JP2024048133A - Paper container and method for manufacturing paper container - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a paper container and a method for manufacturing the paper container that can improve handleability. [Solution] A paper container according to one embodiment includes a container body having first and second sheet members, the first sheet member having a top region and a top-side side region, and the second sheet member having a bottom region and a bottom-side side region, and in a box-shaped state, the top region and the bottom region are spaced apart, and a plurality of side sections are formed by the top-side side region and the bottom-side side region, and the plurality of side sections have a plurality of side sections with connecting pieces, and in the thickest section of each side section with connecting pieces, a predetermined section between the surface of the first connecting piece that faces the side body and the outer surface of the thickest section includes a plurality of layers, and each of the plurality of layers is formed by a plurality of regions in the top-side side region or the bottom-side side region, and a gap is provided between at least one pair of adjacent layers of the plurality of layers such that the thickness of the predetermined section is greater than the total thickness of the plurality of layers. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a paper container and a method for manufacturing a paper container.

One example of a paper container is the packaging container described in Patent Document 1. The packaging container described in Patent Document 1 has a container body formed by folding a sheet material containing paper and resin into a box shape. The container body has an upper surface, a lower surface, a pair of first side surfaces facing each other, and a pair of second side surfaces facing each other. A folding piece (connecting piece) is connected to each of both side ends of the first side surface and the second side surface in a triangular folded state. The folding piece is folded toward the second side surface and attached to the surface of the second side surface by heat sealing, hot melt adhesive, or the like.

JP 2020-40723 A

Paper containers such as those described in Patent Document 1 are made of a sheet material that contains paper, so they are prone to distortion or dents when a user grips the sides of the paper container. As a result, it may be difficult for users to carry the paper container.

The present invention aims to provide a paper container that can improve handling and a method for manufacturing the paper container.

[1] A paper container according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a container body that can be deformed between a box-shaped state and a flat state, the container body having a first sheet member having a paper layer made of paper and a second sheet member having a paper layer made of paper, and in the flat state, the first sheet member has a polygonal top surface region and a top-side side region that surrounds the top surface region, and in the flat state, the second sheet member has a polygonal bottom surface region that corresponds to the top surface region and a bottom-side side region that surrounds the bottom surface region, and in the flat state, the first sheet member and the second sheet member are arranged so that the top surface region and the bottom surface region overlap, and in the flat state, the first sheet member and the second sheet member are joined around the entire periphery of the top surface side region or the bottom surface side region, and in the box-shaped state, the top surface region and the bottom surface region are spaced apart, and the top surface side region and the top surface side region are joined together. The bottom side region forms a plurality of side sections connecting the top and bottom regions, the plurality of side sections having a plurality of side sections with connecting pieces, each of the plurality of side sections with connecting pieces having a side body and a first connecting piece provided continuous with a first edge of a pair of edges connecting the top and bottom regions of the side body, the first connecting piece being bent toward the side body, the thickest portion of each of the plurality of side sections with connecting pieces having a predetermined portion between the surface of the first connecting piece facing the side body and the outer surface of the thickest portion includes a plurality of layers, each of the plurality of layers being formed by a plurality of regions in the top side region or a plurality of regions in the bottom side region, and a gap is provided between at least one pair of two adjacent layers of the plurality of layers such that the thickness of the predetermined portion is greater than the total thickness of the plurality of layers.

The paper container has a side portion with multiple connecting pieces when in a box-shaped state. The thickness of a specific portion included in the thickest part of the side portion with connecting pieces is thicker than the total thickness of the multiple layers of the specific portion. Therefore, the side portion with multiple connecting pieces bulges outward compared to when the thickness of the specific portion is the same as the total thickness. As a result, the user of the paper container can easily hold the paper container by using the side portions with multiple connecting pieces, improving the handleability of the paper container.

[2] In the paper container described in [1] above, the specified portion is formed by the first connecting piece, and the thickness of the specified portion may be 4.00 mm or more and 7.00 mm or less. In this case, the handleability of the paper container can be improved while ensuring the capacity of the container body.

[3] In the paper container described in [1] above, each of the side portions with connecting pieces has a second connecting piece provided continuously with the second edge portion of the pair of edges, and the second connecting piece is folded toward the side body so as to overlap the first connecting piece, and the specified portion may be composed of the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece. In this case, since the specified portion has the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece, it is easier to ensure the thickness of the thickest portion. This makes it easier to handle the paper container.

