JP2011116427A - Plastic container for beverage and beverage product using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plastic container which has an appropriate repulsive force in its gripping part, has stable gripping properties, can reduce bodily burden in a pouring operation, and has a necessary buckling strength. <P>SOLUTION: In the plastic container for beverage, a body part has long side walls 41, short side walls 42, corner walls 43 connecting the long side walls and the short side walls, and a plurality of annular ribs 11 peripherally rounding in the horizontal direction. An embossing part for gripping of the long side wall bends the long side wall in the inward direction of the container at the boundary of the long side wall and the corner wall, and has an inclined face and a bottom face. The bottom face is inclined in the outward direction of the container toward the bottom part of the container. Among the annular ribs, at least one of them is a transverse annular rib 15 crossing the embossing part for gripping, and in the transverse annular rib, at the corner wall, it is a shallow channel, and at the long side wall, it is a deep channel, and the boundary between the long side wall and the corner wall and the boundary between the deep channel and the shallow channel coincides with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plastic container, and in particular, a rectangular shape for filling a non-carbonated beverage having a body shape that can be easily gripped and capable of reducing the strain on a pouring operation and has a buckling strength against a longitudinal compression load. Relates to plastic containers for beverages.

  Plastic containers are widely used as containers for beverages such as water, tea, carbonated drinks and juices. In particular, in a large-capacity plastic container of about 2 liters, its mass becomes quite heavy, and a “pour-out operation”, which is a series of operations for lifting the container and subsequently tilting the container body, requires a considerably strong force. . For this reason, there is a problem that the force for gripping the container is increased, the plastic container is deformed, and is difficult to lift. Furthermore, as the capacity increases, there is a problem that the waist of the container becomes larger and it is difficult to hold it with one hand.

  On the other hand, plastic containers for beverages are transported and stored in cardboard boxes in units of several to several tens. At this time, since the cardboard boxes are stacked, a vertical compression load is applied to the plastic containers for beverages. Therefore, the buckling strength is also required for the longitudinal compression load.

  However, plastic containers for beverages are strongly demanded to be lighter and thinner in terms of environment and cost, and the strength of the containers is generally lowered. Not only does the container easily deform and it becomes more difficult to handle, but the longitudinal compression load during transportation and storage may cause irreversible deformation of the container, which may reduce the commercial value.

  Therefore, a plastic container has been proposed that can be easily handled in a stable state by gripping with one hand and that imparts strength to the container (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, 3, or 4).

  In Patent Document 1, a pair of concave gripping portions are provided in a part of a constricted portion over the entire circumference of the container body, and a length of a plurality of fingers extending vertically downward continuously from the gripping portion is provided. By providing a concave grip extension, the force of the five fingertips is applied to the plastic bottle container, and the crotch part between the thumb and forefinger is held along the constricted portion to firmly grip the plastic bottle container. Plastic bottle containers that can be used have been proposed.

  In Patent Document 2, in a grip portion that is recessed inward of a container by a plurality of slopes provided in a body portion of the container, a convex portion that bulges outward on a container mouth side slope of the grip portion and a slope on a container bottom side A container has been proposed in which a concave portion is formed in the container so that it can be lifted stably when held with one hand and is resistant to repeated deformation.

  In Patent Document 3, a panel portion that is recessed toward the radially inner side formed in the waist portion of the bottle is excellent by being provided so as to reach the upper portion from the lower portion of the waist portion through the central portion of the trunk portion. Bottles with excellent grip properties have been proposed.

  In Patent Document 4, a constricted portion formed so as to be wide so that the crotch portion between the thumb and the index finger can be brought into close contact with the entire circumference of the center of the torso of the container, and the shape and dimensions of the constricted portion are defined. By designing, a plastic bottle container has been proposed that can be firmly gripped and can prevent irreversible deformation of the plastic bottle container.

JP 2007-168813 A JP 2009-046202 A JP 2009-029450 A JP 2008-296920 A

  However, in the plastic container described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to hold the container by hooking five fingertips into the recess and placing the crotch part between the thumb and forefinger along the constricted part. However, it is difficult to hold the entire finger in close contact with the container, and in the pouring operation, it is not possible to reduce the physical burden of the operation of pouring the contents by tilting the container. In addition, the constriction over the entire circumference of the body portion becomes a buckling point, and irreversible deformation occurs in the container due to the longitudinal compression load, which may reduce the commercial value.

  In the container described in Patent Document 2, the container can be grasped by hooking the thumb and forefinger or middle finger on the grip provided on the body of the container, but in addition to the thumb and forefinger or middle finger, between the thumb and forefinger It is difficult to hold the crotch part and palm part in close contact with the container, and it is difficult to reduce the physical burden of the operation of pouring the contents by tilting the container in the pouring operation.

  In the container described in Patent Document 3, it is possible to hold the container with the thumb, index finger or middle finger and the crotch part between the thumb and index finger along the constricted part. It is necessary to increase the degree of diameter reduction of the constricted portion. When the degree of diameter reduction of the constricted portion is increased, an irreversible deformation occurs in the constricted portion due to the longitudinal compression load, which may reduce the commercial value.

