JP2016501783A - Molded container with structured varnish coating - Google Patents

Abstract

A monolithic container is provided having a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the container surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects.

Description

  The present invention relates to an integrally molded container having a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the container surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects.

  There are various types of molded products useful in consumer products, both as packaging and as consumer products themselves. Many of the packages function as a practical means of product transport and storage, and also as a communication link between the seller and the consumer. Labeling, stylized graphics, color and contrast usage, and indicators such as touch and feel all help consumers to select the products they want, and consumers and the brands of products they purchase. It is a signal that can build a strong connection between. If the molded product is a consumer product itself, surface indicators can be an important factor in the overall aesthetics of the product.

  Special packaging and labels have been created to increase the visual impact on consumers. Some visual effects, such as the holographic effect, provide a strong visual impact but are also expensive to manufacture. For this reason, there is still a need for molded articles with a strong visual impact at a further economic cost.

  An integrally molded container having a structured hardened varnish coating is provided. The structured hardened varnish coating provides one or more visual effects. The resulting printing container can have a strong visual impact for product packaging and as a finished product.

  In one embodiment, the container has a fitting for the closure. In another embodiment, the container is a consumer product or package or a component thereof. In a third embodiment, the container comprises at least one curved surface, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the curved surface.

  In another embodiment, the container comprises at least one ruled surface and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the ruled surface. In yet another embodiment, the container comprises at least one plane, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the plane.

  In one embodiment, the monolithic container comprises an article selected from the group consisting of a cover, a cap, and a lid having a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the surface of the article.

  In another embodiment, the monolithic container has a structured cured varnish coating applied to less than 80% of the container surface. In an alternative embodiment, the monolithic container has a structured hardened varnish coating applied to more than 80% of the container surface. In yet another embodiment, the monolithic container has dimensions of height (H), width (W) and depth (D), wherein dimensions H, W and D are each at least 2 mm in length. . In one embodiment, the container contains one or more thermoplastic polymers.

  In another embodiment, a monolithic container is provided comprising one or more inks and a structured cured varnish coating. In addition, the varnish coating, ink, or combination thereof is in direct contact with the container surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects. In one embodiment, the article is a single piece. In another embodiment, the article further comprises a hinge or part of a hinge. In another embodiment, the article contains one or more thermoplastic polymers.

  In a further embodiment, an impact-extruded article having a three-dimensional shape is provided that includes a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the article surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects. In one embodiment, the impact extrusion article is a consumer product or package or a component thereof. In another embodiment, the impact extrusion article is a container or tube.

  In another embodiment, an impact extrusion type article having a three-dimensional shape is provided. The article has one or more inks and a structured cured varnish coating. The varnish coating, ink, or combination thereof is in direct contact with the surface of the article. In addition, the structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects.

  The present invention relates to an integrally molded container having a structured hardened varnish coating. Virtually all applications in which molded articles can be used can enjoy the advantages of the present invention. Molded products can be used as consumer products, containers and the like.

  As used herein, “cap” means a closure used in a container such as a bottle or tube.

  As used herein, “sealing” means any device used to seal or seal a container. The sealing part may be a cap, a cover, a lid, a plug, a film, a foil, a film, or the like.

  As used herein, “consumable” means a consumer product.

  As used herein, a “consumer product” is intended to be used by an individual for the cleaning, maintenance and / or improvement of an individual's body, home, car or private property. Means a product. Consumer care products include forms such as liquids, gels, suspensions, powders and the like. Consumer care products may be used in private homes or vehicles, or in professional, commercial and / or industrial environments. Illustrative non-limiting examples of consumer product categories include antiperspirants, baby care agents, eau de cologne, commodities (such as wholesale, industrial and commercial market similar products to consumer-oriented consumer products), cosmetics, deodorization Agent, dishwashing detergent, protective agent for women, hair care agent, hair dye, health care agent, household detergent, incontinence care agent, laundry product, oral care agent, paper product, personal cleansing, disposable water-absorbing article, for pets Various product forms including health care and nutritional agents, prescription drugs, premium perfumes, skin care products, snacks and beverages, special fabric care products, shaving agents and other hair growth management products, small appliances, devices and batteries Can be included in the scope of each of these product categories. Representative product forms and trademarks are shown on the Procter & Gamble website (www.pg.com) and linked here. Consumer products that are part of product categories other than those listed above are also contemplated by the present invention, as well as other product forms and brands other than those disclosed on the website identified above. It will be understood that it is encompassed by the present invention.