[4] In the paper container described in [3] above, the thickness of the specified portion may be 4.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less. In this case, the handleability of the paper container can be improved while ensuring the capacity of the container body.

[5] In any of the paper containers [1] to [4] above, when the total thickness of the multiple layers in the specified portion is Ts [mm], the thickness of the specified portion is T [mm], and the porosity is defined by equation (1), the porosity may be 10% or more and 70% or less.
Porosity = {(T - Ts) / T} × 100 ... (1)
In this case, it is possible to further improve the handleability of the paper container.

[6] Any of the paper containers of [1] to [5] above comprises a spout attached to an opening formed in the top surface region, and a pump dispenser attached to the container body via the spout, wherein the pump dispenser has a pump section for pumping out liquid contained inside the container body by pushing it down in a vertical direction, a support member extending downward from the pump section and disposed inside the container body, and an attachment section attached to the spout, wherein when a distance between an upper end of the spout that contacts the attachment section in the vertical direction and the bottom surface region is X [mm], and a distance between a contact portion of the pump dispenser with the upper end of the spout and a lower end of the support member is Y [mm], X and Y may satisfy formula (2).
(X-7) < Y ≦ (X + 3) ... (2)
In this case, the stability of the paper container can be improved while preventing the pump dispenser from tipping over.

[7] A method for manufacturing a paper container according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a paper container having a container body that is deformable between a box-shaped state and a flat state, the method comprising: a first step of manufacturing the container body in the flat state; a second step of molding the container body in the flat state into a container body in an intermediate box-shaped state; and a third step of forming the container body in the intermediate box-shaped state from the container body in the intermediate box-shaped state, the container body comprising a first sheet member having a paper layer made of paper, and a second sheet member having a paper layer made of paper, the first sheet member in the flat state having a polygonal top surface region and a top surface side region surrounding the top surface region, the top surface side region being a plurality of first side regions provided on a plurality of sides of the top surface region and a plurality of second side regions provided corresponding to a plurality of vertices of the top surface region, the plurality of second side regions being and a plurality of second side surface regions connecting two first side surface regions provided on two sides of the top surface region which share a vertex among the plurality of vertices corresponding to each of the first side surface regions, and in the flat state, the second sheet member corresponds to the top surface region and has a polygonal bottom surface region and a bottom side side surface region surrounding the bottom surface region, and the bottom side side surface region has a plurality of third side surface regions provided on a plurality of sides of the bottom surface region and corresponding to the first side surface region, and a plurality of fourth side surface regions provided corresponding to a plurality of vertices of the bottom surface region and corresponding to the plurality of second side surface regions, and each of the plurality of fourth side surface regions has the plurality of fourth side surface regions connecting two third side surface regions provided on two sides of the bottom surface region which share a vertex among the plurality of vertices corresponding to each of the third side surface regions, and the first sheet member and the second sheet member are arranged such that the top region, the plurality of first side regions, and the plurality of second side regions overlap the corresponding bottom region, the plurality of third side regions, and the plurality of fourth side regions, and then the first sheet member and the second sheet member are joined around the entire periphery of the top side region or the entire periphery of the bottom side region to manufacture the flat container body; the second step includes a step of forming a plurality of side portions connecting the spaced apart top region and bottom region by folding the first sheet member and the second sheet member along the plurality of sides of the top region and the plurality of sides of the bottom region while separating the top region and the bottom region, and a step of forming the plurality of side portions by folding the plurality of second side regions and the plurality of fourth side regions. and a step of forming a plurality of connecting pieces by folding the plurality of fourth side regions corresponding to the plurality of second side regions in half along the planned fold lines. In the third step, a container body in a final box-shaped state is formed having a plurality of side portions with connecting pieces formed by folding one or two of the plurality of connecting pieces against a plurality of predetermined side portions among the plurality of side portions. In the step of forming the plurality of connecting pieces, the plurality of connecting pieces are formed so that the thickness of a predetermined portion formed by the one or two connecting pieces in the thickest portion of each of the plurality of side portions with connecting pieces is greater than the total thickness of the plurality of layers in the predetermined portion. In the step of forming the plurality of connecting pieces, the plurality of connecting pieces are formed so that there is a gap inside the one or two connecting pieces that form the predetermined portion.