  In the plastic bottle container described in Patent Document 4, since the constricted portion is provided wide, the area for closely contacting the crotch portion between the fingertip and the thumb and the index finger is increased, and the ease of gripping is improved. Further, buckling strength is imparted by a vertically long protruding portion protruding inward of the constricted portion. However, it is difficult to bring the entire palm portion into close contact, and it is not possible to reduce the physical burden of the operation of pouring the contents by tilting the container in the pouring operation.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a plastic container, in particular, a plastic container for beverages for filling a large-capacity non-carbonated beverage. It is to propose a plastic container that can reduce the physical burden (hereinafter referred to as muscle burden) and has the necessary buckling strength. It is another object of the present invention to provide a non-carbonated beverage product that is less likely to cause a decline in aesthetic product value using a lighter and thinner container.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors made the bottom surface of the embossing portion for grip provided on the trunk part a slope inclined toward the outside of the container as it goes to the bottom part toward the bottom part, And it discovered that the said subject could be solved by making the cyclic | annular rib which crosses the embossing part for a grip into a specific shape and arrangement, and completed this invention. That is, the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention has a mouth portion, a shoulder portion, a label portion, a trunk portion, and a bottom portion in order from the top, and the trunk portion includes a long side wall, a short side wall, and the long side. A square beverage for filling non-carbonated beverages, having a corner wall connecting the wall and the short side wall, and a plurality of annular ribs that circulate in the horizontal direction, and the long side wall has a gripping embossed portion. In the plastic container for use, the surface shape of the horizontal cross section of the corner wall is an arc shape or an elliptical arc shape, and the embossing portion for gripping has the long side wall at the boundary between the long side wall and the corner wall. An inclining surface that is bent inward in the container and is inclined inward from the boundary on both sides of the long side wall toward the center of the width of the long side wall, and is connected to both of the inclined surfaces, the long side A bottom surface of the embossment disposed at a central portion of the width of the wall, and the bottom surface of the bottom wall of the container. Accordingly, at least one of the annular ribs is a transverse annular rib traversing the gripping embossed portion, and the transverse annular rib is a shallow groove at the corner wall, The long side wall is a deep groove, and a boundary between the long side wall and the corner wall coincides with a boundary between the deep groove and the shallow groove.

  In the beverage plastic container according to the present invention, it is preferable that the shallow groove is a U-shaped groove in cross section and the deep groove is a V-shaped groove in cross section. By making the shallow groove a U-shaped groove in cross section, the buckling strength against the longitudinal compression load can be further increased. By making the deep groove into a V-shaped groove in cross section, the body has an appropriate repulsive force when a pressing force is applied toward the inside of the container by grasping the embossing portion for gripping, and a more stable grip A feeling can be obtained.

  In the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention, the transverse annular rib is formed such that a height from the groove bottom to the upper groove edge of the deep groove is higher than a height from the groove bottom to the lower groove edge of the deep groove. The bottom surface is preferably a stepped surface. Since the finger is more easily caught and is less likely to slip, the finger can be gripped more stably.

  In the beverage plastic container according to the present invention, it is preferable that an interval between the boundaries sandwiching the short side wall and a corner wall connected to both sides of the short side wall is 70 mm or more and 80 mm or less. Even users with small hands such as children and women can easily grip it.

  In the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention, it is preferable that a peripheral length between the boundary between the short side wall and the corner wall connected to both sides of the short side wall is 115 mm or less. Even users with small hands such as children and women can easily grip it.

  In the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention, the inclination angle of the bottom surface with respect to the main axis of the container is preferably 15 to 25 °. By setting the inclination angle, the angle formed by the thumb and the other four fingers matches the angle formed by the pair of gripping embossed portions of the plastic container. A ground contact area becomes large, and the physical burden (muscle burden) in the pouring operation can be further reduced.

  In the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention, the upper end of the gripping embossed portion is located in a range of 0.02 h up and down around the center of gravity of the container when the container height is h. Is preferred. The strain on the pouring operation can be reduced, and the contents can be poured out stably.

  The beverage product according to the present invention is characterized in that the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention is filled with a non-carbonated beverage.

  The present invention is a plastic container, in particular, a plastic container for beverages for filling a large-capacity non-carbonated beverage, has an appropriate repulsive force in the gripping part, has a stable grip property, and a body burden in the pouring operation ( A plastic container having a required buckling strength can be proposed. Moreover, it is possible to provide a non-carbonated beverage product that is less likely to cause a decline in aesthetic merchandise value by using a lightweight container.