  As used herein, “container” means an element used to hold or have any product within its volume to store, supply, or transport the product.

  As used herein, “curved surface” means any surface where at least one cross section of the surface is not straight.

  As used herein, “fiber form” means any portion produced by a process in which any fibrous material (typically including pulp fibers) is formed into a particular shape in a mold. To do.

  As used herein, “forging” is a process in which a metal is heated either by beating or driving it into its shape, or by applying a high pressure using a mechanical or hydraulic press. It means a manufacturing process to be molded.

  As used herein, “handle” means a grip attached to a body for using or moving the body. The handle can be integrated directly into the body, such as a detergent bottle, or it can be a separate part that is secured to another object.

  As used herein, “housing” means a housing made up of two or more components that secure the elements and provide an exterior with functional components such as devices, mechanisms, and the like.

  As used herein, the term “indicator” refers to a mark or indication that can be used to convey information. The information communicated can be an indication of the manufacturer, the characteristics of the product in the package, the product quantity in the package, the quality of the product in the package, or any other information. The indicator can be a single color, such as light pink, to indicate the manufacturer of the particular building insulation. The indicator may be a symbol such as a similar figure used for shooter training to indicate a particular retail store. The index may be a sentence that combines a sentence in an arbitrary language or a typical language of language communication. The indicator may be a pattern of colors, lines, or combinations thereof as commonly found in scotch quilts, and can also be used to indicate the manufacturer of the adhesive tape. The indicator may be a figure of a tangible object such as Apple indicating the manufacturer of a particular computer brand. The indicator may be a tangible or imaginary composition or artwork that represents any kind of marking. One single color dot can also be an indicator. When the material used to form the package makes a bulk and noise, its type, texture, smell or sound can be an indicator. The indicator may be any and all combinations of the aforementioned indicators.

  As used herein, “ink” means a liquid or paste (colorant, dye, etc.) that contains a coloring component that is used to color a surface to produce an image, text or design. Typical inks used in the industry are UV (ultraviolet) curing, EB (electron beam) curing, radiation curable solvents and aqueous. Inks are often in liquid form and include at least one pigment or dye. Chemically, many inks are suspensions of organic or inorganic pigments that are incorporated into polymer resins for stabilization. The carrier of these systems is a solvent. The solvent may be water, hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof (eg alcohols, esters, acetates, ethers, etc.) and is dried via heat or infrared (IR).

  The ink is applied by any method known to those skilled in the art including, but not limited to, gravure printing, flexographic and offset printing, letterpress printing, lithography, plateless printing, post-press printing, digital printing, pad printing and screen printing. can do. In gravure printing, liquid ink is transferred directly from a metal image carrier to a substrate. The image is located below the surface of the image carrier substrate. In flexographic printing, liquid ink is transferred directly from a photosensitive resin image carrier to a substrate. The image is raised above the surface of the image carrier substrate. In offset printing, paste ink is indirectly transferred from a rubber “blanket” that is intermediate between the substrate and the thin metal image carrier to the substrate. Examples of plateless printing include electronic printing, inkjet printing, magnetography, ion deposition printing, direct charge deposition printing, and Mead's Cycolor photographic capsule process.

  Solvent-based inks can evaporate or cause evaporation when the first ink layer, which can be heat dried, is applied to the film. When using a printing system such as that described in the above-mentioned patent, it is preferred that evaporation of the solvent occurs by heat or forced air so that the time to apply the next ink layer is shortened. When the first ink layer is applied, all subsequent ink layers (if present) are applied in the same standard manner.

  As used herein, “integral” means formed by a single molding operation and / or the use of a single material, such as slug, and / or a single shot or double shot of the material.