The above manufacturing method can obtain a paper container having a side portion with multiple connecting pieces in a box-shaped state. The thickness of the above-mentioned specified portion included in the thickest part of the side portion with connecting pieces is thicker than the total thickness of the multiple layers of the specified portion. Therefore, the side portion with multiple connecting pieces bulges outward compared to when the thickness of the specified portion is the same as the above-mentioned total thickness. As a result, the user of the paper container can easily hold the paper container by utilizing the side portions with multiple connecting pieces, improving the handleability of the paper container.

The present invention provides a paper container that can improve handling and a method for manufacturing the paper container.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a paper container according to a first embodiment, which is a box-shaped paper container. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view that shows a schematic view of the container body in a flat state. FIG. 3 is a plan view that typically shows a bottom sheet member of the container body shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the layer configuration of the top sheet member and the bottom sheet member. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a process of transforming the container body from a flat state to a box-shaped state. FIG. 6 is a side view of the prototype paper container. 7 is a drawing showing a cross section of the paper container shown in FIG. 6 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the thickest portion and the predetermined portion. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a paper container according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional configuration of the container body taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a pump dispenser.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements are given the same reference numerals. Duplicate explanations will be omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those in the description.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a perspective view that typically shows a paper container 1 according to a first embodiment. The paper container 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a container that contains contents. Examples of the contents are liquid, powder, or other solids. As shown in Fig. 1, the paper container 1 includes a container body 10. The paper container 1 may include a spout 20. In the following description, a form in which the paper container 1 includes the spout 20 will be described.

The container body 10 has a rectangular prism shape (a rectangular parallelepiped shape in the example of FIG. 1) as a whole. The container body 10 is deformable between a box-shaped state and a flat state. FIG. 1 shows the box-shaped container body 10. When in the box-shaped state, the container body 10 forms a storage space (not shown) for storing the contents.

The container body 10 has a top surface portion (top surface region) 11, a bottom surface portion (bottom surface region) 12 that faces the top surface portion 11, and a pair of first side surface portions 13 and a pair of second side surface portions 14 that connect the top surface portion 11 and the bottom surface portion 12 to each other. The pair of first side surface portions 13 face each other. The pair of second side surface portions 14 face each other.

In the following, the direction in which the pair of first side portions 13 face each other is referred to as the first direction D1, the direction in which the pair of second side portions 14 face each other is referred to as the second direction D2, and the direction in which the top surface portion 11 and the bottom surface portion 12 face each other is referred to as the third direction D3. The first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 are each perpendicular to one another. Typically, when the paper container 1 is placed at rest, the third direction D3 is the vertical direction.

An example of the length of the paper container 1 in the first direction D1 is 30 mm or more and 120 mm or less, an example of the length in the second direction D2 is 30 mm or more and 120 mm or less, and an example of the length in the third direction D3 is 30 mm or more and 200 mm or less.

An opening 11a is formed in the top surface portion 11. A spout 20 is attached to the opening 11a. The spout 20 functions as an opening for removing the contents. The spout 20 has a tube portion 21 connected to the opening 11a, and a flange portion (not shown in FIG. 1) provided at the end of the tube portion 21 on the bottom surface portion 12 side. The tube portion 21 has, for example, a cylindrical shape. The spout 20 is attached to the top surface portion 11 by fixing the flange portion to the inner surface of the top surface portion 11. A member such as a pump dispenser is attached to the spout 20. A screw structure may be formed on the circumferential surface of the tube portion 21 in order to attach a member such as a pump dispenser to the spout 20.

Each of the pair of first side portions 13 has a side body (predetermined side portion) 15 and two connecting pieces 16. Therefore, the first side portion 13 is a side portion with connecting pieces. The side body 15 has a configuration similar to that of the second side portion 14. The two connecting pieces 16 are provided on a pair of edges of the side body 15 that extend between the top surface portion 11 and the bottom surface portion 12. The two connecting pieces 16 are folded toward the side body 15. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the pair of edges are shown as edge portion 15a and edge portion 15b.

The container body 10 will be further described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows the container body 10 in a flat state. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the container body 10 has a top surface side sheet member (first sheet member) 100A and a bottom surface side sheet member (second sheet member) 100B. Figure 2 is a drawing of the container body 10 as seen from the top surface side sheet member 100A side. Figure 3 is a drawing of the container body 10 shown in Figure 2 with the top surface side sheet member 100A omitted in order to show the bottom surface side sheet member 100B.