It is a general-view figure which shows an example of the plastic container for drinks concerning this embodiment, (a) is a long side wall side front view, (b) shows a short side wall side front view. It is a top view of the plastic container shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the plastic container shown in FIG. It is the outer periphery shape of the AA fracture surface of FIG.1 (b). It is a figure for demonstrating the inclination angle with respect to the main axis | shaft of the said container of the bottom face of the embossing part for holding | grip, (a) is the elements on larger side of the short side wall side of a trunk | drum, (b) is schematic of a hand. It is a BB fracture surface of Drawing 1. It is a CC fracture surface of Drawing 1, (a) shows the 1st form and (b) shows the 2nd form. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of the gravity center of a container, and the embossing part for holding | grip. It is a container to be measured, (a) shows Example 1, (b) shows Comparative Example 1, and (c) shows Comparative Example 2. It is the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the embossing part for holding | grip of a measurement object container, (a) is Example 1, the outer periphery shape of an aa fracture surface, (b) is the comparative example 1, and is a bb fracture surface. The outer peripheral shape, (c), is Comparative Example 2, and shows the outer peripheral shape of the cc fracture surface. It is a figure which shows how to hold the plastic bottle in the pouring operation. It is a figure which shows a measuring object muscle. The relationship between the maximum strength ratio of the superficial digital flexor muscle and the subjective evaluation of the subject with respect to the muscle load is shown. The specific reference | standard (Borg scale) of the numerical value of the test subject's subjective evaluation of the vertical axis | shaft in FIG. 13 is shown. It is the graph which showed the average which the said test subjects 6 tried the pouring operation | movement eight times, (a) is the subjective evaluation of the raising operation | movement, (b) is the graph which showed the maximum muscular strength ratio (% MVC) of each operation | movement muscle. It is. It is the graph which showed the average which the said 6 test subjects tried the pouring operation 8 times, (a) is the subjective evaluation of the pouring operation, (b) is the graph which showed the maximum muscular strength ratio (% MVC) of each motion muscle It is. It is the graph which showed the average which one subject with weak grip strength tried the pouring operation eight times, (a) shows the subjective evaluation of the lifting operation, and (b) shows the maximum muscle strength ratio (% MVC) of each operating muscle. It is a graph. It is the graph which showed the average which one subject with weak grip strength tried the pouring operation eight times, (a) shows the subjective evaluation of the pouring operation, (b) shows the maximum muscular strength ratio (% MVC) of each operation muscle. It is a graph.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are examples of configurations, and the present invention is not construed as being limited to these descriptions. As long as the effect of the present invention is exhibited, the embodiment may be variously modified.

  1A and 1B are schematic views showing an example of a plastic container for beverages according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a long side wall side front view, and FIG. 1B is a short side wall side front view. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plastic container shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plastic container shown in FIG. The plastic container for beverages according to this embodiment has a mouth part 1, a shoulder part 2, a label part 3, a body part 4 and a bottom part 5 in order from the top, and the body part 4 has a long side wall 41 and a short side wall. 42, a corner wall 43 that connects the long side wall 41 and the short side wall 42, and a plurality of annular ribs 11 that circulate in the horizontal direction, and the long side wall 41 has a gripping embossed portion 50. In the square beverage plastic container 100 for filling a beverage, the horizontal cross-sectional surface shape of the corner wall 43 is an arc shape or an elliptical arc shape, and the gripping embossed portion 50 includes the long side wall 41 and the corner wall 43. An inclined surface 50b that bends the long side wall 41 in the container inward at the boundary S, and inclines inward from the boundary S on both sides of the long side wall 41 toward the width center of the long side wall 41; The bottom of the emboss connected to both of the inclined surfaces 50b and disposed in the center of the width of the long side wall 41 50a, and the bottom surface 50a is inclined outward from the container toward the bottom 5 of the container 100, and at least one of the annular ribs 11 crosses the gripping embossed part 50. The transverse annular rib 15 is a shallow groove 15a in the corner wall 43, a deep groove 15b in the long side wall 41, and a boundary S between the long side wall 41 and the corner wall 43, the deep groove 15b, and the shallow groove. The boundary S ′ with 15a coincides.

  The mouth portion 1 is usually formed with a diameter of 1.5 to 4 cm so that the beverage can be poured easily, and the shoulder portion 2 is connected to the label portion 3 having a larger trunk diameter toward the label portion. The diameter is expanded to form a cone. The shoulder 2 of the container shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is formed from a plurality of cut surfaces, but may be formed from a curved surface. The label portion 3 is provided with a product display label such as a shrink label or a roll label on its outer periphery. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the label part 3 should just be a shape connected gently to the trunk | drum 4, and is not limited in this embodiment. For example, in the same manner as the body portion 4, there are a rectangular shape, a circular shape, and an elliptical shape having long side walls, short side walls, and corner walls. The label portion 3 can be provided with a depressed grip embossing portion 31. The grip embossed portion 31 is provided in order to enhance grip performance by the fingertip entering the recessed portion of the grip embossed portion 31 when the consumer grips the label portion 3. The body part 4 is mainly a place to be gripped by the consumer, and is provided with a body diameter substantially similar to that of the label part 3 or has a longer side and a shorter side than the label part 3 in order to prevent the label from rubbing. A body diameter of about 1 mm is given. The bottom 5 is provided with a plurality of vertical ribs to improve the strength, and realizes a self-supporting type.

  Plastic containers for beverages are obtained by blow molding, preferably biaxial stretch blow molding. The material of the beverage plastic container is preferably a PET resin, but other thermoplastic resins may be used as necessary.

