack is generated along the groove 13 when pressure is applied, and a piece is generated in each region 14 divided by the groove 13. In other words, by adjusting the size and shape of each region 14 that divides the inner surface of the container 10 by the groove 13 to be formed, the size of the fragments formed by crushing is adjusted, and the shape is adjusted so that the outline of the fragments does not become sharp. It is doing. The shape is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, but may be other shapes such as a polygon or a circle.

  A fertilizer component for growing the seed 2 is attached to or contained in the container 10. Examples of the attached method include a method in which a fertilizer component is mixed in the material of the container 10 in advance. That is, the container 10 is formed by mixing fertilizer components with the material of the container 10. Moreover, the method of apply | coating a fertilizer component to the inner surface of the container 10 is also mentioned. A liquid fertilizer component is applied. If solid, it is dissolved in water and applied, or mixed with a paste (biodegradable, for example, cellulose) and applied. According to this method, a fertilizer component may be applied after the container 10 is formed, which is a simple method in the manufacturing process.

Examples of the fertilizer component include compounds such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The type and amount of the compound to be blended are selected according to the seed 2 to be grown. In the case of the method in which the fertilizer component is mixed into the material of the container 10 as described above, a compound that does not deteriorate due to heat or the like during the injection molding is selected.
It is also possible to solidify the fertilizer component into a round shape and cover it with yellow wrapping paper, etc., and to store the one imitating the egg yolk in the container 10 together with the seeds 2 and the like. Thereby, the simulated feeling of an egg can be raised more.

The seed 2 is a seed of a plant for growing, and is packaged by a panel 21 as shown in FIG. The panel 21 has a hole in the center, and a water-soluble fibrous sheet 22 is stretched in the hole. The seed 2 is packaged by placing the seed 2 on the sheet 22 portion of one panel 21 and sandwiching the other panel 21 from above to sandwich the seed 2.
If the seed 2 is inserted into the soil while being packaged in the panel 21, the sheet 22 itself is dissolved by moisture in the soil, so that only the seed 2 remains in the soil. Therefore, it is possible for the user to sow the seed 2 without touching the soil.

In the panel 21, the name of the plant of the seed 2 is described above. By inserting the panel 21 into the soil until the position where the name portion can be seen, it can be used as an index indicating how far into the soil, and what seed 2 is being grown. it can.
The seed 2 may be sandwiched between the two sheets 22 instead of the panel 21 and packaged. According to this, since the sheet 22 is dissolved after the seed 2 is placed in the soil, the waste is reduced. Alternatively, the seed 2 may be packaged with a biodegradable film, and the user himself / herself places the seed 2 in the soil.

  The toy 3 is a game animal toy imitating a chick. By playing with the chick, the simulated feeling of the egg can be enhanced, but other game toys may be used.

Next, a method for manufacturing the toy 1 will be described.
First, the container 10 is molded. In addition to the biodegradable material constituting the container 10, additives and fertilizer components are mixed in advance. For example, when polylactic acid having thermoplasticity is used as a main material, a mixture of materials containing polylactic acid is heated, and then poured into a mold for making the container 10 into an egg shape, and injection molding is performed. The container 10 is completed by cooling.
In addition, when apply | coating a fertilizer component, a fertilizer component is not mixed in biodegradable material, but it apply | coats to the inner surface of the container 10 using a paste after shaping | molding.

The seed 2 is produced by being sandwiched between panels 21 coated with a paste. The toy 3 is injection-molded using a chick mold. It is good also as drawing a pattern using a pigment.
Next, the produced seed 2 and toy 3 are accommodated in the bottom lid 12. The toy 1 is completed by fitting the top lid 11 and the bottom lid 12 together.

Next, the usage method of the toy 1 is demonstrated.
When the toy 1 is purchased, the top lid 11 and the bottom lid 12 of the container 10 are fitted together as shown in FIG. The user crushes the container 10 so as to break the egg, and takes out the seed 2 and the toy 3 accommodated in the container 10. The toy 3 can then be used for gaming or as a figurine.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the seed 2 is inserted into the soil together with the panel 21. At this time, since the name of the seed 2 is described on the panel 21, it is inserted to a position where this name can be seen. Thereby, the sheet | seat 22 part of the panel 21 in soil melt | dissolves with the water | moisture content in soil, and the seed 2 will be directly placed in soil. On the other hand, the part of the panel 21 on the soil remains as an index indicating what the plant of the seed 2 is.

  When the seed 2 is placed on the soil, the crushed container 10 is mixed with the soil. By crushing, it should break along the groove 13 formed on the inner surface of the container 10 and become a small-sized piece. The user may mix this debris with the soil around the seed 2 as shown in FIG. 4 or sow on the soil. Since the fertilizer component is attached to the fragments of the container 10, the fertilizer component is dissolved in the soil and becomes a fertilizer in the process of growing the seed 2.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the container 10 that accommodates the seeds 2 is formed into an oval shape and is made of a biodegradable material. Furthermore, a fertilizer component is attached to or accommodated in the container 10. Thereby, the user can enjoy the growth process of the seed 2 and can use it as soil fertilizer instead of discarding the container 10. Since the container 10 is biodegraded by placing it in the soil together with the seed 2, it can be reduced without harm to the natural environment, and the toy 1 in consideration of environmental problems can be obtained. Furthermore, since the fertilizer component attached to or contained in the container 10 is supplied to the seed 2 through the soil, it is not necessary for the user to prepare the fertilizer separately, and the growth of the seed 2 can be aided.

When the contents stored in the container 10 are taken out, they can be easily taken out because they can be crushed. Moreover, since the container 10 is imitating an egg, the user can obtain a pseudo feeling of breaking the egg during crushing, and the user's interest can be enhanced. By mixing the fragments after crushing with the soil, the fertilizer component can be supplied uniformly into the soil and the biodegradability of the container 10 can be enhanced.
In addition, eggs are often placed on the soil as a fertilizer component when actually growing plants, and the landscape using the container 10 imitating an eggshell as soil is familiar to the user. Also very suitable. In addition, since the process of biodegradation can be observed, the user's awareness of environmental problems can be increased.

  Since the container 10 is provided with the groove 13 on the inner surface, the container 10 can be easily crushed. Since the groove 13 is formed so as to divide the inner surface of the container 10 into a plurality of regions, the container 10 becomes a fragment for each region at the time of crushing, and the container 10 can be made into small pieces and easily put into the soil. Moreover, by forming the groove 13 so that the contour of each region becomes smooth, it is possible to prevent the contour of each fragment from becoming sharp at the time of crushing, and the safety of the toy 1 can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the chick toy 3 is accommodated in the egg-shaped container 10, the simulated feeling of an egg can be raised and a user can be made more entertaining.

It is an external view of the toy in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the seed and toy accommodated in the container of FIG. It is a figure which shows the container inside. It is a figure explaining the usage method of a toy.

Explanation of symbols

1 Toy 10 Container 11 Top Lid 12 Bottom Lid 13 Groove 2 Seed 21 Panel 22 Sheet 3 Toy

Claims (6)

An egg shaped container;
And seeds for cultivation housed in the container,
A toy in which the container is made of a biodegradable material and a fertilizer component is attached to or contained in the container.   The toy according to claim 1, wherein a fertilizer component is mixed and attached to the material of the container.   The toy according to claim 1, wherein a fertilizer component is applied and attached to the inner surface of the container.   The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a groove is formed on the inner surface of the container.   The toy according to claim 4, wherein the entire inner surface of the container is divided into a plurality of regions, and grooves are formed so that the contour of each region is smooth. In addition, equipped with a toy for gaming,
The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the game toy is accommodated in the container.

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