The top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B are joined together to form a storage space for storing contents in a box-shaped state. In the first embodiment, the peripheral portion of the bottom sheet member 100B is joined to the top sheet member 100A over the entire circumference. Therefore, the paper container 1 has a joint portion 17 (the portion between the two dashed lines 17a and 17b in FIG. 2) where the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B are joined. In the first embodiment, the length of the first direction D1 in the top sheet member 100A is approximately the same as the length of the first direction D1 in the bottom sheet member 100B. The length of the second direction D2 in the top sheet member 100A is longer than the length of the second direction D2 in the bottom sheet member 100B.

The top sheet member 100A will be explained using Figure 2.

The top surface side sheet member 100A has an overall rectangular shape. An example of the length of the top surface side sheet member 100A in the first direction D1 is 80 mm or more and 800 mm or less. An example of the length of the top surface side sheet member 100A in the second direction D2 is 80 mm or more and 1000 mm or less. An example of the thickness of the top surface side sheet member 100A is 200 μm or more and 2000 μm or less. The thickness of the top surface side sheet member 100A may be 300 μm or more and 1500 μm or less.

The top surface side sheet member 100A has a polygonal top surface area (top surface portion) 110 approximately in the center, and a top surface side area 120A that surrounds the periphery of the top surface area 110.

The top surface region 110 forms the top surface portion 11 of the container body 10 in a box-shaped state. In the first embodiment, the top surface region 110 is square-shaped. That is, the top surface region 110 has four vertices 111 and four sides 112 connecting the vertices 111.

An opening 11a is formed in the top surface region 110. The opening 11a connects the inside and outside of the storage space of the container body 10 in the box-shaped state. A spout 20 is attached to the opening 11a.

The top surface side region 120A has four first regions (first side regions) provided for each side 112 of the top surface region 110. Specifically, the top surface side region 120A has two first regions 121a provided corresponding to the two sides 112 extending in the second direction D2, and two first regions 121b provided corresponding to the two sides 112 extending in the first direction D1. When the two first regions 121a are described separately, the two first regions 121a may be referred to as first region 121a1 and first region 121a2. Similarly, when the two first regions 121b are described separately, the two first regions 121b may be referred to as first region 121b1 and first region 121b2.

The top surface side region 120A has four second regions (second side regions) 122 provided corresponding to each vertex 111 of the top surface region 110. The four second regions 122 are regions for forming the connecting pieces 16. When the four second regions 122 are described separately, the second region 122 connecting the first region 121a1 and the first region 121b1 may be referred to as the second region 122a, and the second region 122 connecting the first region 121a1 and the first region 121b2 may be referred to as the second region 122b. The second region 122 connecting the first region 121a2 and the first region 121b2 may be referred to as the second region 122c, and the second region 124 connecting the first region 121a2 and the first region 121b1 may be referred to as the second region 122d. Each second region 122 has a ruled line (planned fold line) 123a for folding the second region 122.

In the top surface side sheet member 100A, lines 123a may be provided on each side 112 of the top surface region 110, on the side shared between the first region 121a and the adjacent second region 122, and on the side shared between the first region 121b and the adjacent second region 122.

The bottom sheet member 100B will be explained using Figure 3.

An example of the length of the bottom side sheet member 100B in the first direction D1 is 80 mm or more and 800 mm or less. An example of the length of the bottom side sheet member 100B in the second direction D2 is 80 mm or more and 800 mm or less. An example of the thickness of the bottom side sheet member 100B is 200 μm or more and 2000 μm or less. The thickness of the bottom side sheet member 100B may be 300 μm or more and 1500 μm or less.

The bottom surface side sheet member 100B has a bottom surface region 130 corresponding to the top surface region 110. In the first embodiment, the bottom surface side sheet member 100B has a polygonal bottom surface region 130 in the approximate center. The bottom surface region 130 forms the bottom surface portion 12 of the container body 10 in a box-shaped state. The shape of the bottom surface region 130 is approximately the same as the shape of the top surface region 110. In the first embodiment, the bottom surface region 130 is square. That is, the bottom surface region 130 has four vertices 131 and sides 132 connecting the vertices 131. In the first embodiment, the size of the bottom surface region 130 is approximately the same as the size of the top surface region 110. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the bottom surface region 130 is approximately the same as the top surface region 110. The bottom surface region 130 has the same shape as the top surface region 110, but may be different in size. That is, the bottom surface region 130 may be similar to the top surface region 110.