  For example, a plastic container for beverages is intended for a capacity of 500 ml to 2 liters, but a 1.5 to 2 liter container that has a large strain on the grip and requires a buckling strength is suitable. set to target. For example, the height of the plastic container is 200 to 370 mm, and the cylinder diameter extrapolated by a rectangle, that is, the cylinder diameter approximated by a rectangle surrounded by a tangent line between the long side wall and the short side wall is (60 to 120) × (60 to 100) mm, and the body thickness is 0.10 to 0.30 mm. In the case of a bottle for aseptic filling, the barrel thickness is preferably 0.10 to 0.30 mm. Moreover, it can also be set as the container for hot filling, In this case, it is preferable that a trunk | drum thickness shall be 0.20-0.50 mm. The present invention is suitable as a bottle for aseptic filling that is required to have a thin wall thickness when the barrel thickness is 0.10 to 0.30 mm. A plastic container having a capacity of 500 ml or less and a height of less than 200 mm can also be made into a plastic container having improved buckling resistance and buckling resistance. In this case, it is possible to cope with this by reducing the size while maintaining a similar shape with the plastic container having the above dimensions as a reference.

  Each of the label portion 3 and the body portion 4 is provided with a plurality of annular ribs 11 that circulate in the horizontal direction. The shape of the annular rib 11 is not limited in the present embodiment, and can be, for example, a horizontal shape or a transverse wave shape. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is preferable that the lower part of the body part 4 near the bottom part 5 is a transverse wave-shaped rib whose vertical direction is the amplitude direction. Thereby, it can be set as a container strong in the buckling strength with respect to a longitudinal compression load.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the plastic container for beverages according to the present embodiment, the body portion 4 has a square shape and includes a long side wall 41, a short side wall 42, and a corner wall 43. In addition, the shape whose long side wall 41 and the short side of the short side wall 42 have the same length, that is, a square shape with a substantially square horizontal cross section may be used. The surface shape of the horizontal cross section of the corner wall 43 is an arc shape or an elliptical arc shape. The corner wall 43 may have a shape with chamfered corners.

  FIG. 4 shows the outer peripheral shape of the AA fracture surface of FIG. In the beverage plastic container according to the present embodiment, the interval P between the boundaries S sandwiching the short side wall 42 and the corner wall 43 connected to both sides of the short side wall 42 may be 70 mm or more and 80 mm or less. preferable. More preferably, it is 70-77 mm, Most preferably, it is 70-75. If it is less than 70 mm, it may be inferior to buckling resistance. In addition, it may be impossible to fill a desired internal volume. If it exceeds 80 mm, a user with a small hand, such as a child or a woman, may not be able to easily grip, and even a user with a large hand may increase the strain on the pouring operation.

  In the plastic container for beverages according to this embodiment, the circumferential length Q between the boundary S sandwiching the short side wall 42 and the corner wall 43 connected to both sides of the short side wall 42 is 115 mm or less. preferable. More preferably, it is 110 mm or less, and particularly preferably 100 mm or less. If it exceeds 115 mm, a user with a small hand such as a child or a woman may not be able to easily grip it. In addition, even for users with large hands, the strain on the pouring operation may increase. The lower limit of the circumferential length Q is preferably 90 mm. If it is less than 90 mm, the buckling resistance may be inferior. In addition, it may be impossible to fill a desired internal volume.

  The shape of the gripping embossed portion 50 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the long side wall 41 of the body part 4 is provided with a gripping embossed part 50 whose upper end part 4 a is the upper end part 50 t. The gripping embossed portion 50 is preferably located at the center of the long side wall 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the embossing part 50 for gripping bends the long side wall 41 in the container inward at the boundary S between the long side wall 41 and the corner wall 43, so A concave portion having an inclined surface 50b inclined inward in the container toward the center of the width of the long side wall 41 and a bottom surface 50a connected to both of the inclined surfaces 50b and disposed at the center of the width of the long side wall 41 It is. An angle θ3 formed by the inclined surface 50b and the body wall of the long side wall 41 is preferably 20 to 50 °. More preferably, it is 30-40 degrees, Most preferably, it is 33-37 degrees.

  As for the size of the embossing portion 50 for gripping, the horizontal width, that is, the distance T between the borders S on both sides of the long side wall 41 is preferably 40 to 70 mm. More preferably, it is 55-65 mm, Most preferably, it is 56-60 mm. If it is less than 40 mm, the peripheral length Q between the boundary S sandwiching the short side wall 42 and the corner wall 43 connected to both sides of the short side wall 42 becomes long, so that the thumb and the other four fingers are caught. Can be difficult, especially for users with small hands. As a result, the strain on the pouring operation may be increased. On the other hand, if it exceeds 70 mm, the required buckling strength may not be obtained. On the other hand, the width in the vertical direction, that is, the distance R between the upper end 50t and the lower end 50s of the gripping embossed portion 50 is preferably 40 to 70 mm. More preferably, it is 45-65 mm, Most preferably, it is 50-60 mm. If it is less than 40 mm, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger may be difficult to adhere to the container. If it exceeds 70 mm, the buckling resistance of the container may be inferior.