  As used herein, “impact extrusion mold” means a part that is generated through a mold by pressing or drawing material, resulting in a fixed cross-sectional profile in many cases. To do. Starting materials include, but are not limited to, various metal or thermoplastic slags in the form of discs, cubes or other structures.

  As used herein, “molding” most often results in a molten resin whose starting shape is a microbead or pellet and then transferred to a mold cavity having a specific hole shape in multiple ways. Means any article made with a meltable material (generally a thermoplastic polymer) through the process of heating to. The plastic is held in the mold cavity, cooled, and then removed as a solidified part having a shape that essentially duplicates the mold cavity shape.

  As used herein, a “non-woven surface” is defined as a surface that meets the following description. On the surface S of the non-woven surface, there is an arbitrary point on S, and no straight line exists on S via the point.

  As used herein, “package” means any combination of materials that retains and protects a product by its function and that serves as a means of conveying artwork and visual effects.

  As used herein, “planar” means a flat two-dimensional surface.

  As used herein, the term “primer” refers to a material that is applied onto a substrate using a general printing process, the main function of which is a lower material layer followed by a printed layer. (A) Adhesion (b) Create a barrier between the two. In this case, promoting "adhesion" means creating a film bond between the lower material layer and the subsequently printed layer so that the materials bond to each other and do not separate under normal use. means. Chemically, the primer is a suspension of polymer resin in a solvent matrix (a mixture of several hydrocarbons) or a suspension of polymer resin in water. The primer may be a one-component system or a two-component system with or without polymerization (only heat drying). Polymerization can be induced chemically (eg isocyanates and urethanes) or radiation (radical or cationic radiation sources, ultraviolet light, electron beams or others).

  As used herein, “radiation curable” refers to exposing a material to ionizing radiation. This polymerizes and / or crosslinks the material. Useful types of ionizing radiation include those previously preferred such as ultraviolet light, electron beam (electron beam), X-rays, corona discharge. Regardless of the source, the dose of ionizing radiation is preferably high enough to polymerize and crosslink with the varnish, but not so high as to degrade the underlying printed marking or film surface.

  As used herein, a “woven surface” is defined as a surface that meets the following description. The surface S has a straight line on S from each point of S.

  As used herein, “structured cured varnish coating” means a varnish layer that has been patterned and cured, such as by the presence of nano- or microstructures on the surface of the layer, and is visible by this structure. Effects are created (most commonly by light diffraction). This structure exists on the coating surface opposite the part / varnish interface.

  As used herein, “thermoforming” refers to a portion that is manufactured by the process of heating a plastic sheet to a flexible molding temperature and forming it into a specific shape with a mold and / or plug.

  As used herein, “three-dimensional shape” means a continuous shape that measures the entire shape and has no zero dimensions in the x, y, and z directions.

  As used herein, the term “varnish” refers to a curable material that does not contain a pigment and is usually a liquid. Varnishes useful in the present invention can form a pattern on the diffraction grating and retain the diffraction grating after curing. The varnish is usually radiation curable. Preferably, the varnish is UV curable, meaning that it is cured using UV light. Or the varnish is electron beam curable, which means that it is cured using electron beam radiation. The varnish is transparent but pale, and other colorants can be added to the varnish to add some color. In one embodiment, the varnish is the top layer of any combination of ink and varnish.

  As used herein, a “visual effect” is a light pattern that is reflected, diffracted, refracted, or other that produces several light patterns that are visible to the human eye in addition to typical reflected colors. Means an optical phenomenon. Typical visual effects include holograms, specular reflection, color, and the like.

  As used herein, “welding” is a portion formed by joining multiple ends of a single material, or when bonded together, the fused liquid solidifies, resulting in a bonded region. It means a part formed by liquefying a part that becomes a continuous solid and adding together the separated parts of the material. Methods for welding the polymer portion include energy derived from heat sources, sonic sources and friction sources.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, an integrally molded container is provided having a structured hardened varnish coating that is in direct contact with the container surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects.

  In another embodiment, the monolithic container has a fitting for the closure. In another embodiment, the container is a consumer product or package or a component thereof.

  In one embodiment, the monolithic container comprises an article selected from the group consisting of a cover, a cap, and a lid having a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the surface of the article.