The bottom sheet member 100B has a top side region 120A and a bottom side region 120B that form the first side portion 13 and the second side portion 14 of the box-shaped container body 10.

The bottom side region 120B has two third regions (third side regions) 124a and two third regions (third side regions) 124b corresponding to the two first regions 121a and two first regions 121b of the top side region 120A. When the two third regions 124a are described separately, the two third regions 124a may be referred to as third region 124a1 and third region 124a2. Similarly, when the two third regions 124b are described separately, the two third regions 124b may be referred to as third region 124b1 and third region 124b2. The third region 124a1, the third region 124a2, the third region 124b1, and the third region 124b2 correspond to the first region 121a1, the first region 121a2, the first region 121b1, and the first region 121b2 of the top surface side sheet member 100A.

The positional relationship of the two third regions 124a (third regions 124a1, 124a2) and the two third regions 124b (third regions 124b1, 124b2) relative to the bottom surface region 130 is similar to that of the two first regions 121a (first regions 121a1, 121a2) and the two first regions 121b (first regions 121b1, 121b2) relative to the top surface region 110.

The bottom side region 120B has four fourth regions (fourth side regions) 125 corresponding to the four second regions 122 of the top side region 120A. The positional relationship of the four fourth regions 125 to the bottom region 130, the two third regions 124a (third regions 124a1, 124a2), and the two third regions 124b (third regions 124b1, 124b2) is the same as the positional relationship of the four second regions 122 to the top region 110, the two first regions 121a (first regions 121a1, 121a2), and the two first regions 121b (first regions 121b1, 121b2).

In the bottom sheet member 100B, the fourth region 125 connecting the third region 124a1 and the third region 124b1 may also be referred to as the fourth region 125a, and the fourth region 125 connecting the third region 124a1 and the third region 124b2 may also be referred to as the fourth region 125b. The fourth region 125 connecting the third region 124a2 and the third region 124b2 may also be referred to as the fourth region 125c, and the fourth region 125 connecting the third region 124a2 and the third region 124b1 may also be referred to as the fourth region 125d.

The four fourth regions 125 are regions for forming the connecting pieces 16. Each fourth region 125 has a ruled line (planned fold line) 123b for folding the fourth region 125.

In the bottom side sheet member 100B, lines 123b may be provided on each side 132 of the bottom surface region 130, on the side shared by the third region 124a and the adjacent fourth region 125, and on the side shared by the third region 124b and the adjacent fourth region 125. The bottom side sheet member 100B may be provided with lines 123c corresponding to the edge (two-dot chain line 17b) on the top surface region 110 side of the joint 17 shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the area between the periphery of the bottom side sheet member 100B and the lines 123c is the area that becomes the joint 17.

The layer structure of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B will be explained using Figure 4. In the first embodiment, the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B have the same layer structure. Therefore, the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B are referred to as sheet members 100, and the layer structure of the sheet member 100 will be explained. Figure 4 is a drawing for explaining the layer structure of the sheet member 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet member 100 has a paper layer 101. The paper layer 101 is made of paper. The basis weight of the paper layer 101 may be, for example, 120 g/ ^m2 or more and 900 g/ ^m2 . The density of the paper layer 101 may be, for example, 0.6 g/ ^cm3 or more and 1.1 g/ ^cm3 or less. Examples of paper used for the paper layer 101 include paperboard such as uncoated paper, single-sided coated paper, and double-sided coated paper. The paper layer 101 may be, for example, paper having water resistance and oil resistance, such as carton paper used for paper packs, cup paper (paper for paper cups), etc.

The sheet member 100 may further include at least one resin layer. When the sheet member 100 includes the at least one resin layer, the material of the sheet member 100 includes, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), etc.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a sheet member 100 has a paper layer 101, a first LDPE layer 102, a second LDPE layer 103, a PET layer 104, and an LLDPE layer 105. The material of the first LDPE layer 102 and the second LDPE layer 103 is LDPE. The material of the PET layer 104 is PET. The material of the LLDPE layer 105 is LLDPE.