  The depth of the embossing portion 50 for gripping is the deepest at the upper end portion 4a of the body portion 4 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), and the bottom surface 50a is inclined outwardly from the container 100 toward the bottom portion 5 of the container 100. It is connected to the trunk wall. The depth of the embossing part 50 for gripping at the upper end part 4a of the body part 4 is to ensure that the finger is caught when gripping and lifting the container so that the pouring operation can be performed stably. The thickness is preferably equal to or greater than the thickness of the thumb. Specifically, it is preferably 8 to 18 mm. More preferably, it is 10-16 mm, Most preferably, it is 12-14 mm. If it is less than 8 mm, the finger may be caught insufficiently, and there is a possibility that a stable pouring operation cannot be performed. If it exceeds 18 mm, it may be difficult to bring the finger into contact with the bottom surface 50a of the embossing part 50 for gripping, and it may be difficult to grip.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining an inclination angle of the bottom surface of the gripping embossed portion with respect to the main axis of the container. FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged view of the short side wall side of the trunk portion, and FIG. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, the bottom surface 50 a of the gripping embossed portion 50 is inclined outwardly from the container toward the bottom portion 5 of the container 100. In the plastic container for beverages according to this embodiment, the inclination angle θ1 of the bottom surface 50a with respect to the main axis O of the container is preferably 15 to 25 °. More preferably, it is 17 to 23 °, and particularly preferably 19 to 21 °. The angle θ2 formed by the thumb and the other four fingers shown in FIG. 5B and the angle θ1 + θ1 formed by the pair of gripping embossed portions 50a are approximated. Therefore, the contact area between the container and the hand increases, and as a result, the strain on the pouring operation can be reduced.

  At least one of the annular ribs 11 is a transverse annular rib 15 that crosses the gripping embossed portion 50. The transverse annular rib 15 is a shallow groove 15a at the corner wall 43, a deep groove 15b at the long side wall 41, and a boundary S between the long side wall 41 and the corner wall 43, and a boundary between the deep groove 15b and the shallow groove 15a. S ′ matches. Accordingly, an appropriate repulsive force can be applied to the horizontal compressive load of the container generated when the container is gripped, and irreversible deformation of the container can be prevented.

  FIG. 6 is a BB fracture surface of FIG. 1, that is, a fracture surface of the corner wall 43. FIG. 7 is a CC fracture surface of FIG. 1, that is, a fracture surface of the long side wall 41, wherein (a) shows a first configuration and (b) shows a second configuration. The width W of the shallow groove 15a and the deep groove 15b is preferably 3 to 6 mm, and more preferably 4 to 5 mm. The rib width is preferably constant. The width W of the shallow groove 15a and the deep groove 15b is the width in the height direction of the container, that is, the distance between the horizontal plane passing through the upper groove edge J of the deep groove 15b and the horizontal plane passing through the lower groove edge K. The depth d1 of the shallow groove 15a is, for example, 1.0 to 2.0 mm, and the depth d2 of the deep groove 15b is, for example, 2.0 to 4.0 mm. The depth d2 of the deep groove 15b is preferably larger than the depth d1 of the shallow groove 15a. In order to realize such a configuration, for example, when the shallow groove 15a is a single step groove, the deep groove 15b is a deeper two step groove.

  In the beverage plastic container according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the shallow groove 15a is a U-shaped groove in cross section, and the deep groove 15b is a V-shaped groove in cross section. preferable. Here, the U-shaped groove in the cross section refers to a shape having a groove bottom surface 15a2 between the groove slope 15a1 and the slope 15a1. The groove bottom surface 15a2 is not limited to the planar shape as shown in FIG. 6, but includes a curved surface. The cross-section V-shaped groove means a shape having a groove bottom 15b2 in which an upper slope 15b1 and a lower slope 15b3 are in contact with each other. The groove bottom 15b2 includes, in addition to the shape having no flat portion, a shape having a slight flat portion and a shape with rounded corners as shown in FIG.

  By making the shallow groove 15a a U-shaped groove in cross section, the buckling strength against the longitudinal compression load can be further increased. In addition, it is possible to reduce a sense of incongruity when the belly of the finger and the crotch between the thumb and the index finger contact the groove edge. On the other hand, by making the deep groove 15b a V-shaped groove in cross section, the body portion has an appropriate repulsive force when a horizontal compressive load of the container generated by grasping the embossing portion for gripping is applied, A stable grip can be obtained. In the V-shaped groove having a cross-section, the groove bottom 15b2 is positioned above the height of the midpoint I of the line segment connecting the upper groove edge J and the lower groove edge K. And a form below the height of the midpoint I are included, but as shown in FIG. 7A, a form above the midpoint I is more preferable. In this way, when the container is gripped and lifted, the finger is more easily caught on the upper slope 15b1, and the strain on the muscles can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (b), in the plastic container for beverages according to this embodiment, the transverse annular rib 15 has a height d3 from the groove bottom 15b2 of the deep groove 15b to the upper groove edge J, the groove of the deep groove 15b. It is preferable that the height d4 from the bottom 15b2 to the lower groove edge K is higher, and the bottom surface 50a of the gripping embossed portion 50 is a stepped surface. Here, the height d3 from the groove bottom 15b2 to the upper groove edge J of the deep groove 15b is the bottom surface 50a of the gripping embossed portion 50 including the upper groove edge J and the bottom surface as shown in FIG. A distance from a surface 50b parallel to 50a and passing through the groove bottom 15b2. The same applies to the height d4 from the groove bottom 15b2 of the deep groove 15b to the lower groove edge K. For example, when the height d3 from the groove bottom 15b2 of the deep groove 15b to the upper groove edge J is 2.0 to 4.0 mm, the height d4 from the groove bottom 15b2 of the deep groove 15b to the lower groove edge K is Set to 1.0 to 2.0 mm. By setting d3> d4, the bottom surface 50a of the embossing portion for gripping becomes a stepped surface, so that the finger is more easily caught and less slippery, so that the grip can be gripped more stably. As a result, the strain on the pouring operation can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the annular ribs 11 other than the transverse annular rib 15 of the body portion 4 are shallow grooves in the corner walls 43 and deep grooves in the long side walls 41. Furthermore, it is preferable that the shallow groove is a U-shaped groove in cross section and the deep groove is a V-shaped groove in cross section. Similarly, the short side wall 42 is preferably a shallow groove at the corner wall 43, and a deep groove at the short side wall 42. Furthermore, the shallow groove is a U-shaped groove in cross section, and the deep groove is a V-shaped cross section. A groove is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable that the annular rib 11a of the label part 3 is a shallow groove in the corner wall 33 and a deep groove in the long side wall 31. Similarly, the short side wall 32 is preferably a shallow groove in the corner wall 33 and a deep groove in the short side wall 32. At this time, it is preferable that the shallow groove is a U-shaped groove in cross section and the deep groove is a V-shaped groove in cross section. Thereby, the buckling resistance of the whole container can be improved and a repulsive force can be given to the horizontal compressive load.

  FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the container and the embossing portion for gripping. As shown in FIG. 8, in the plastic container for beverages according to the present embodiment, the upper end portion 50t of the gripping embossed portion 50 moves up and down around the center of gravity G of the container 100 when the height of the container 100 is h. It is preferably located in the range of height 0.02h. The strain on the pouring operation can be reduced, and the contents can be poured out stably.

  The plastic container for beverages according to this embodiment is suitably used for products filled with non-carbonated beverages, particularly for volumes of 1 to 2 liters, and further for volumes of 1.5 to 2 liters. A non-carbonated beverage product that is less likely to cause a decline in aesthetic product value can be provided by using a lighter and thinner container.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not construed as being limited to the examples.

  FIG. 9 shows a container to be measured, in which (a) shows Example 1, (b) shows Comparative Example 1, and (c) shows Comparative Example 2. FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional shape of the embossing portion for gripping the container to be measured, (a) is Example 1, the outer peripheral shape of the aa fracture surface, (b) is Comparative Example 1, b- The outer periphery shape of b fractured surface, (c) is the comparative example 2, and shows the outer periphery shape of cc fracture surface. The inner volume of the measurement target container was 2 liters. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the containers to be measured are both plastic containers with an internal volume of 2 liters, have a gripping embossed part on the label part or body part of the long side wall, and are gripped. The waterside cross-sectional shape of the embossed portion is a rectangle with rounded corners. The containers to be measured of Example 1, Comparative Example 1 or Comparative Example 2 are A, B, or C in which the shape of the concave portion of the gripping embossed portion is different. For these containers to be measured, the burden on the pouring operation was evaluated by subjective evaluation and the method for estimating the load of the pouring operation. The subjects were six men and women in their small teens to thirties whose hand length from the boundary between the wrist and palm to the tip of the middle finger was 15.4 to 17.4 cm and the grip strength was 18 to 34 kg.

(Evaluation of the load in the pouring operation by the method of estimating the load of the pouring operation)
The method of estimating the load of the pouring operation is a method for estimating a subjective evaluation by objectively and quantitatively evaluating the physical burden in a series of pouring operations in which the container body is lifted and then the container body is tilted. . In other words, the action muscle that works during the pouring operation is specified, and the action muscle is poured through the myoelectric potential information acquisition step, the myoelectric potential information acquisition step, and the maximum muscle strength ratio calculation step during maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Evaluate the burden of unloading. Since the method for estimating the load of the pouring operation uses the maximum muscle strength ratio as an index, it is difficult for individual differences to occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to collect a large number of subjects as in the sensory evaluation, the body burden in the pouring operation can be objectively evaluated, and it can be expressed quantitatively because it can be expressed by the numerical value of the maximum muscle strength ratio. Moreover, if a specific number of subjects with different physical characteristics (men and women, hand size, etc.) are collected and measured as subjects, the body in the pouring operation is assumed assuming the subjects including the physical characteristics. It becomes possible to grasp the burden. For example, by selecting people who are located at the boundary of the subject population, such as people with large hands, small people, people with large grip strength, small people, etc. in the population, taking data of these people, The container most suitable for the population can be estimated.

  In the measurement, the gripping method and the pouring operation were specified as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the gripping method is performed such that the center of the height of the plastic bottle is at the position of the middle finger and the middle finger is directed in the horizontal direction. The pouring operation is lifted in 2 seconds, stopped for 3 seconds, tilted in 2 seconds, and stopped for 3 seconds. The above pouring operation was tried 8 times, and the myoelectric potential was converted into the maximum muscle strength ratio and averaged. At this time, the maximum muscle strength ratio was calculated separately for the lifting operation and the pouring operation.

(Identification of movement muscle)
In the pouring operation, the movement of each joint of the upper limb is as follows.
(1) Hold. That is, the movement of bending of the thumb, adduction, and bending of the second to fifth fingers.
(2) Lift up. That is, elbow joint flexion, wrist joint flexion, extension movement.
(3) Pour into a cup. That is, abduction of the shoulder joint, flexion of the wrist joint, and movement of the crook.