  In another embodiment, the container comprises at least one curved surface, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the curved surface. In one embodiment, the container comprises at least one ruled surface and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the ruled surface.

  In another embodiment, the container comprises at least one plane, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the plane. In one embodiment, the container comprises at least one curved surface, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the curved surface.

  In another embodiment, the structured cured varnish coating is applied to less than 80% of the container surface. In one embodiment, the container has dimensions of height (H), width (W) and depth (D), the dimensions H, W and D each having a length of at least 2 mm.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, an integral container is provided comprising one or more inks, a structured cured varnish coating, wherein the varnish coating, ink, or combination thereof is in direct contact with the container surface. In addition, the structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects. In one embodiment, the container is a consumer product or package or a component thereof.

  In another embodiment, the container comprises at least one curved surface, and all or part of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the curved surface. In another embodiment of the present invention, an article selected from the group consisting of a cover, a cap, a lid, a housing and a handle is provided. The article includes a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the surface of the article, where the structured cured varnish coating produces one or more visual effects. In one embodiment, the article is a single piece. In another embodiment, the article further comprises a hinge or part of a hinge. In one embodiment, it is selected from the group consisting of a cover, a cap, a lid, a housing and a handle and contains one or more thermoplastic polymers.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the article is impact extruded with a three-dimensional shape comprising a structured cured varnish coating, wherein the article is in direct contact with the surface of the article and one or more visual effects are created by the structured cured varnish coating. A mold article is provided. In another embodiment, the article is a consumer product or package or a component thereof. In one embodiment, the article is a container or tube.

  In another embodiment, an impact-extruded article having a three-dimensional shape is provided that comprises one or more inks, a structured cured varnish coating, and the varnish coating, ink, or combination thereof directly contacts the container surface. A structured hardened varnish coating creates one or more visual effects. In another embodiment, the article is a consumer product or package or a component thereof. In another embodiment, the article is a container or tube.

  In one embodiment, the structured cured varnish coating comprises 1) providing an article or container, 2) applying a layer of radiation cured varnish to the article, 3) using a structured master film, and the like. Thus, a pattern is pressed against the varnish which is a layer of the radiation curable varnish, 4) a step of curing the varnish while pressing the master film in the varnish layer, and 5) a step of removing the master film.

  In another embodiment, the structured cured varnish coating comprises 1) providing an article, 2) applying an ink or combination of inks and a varnish layer to the article, and 3) applying ink without using the varnish. A step of adhering a radiation-cured varnish layer to the article, 4) pressing the structured master film against the radiation-cured varnish layer, and 5) curing the varnish while pressing the master film in the varnish layer; 6) formed by removing the master film.

  In order to improve ink adhesion to the surface of the article or container, the surface of the article or container may be treated or modified prior to printing. Surface treatment and surface modification include i) mechanical treatment such as corona treatment, plasma treatment and flame treatment, and ii) primer treatment. Surface treatments and surface modifications are known to those skilled in the art.

  All references cited in “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION” are incorporated herein by reference in the relevant part, and any reference to it is accepted as prior art with respect to the present invention. It should not be interpreted as a thing. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of a term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition given to that term in this document shall prevail. To do.

  While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims (13)

  A three-dimensional article comprising a structured cured varnish coating that is in direct contact with the surface of the article, wherein the structured cured varnish coating produces one or more visual effects. Three-dimensional goods.   The article of claim 1, wherein the article is an impact extrusion mold.   The article of claim 1, wherein the article is an integral mold.   The article of claim 1, wherein the article is a monolithic container.   The article of claim 2, wherein the article is a container or tube.   4. The article according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the article is a consumer product, a package or a component thereof.   The integrally molded container according to claim 4, wherein the container has a fitting for a sealed portion.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the article comprises at least one curved surface and at least a portion of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the curved surface.   The article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the article comprises at least one ruled surface, and at least a portion of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the ruled surface.   The article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article comprises at least one plane and at least a portion of the varnish coating is in direct contact with the plane.   The article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of a cover, a cap and a lid.   12. Article according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the structured cured varnish coating is applied to less than 80% of the surface of the article.   13. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the article comprises one or more inks and is in direct contact with the surface of the container.