As shown in FIG. 4, the paper layer 101, the first LDPE layer 102, the second LDPE layer 103, the PET layer 104, and the LLDPE layer 105 are laminated in the order of the LLDPE layer 105, the PET layer 104, the second LDPE layer 103, the paper layer 101, and the first LDPE layer 102. In the first embodiment, the surface of the first LDPE layer 102 (the upper surface of the first LDPE layer 102 in FIG. 4) is the surface of the sheet member 100 (the top sheet member 100A or the bottom sheet member 100B). In the first embodiment, the back surface of the LLDPE layer 105 (the lower surface of the LLDPE layer 105 in FIG. 4) is the back surface of the sheet member 100 (the top sheet member 100A or the bottom sheet member 100B). The LLDPE layer 105 can function as a sealant layer.

An example of a method for manufacturing a paper container 1 will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, a case in which a box-shaped paper container 1 (container body 10) is manufactured will be described. In this case, the method for manufacturing the paper container 1 includes the following steps:
A process for manufacturing the container body 10 in a flat state shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as a "first process");
A process of forming the flat container body 10 into the intermediate box-shaped container body 10 shown in FIG. 5 (hereinafter referred to as the "second process");
A process (hereinafter, referred to as the "third process") of transforming the container body 10 from the intermediate box-shaped state shown in FIG. 5 into the final box-shaped state shown in FIG. 1;
has.
An example of each step will be described below. Fig. 5 is a perspective view that shows a typical process of forming the container body 10 from a flat state into a box-shaped state.

[First step]
In the first step, the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B are arranged so that their corresponding regions overlap. Specifically, the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B are arranged so that the top surface region 110 and the corresponding bottom surface region 130 overlap each other, the first regions 121a1, 121a2 and the corresponding third regions 124a1, 124a2 overlap each other, and the first regions 121b1, 121b2 and the corresponding third regions 124b1, 124b2 overlap each other. In this state, the ruled lines 123a formed on the top sheet member 100A and the ruled lines 123b formed on the bottom sheet member 100B and corresponding to the ruled lines 123a formed on the top sheet member 100A also approximately overlap each other.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the top sheet member 100A is longer in the second direction D2 than the bottom sheet member 100B, so the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 partially overlap, and the first region 121b1 and the first region 121b2 and the corresponding third region 124b1 and the third region 124b2 also partially overlap.

When stacking the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B, make sure their backsides face each other.

The top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B arranged as described above are joined at the periphery of the bottom sheet member 100B. This forms the joint 17. The top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B may be joined by heat sealing, for example, or may be joined using an adhesive.

[Second step]
In the second step, the flat state shown in Fig. 2 is shaped into an intermediate box-shaped state shown in Fig. 5. In the flat state shown in Fig. 2, a spout 20 is attached to the opening 11a of the top surface side sheet member 100A.

When molding the container body 10 from the flat state shown in FIG. 2 into a box-shaped state, air is blown into the container body 10 from the spout 20 while each side 112 of the top surface region 110 and each side 132 of the bottom surface region 130 are mountain-folded against the surface of the member, and the four second regions 122 and the four fourth regions 125 are folded to mold it into an intermediate box shape.

In the intermediate box-shaped state shown in FIG. 5, the container body 10 has a top surface portion 11, a bottom surface portion 12, a pair of side surface bodies 15, a pair of second side surface portions 14, and four connecting pieces 16. The molding from a flat state to the intermediate box-shaped state will be specifically explained. The pair of side surface bodies 15 form the side portions of the container body 10 in the intermediate box-shaped state.

While blowing air into the container body 10 from the spout 20, each side 112 of the top surface region 110 and each side 132 of the bottom surface region 130 are folded toward the surface of the member, separating the top surface region 110 from the bottom surface region 130. As a result, the top surface portion 11 is formed by the top surface region 110, and the bottom surface portion 12 is formed by the bottom surface region 130, and a storage space for storing liquid is formed between the top surface portion 11 (top surface region 110) and the bottom surface portion 12 (bottom surface region 130).

By folding each side 112 of the top surface region 110 and each side 132 of the bottom surface region 130 against the surface of the member as described above, the two first regions 121a (first regions 121a1, 121a2) and the two first regions 121b (first regions 121b1, 121b2) of the top surface side sheet member 100A and the two third regions 124a (third regions 124a1, 124a2) and the two third regions 124b (third regions 124b1, 124b2) of the bottom surface side sheet member 100B are folded inward (towards the storage space).