  As a result of selecting a muscle capable of measuring an electromyogram from among the working muscles working in the operations (1) to (3), in the lifting operation, the first dorsal interosseous muscle, the long thumb abductor muscle In the operation of pouring (tilting the container body), the first dorsal interosseous muscle, the superficial digital flexor, the total finger extensor, and the heel side carpal extensor were included. FIG. 12 shows the selected measurement target muscle. The muscles to be measured are muscle A: first dorsal interosseous muscle, muscle B: long thumb abductor muscle, muscle C: superficial flexor muscle, muscle D: total finger extensor and muscle E: radial side extensor muscle, respectively. It was. The function of each skeletal muscle is, for example, the first dorsal interosseous muscle is the adduction of the thumb (movement close to the index finger), the long thumb abduction muscle is the abduction of the thumb (movement away from the index finger), The total finger extensor muscle is the extension of the second to fifth fingers (the operation of extending fingers other than the thumb).

The electromyogram is a graph in which the elapsed time of the myoelectric potential is on the horizontal axis and the myoelectric potential is on the vertical axis. Muscles contract in response to commands from the brain, but these commands are transmitted as electrical signals. The electric signal measured by an electrode fixed on the skin surface is called myoelectric potential. Myoelectric potential is not only a measurement system but also has large individual differences such as muscle mass, skin thickness, and the appearance of muscle activity with respect to load. Therefore, it is also referred to as “maximum voluntary contraction” (hereinafter referred to as “MVC: maximum voluntary contraction”). ) When using a relative value (% MVC) where the myoelectric potential at time is 100%, errors such as individual differences can be reduced. % MVC is the maximum muscle strength ratio, and can be obtained from Equation 1.
(Equation 1) Maximum muscle strength ratio = Myoelectric potential during pouring / Maximum voluntary isometric contraction

  The relationship between the maximum muscle strength ratio and the subject's subjective evaluation of muscle load (for example, easy, somewhat easy, slightly tight, tight, etc.) can be handled as a logarithmic function. FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the maximum muscle strength ratio of the superficial digital flexor and the subjective evaluation of the subject with respect to the muscle load. FIG. 14 shows a specific standard (Borg scale) of the numerical value of the subjective evaluation of the subject on the vertical axis in FIG.

(Acquisition process of EMG information during maximum voluntary isometric contraction of moving muscle)
The myoelectric potential at the time of maximum voluntary isometric contraction was determined for each of the selected muscles to be measured. The myoelectric potential was measured by a known method using an electromyograph, for example, by attaching an electrode to the muscle part of the hand / arm and measuring the myoelectric potential.

(Acquisition process of action muscle EMG information)
Next, the myoelectric potential information of the muscle to be measured when the pouring operation was performed was acquired. The method for measuring the myoelectric potential is the same as that for acquiring myoelectric potential information during the maximum voluntary isometric contraction of the muscle to be measured.

(Maximum strength ratio calculation process)
As described above, instead of simply comparing the myoelectric potentials, in order to eliminate the variation factors of the measured values such as individual differences, the relative value (% MVC = 100%) is taken as the myoelectric potential at the maximum voluntary isometric contraction. The maximum muscle strength ratio is used for comparison. % MVC is the maximum muscle strength ratio, and was calculated by Equation 1. By passing through the above process, the value of the maximum strength ratio was calculated for each muscle for the container to be measured.

(Subjective evaluation)
In the evaluation of the burden in the pouring operation by the method of estimating the pouring operation load, the subjective evaluation when the pouring operation is performed is based on Comparative Example 1 as a reference (3 points), and 3 is easier than Comparative Example 1. In the case of less than a score or difficulty, a score of more than 3 was assigned.

  FIG. 15 is a graph showing an average of eight trials of the pouring action of the six subjects, (a) is a subjective evaluation of the lifting action, and (b) is a maximum muscle strength ratio (% MVC) of each action muscle. It is the graph which showed. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the average of the six subjects who tried the pouring action eight times, (a) is a subjective evaluation of the pouring action, (b) is the maximum muscle strength ratio (% MVC) of each action muscle. It is the graph which showed.

  From Fig. 15 (a), it was confirmed that the container of Example 1 had a lower subjective evaluation than the containers of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 in the lifting operation, and that the subject felt it easy to pour. From FIG. 15 (b), the container of Example 1 reduces the muscle burden by 20% compared to the container of Comparative Example 1 in the lifting operation, and reduces the muscle burden by 10% compared to the container of Comparative Example 2. I was able to confirm. Further, from FIG. 16 (a), it was confirmed that the container of Example 1 had a lower subjective evaluation than the containers of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 in the pouring operation, and the subject felt that it was easy to pour. From FIG. 16 (b), in the pouring operation, the container of Example 1 reduces the muscle burden by 15% compared to the container of Comparative Example 1, and reduces the muscle burden by 5% compared to the container of Comparative Example 2. I was able to confirm.

  Furthermore, the same evaluation was performed for subjects with weak grip. The test subject is a woman in her 20s with a hand length of 17.2 cm and a grip strength of 18 kg. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the average of one test subject with a weak grip strength who tried the pouring motion eight times, (a) is a subjective evaluation of the lifting motion, and (b) is the maximum strength ratio (%) of each motion muscle. It is the graph which showed MVC). FIG. 18 is a graph showing the average of one test subject having a weak grip strength who tried the pouring operation eight times, (a) is a subjective evaluation of the pouring motion, and (b) is the maximum muscle strength ratio (%) of each motion muscle. It is the graph which showed MVC).

  From FIG. 17 (a), it was confirmed that the container of Example 1 had a lower subjective evaluation than the containers of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 in the lifting operation, and that the subject felt it easy to pour. From FIG. 17 (b), the container of Example 1 reduces the muscle load by 46% compared to the container of Comparative Example 1 and the muscle load by 21% compared with the container of Comparative Example 2 in the lifting operation. I was able to confirm. Further, from FIG. 18A, it was confirmed that the container of Example 1 had a lower subjective evaluation than the containers of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 in the pouring operation, and that the subject felt that it was easy to pour. From FIG. 18 (b), the container of Example 1 reduced the muscle burden by 30% compared to the container of Comparative Example 1 and 7% of the muscle burden compared to the container of Comparative Example 2 in the pouring operation. The reduction was confirmed. From the above, the plastic container for beverages according to the present invention was able to confirm a remarkable reduction in muscle load especially for users with weak grip strength.

1 mouth part 2 shoulder part 3 label part 4 trunk part 4a trunk top end part 5 bottom part 11 annular rib 15 transverse annular rib 15a shallow groove 15a1 shallow groove slope 15a2 shallow groove bottom face 15b deep groove 15b1 deep groove upper slope 15b2 deep groove Groove bottom 15b3 lower slope 31 of the deep groove grip embossed portion 41 long side wall 42 short side wall 43 corner wall 50 gripping embossed portion 50a bottom surface 50b of gripping embossed portion inclined surface 50t of gripping embossed portion gripping embossed Upper end portion 50s Lower end portion 100 of gripping embossed portion 100 Beverage plastic container θ1 Angle of inclination of bottom surface of gripping embossed portion with respect to main axis O of container θ2 Angle formed by thumb and other four fingers θ3 of embossing portion for gripping Angle d1 between the slant surface and the long side wall d1 Shallow groove depth d2 Deep groove depth d3 Height from deep groove bottom to upper groove edge d4 Deep groove bottom Height to lower groove edge W Shallow and deep groove width I Middle point of line connecting upper groove edge and lower groove edge J Deep groove upper groove edge K Deep groove lower side The groove edge S of the long side wall and the corner wall S ′ The boundary P of the deep groove and the shallow groove P The distance Q between the boundaries S between the short side wall and the corner wall connected to both sides of the short side wall Perimeter length T between boundary S sandwiching short side wall and corner wall connected to both sides of short side wall Horizontal width R of gripping embossed portion Vertical width of gripping embossed portion h Beverage Plastic container height G Center of gravity for plastic containers for beverages

Claims (8)

In order from the top, there are a mouth part, a shoulder part, a label part, a body part and a bottom part, and the body part is a long side wall, a short side wall, a corner wall connecting the long side wall and the short side wall, In a square plastic beverage container for filling non-carbonated beverages, having a plurality of annular ribs that circulate in the horizontal direction, and the long side wall has an embossing portion for gripping,
The surface shape of the horizontal cross section of the corner wall is an arc shape or an elliptical arc shape, and
The gripping embossed portion bends the long side wall toward the inside of the container at the boundary between the long side wall and the corner wall, and the width center of the long side wall from the boundary on both horizontal sides of the long side wall And an embossed bottom surface that is connected to both of the inclined surfaces and is disposed at the center of the width of the long side wall, and the bottom surface is As it goes to the bottom of the container, it is inclined outward from the container,
At least one of the annular ribs is a transverse annular rib that crosses the gripping embossed portion, and the transverse annular rib is a shallow groove at the corner wall, a deep groove at the long side wall, and A plastic container for beverages, wherein a boundary between the long side wall and the corner wall coincides with a boundary between the deep groove and the shallow groove.   The plastic container for beverage according to claim 1, wherein the shallow groove is a U-shaped groove in cross section, and the deep groove is a V-shaped groove in cross section.   The transverse annular rib is formed such that a height from the groove bottom to the upper groove edge of the deep groove is higher than a height from the groove bottom to the lower groove edge of the deep groove, and the bottom surface is a stepped surface. The plastic container for beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The interval between the boundaries sandwiching the short side wall and the corner wall connected to both sides of the short side wall is 70 mm or more and 80 mm or less, or any one of claims 1 to 3 The plastic container for beverages according to 1.   5. The peripheral length between the borders sandwiching the short side wall and the corner walls connected to both sides of the short side wall is 115 mm or less. The plastic container for beverages according to 1.   The plastic container for beverages according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an inclination angle of the bottom surface with respect to the main axis of the container is 15 to 25 °.   The upper end of the embossing portion for gripping is located in a range of 0.02 h up and down around the center of gravity of the container, where h is the height of the container. The plastic container for beverages according to any one of the above. A beverage product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the beverage plastic container is filled with a non-carbonated beverage.