At this time, the joint 17 is folded along the edge of the joint 17 on the top surface region 110 (bottom surface region 130) side. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the joint 17 is folded toward the bottom surface portion 12. Since the joint 17 is folded toward the bottom surface portion 12, the first region 121a1, the first region 121a2, the first region 121b1, and the first region 121b2 overlap portions of the corresponding third region 124a1, the third region 124a2, the third region 124b1, and the third region 124b2.

When the flat container body 10 is deformed in this manner, the first region 121a1 and the corresponding third region 124a1 form the side body 15 of one of the pair of first side portions 13, and the first region 121a2 and the corresponding third region 124a2 form the side body 15 of the other of the pair of first side portions 13.
Similarly, one of the pair of second side portions 14 is formed by the first region 121b1 and the corresponding third region 124b1, and the other of the pair of second side portions 14 is formed by the first region 121b2 and the corresponding third region 124b2.

As described above, while each side 112 of the top surface region 110 and each side 132 of the bottom surface region 130 are mountain-folded against the surface of the member, the four second regions 122 of the top surface side sheet member 100A are mountain-folded against the surface of the member along the lines 123a, and the four fourth regions 125 of the bottom surface side sheet member 100B are mountain-folded against the surface of the member along the lines 123b. As a result, four connecting pieces 16 are formed as shown in FIG. 5. The connecting pieces 16 are, for example, fin-shaped. In one example, the connecting pieces 16 are panels. Thus, the connecting pieces 16 are also fin-shaped panels. In order to form the connecting pieces 16 so that they have a predetermined shape, the second regions 122 (corresponding fourth regions 125) are pressed in a mountain-folded state. At this time, the second regions 122 (corresponding fourth regions 125) are pressed so that a certain gap is created in the connecting pieces 16, as described later.

When distinguishing between the four connecting pieces 16, the connecting piece 16 formed by folding the second region 122a (corresponding fourth region 125a) is referred to as connecting piece (second connecting piece) 16A. Similarly, the connecting piece 16 formed by the second region 122b (corresponding fourth region 125b) is referred to as connecting piece (first connecting piece) 16B, the connecting piece 16 formed by the second region 122c (corresponding fourth region 125c) is referred to as connecting piece 16C, and the connecting piece 16 formed by the second region 122d (corresponding fourth region 125d) is referred to as connecting piece 16D.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting pieces 16A, 16B, 16C, and 16D are provided continuously on the four edges connecting the four corresponding corners of the top surface 11 and the bottom surface 12 of the container body 10 in the intermediate box-shaped state. Two of the four edges are a pair of edges of one of the pair of side surface bodies 15, and the remaining two of the four edges are a pair of edges of the other of the pair of side surface bodies 15. Focusing on the edge (first edge) 15a and the edge (second edge) 15b shown in FIG. 5, the connecting piece 16A is provided continuously on the edge 15a, and the connecting piece 16B is provided continuously on the edge 15b.

[Third step]
Next, a method for forming the intermediate box-shaped product into the box-shaped product (final box-shaped product) shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

Of the four connecting pieces 16, adjacent connecting pieces 16A and 16B (a set of two adjacent connecting pieces) are folded toward the side body 15 located between them. Specifically, connecting piece 16B is folded toward the side body 15 along edge 15b, and connecting piece 16A is folded toward the side body 15 along edge 15a. Of the four connecting pieces 16, adjacent connecting pieces 16C and 16D are also folded toward the side body 15 located between them.

Then, connecting piece 16A and connecting piece 16B are joined. This joining may be performed by heat sealing or by using an adhesive. Similarly, connecting piece 16C and connecting piece 16D are joined. As a result, connecting piece 16A and connecting piece 16B are fixed to side body 15, and connecting piece 16C and connecting piece 16D are fixed to side body 15. As a result, a pair of first side portions 13 is obtained.

Through the above steps, the container body 10 can be transformed from a flat state into the box-shaped state shown in FIG. 1, resulting in the box-shaped paper container 1 shown in FIG. 1.

In the paper container 1, each of the pair of first side portions 13 is formed by joining two connecting pieces 16 to the side body 15. Therefore, in the portion of the first side portion 13 where the two connecting pieces 16, 16 overlap the side body 15, the thickness of the first side portion 13 is thicker than when the first side portion 13 does not have the connecting pieces 16, 16. The thickest portion of the first side portion 13 is referred to as the thickest portion 30.

The flat container body 10 has a joint 17 that joins the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B. In the flat container body 10, the joint 17 is formed away from the top surface portion 11 (or the bottom surface portion 12) and surrounds the top surface portion 11 (or the bottom surface portion 12). In the first embodiment, the joint 17 is formed around the entire periphery of the bottom surface side sheet member 100B. Therefore, the pair of second side surface portions 14, the pair of side surface bodies 15, and the four connecting pieces 16 in the intermediate box-shaped state shown in FIG. 5 have joints 17. Furthermore, the positions of the joints 17 in the pair of second side surface portions 14, the pair of side surface bodies 15, and the four connecting pieces 16 are the same distance from the top surface portion 11 (or the bottom surface portion 12) in the third direction D3. Therefore, when the two connecting pieces 16 are folded toward the side body 15 located between them, the joints 17 of the side body 15 and the two connecting pieces 16 overlap.

In this way, the thickness is increased at the portion where the side body 15 and the two connecting pieces 16 overlap, so an example of the thickest portion 30 is the portion where the side body 15 and the two connecting pieces 16 overlap, and further where the connecting parts 17 of the side body 15 and the two connecting pieces 16 overlap. At the connecting part 17, the top side sheet member 100A and the bottom side sheet member 100B overlap, so the connecting part 17 has two layers. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the connecting part 17 is folded toward the bottom part 12, so that the connecting parts 17 of the side body 15 and the two connecting pieces 16 overlap with parts of the multiple regions (third regions 124a, 124b, etc.) of the bottom side side region 120B. Furthermore, since the connecting piece 16 is a portion in which the second region 122 (corresponding fourth region 125) is folded in half, the two regions separated by the crease 123a (corresponding crease 123b) of the second region 122 (corresponding fourth region 125) overlap. Therefore, the thickest portion 30 has a multi-layer structure including multiple layers.

The thickest part 30 will be further explained with reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8. Figure 6 is a drawing showing an example of a prototype paper container 1 (container body 10). Figure 6 shows the prototype paper container 1 (container body 10) as viewed from the first side part 13 having two connecting pieces 16 (connecting pieces 16A and 16B). Figure 7 shows the cross-sectional configuration of the container body 10 shown in Figure 6 taken along line VII-VII. Specifically, this is a drawing of the container body shown in Figure 6 partially cut so that the cross-sectional configuration taken along line VII-VII can be seen. Figure 8 is a drawing that shows a schematic configuration of an example of the thickest part 30.

As shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that the thickness of the first side portion 13 is greatest in the region where the two connecting pieces 16 overlap. It can also be seen from FIG. 7 that the thickest portion 30 has a multi-layer structure.

An example of the configuration of the thickest part 30 will be described using FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 7, each layer constituting the thickest part 30 is actually partially curved, but in FIG. 8, each layer is illustrated as a flat layer to more clearly show the characteristics of the thickest part 30. FIG. 8 shows a case where the connecting piece 16B and the connecting piece 16A are overlapped in order from the side body 15 side with respect to the side body 15. Using FIG. 8, the case of the thickest part 30 in the first side part 13 having the connecting pieces 16A and 16B as the two connecting pieces 16 will be described, but the case of the thickest part 30 in the first side part 13 having the connecting pieces 16C and 16D is also similar.

As shown in FIG. 8, the thickest portion 30 has a first layer 301, a second layer 302, a third layer 303, a fourth layer 304, a fifth layer 305, a sixth layer 306, a seventh layer 307, an eighth layer 308, a ninth layer 309, a tenth layer 310, an eleventh layer 311, a twelfth layer 312, a thirteenth layer 313, a fourteenth layer 314 and a fifteenth layer 315.

The first layer 301 , the second layer 302 and the third layer 303 are part of the side body 15 .
The first layer 301 is formed by a third region 124a1 (see FIG. 3) of the bottom surface side region 120B.
The second layer 302 and the third layer 303 constitute a joint portion 17 included in the side surface main body 15. Thus, the second layer 302 and the third layer 303 are joined together.
The second layer 302 is formed by the third region 124a1.
The third layer 303 is formed by the first region 121a1 (see FIG. 2) of the top surface side region 120A.

The fourth layer 304, the fifth layer 305, the sixth layer 306, the seventh layer 307, the eighth layer 308 and the ninth layer 309 are part of the connecting piece 16B.

The fourth layer 304 and the fifth layer 305 constitute a joint portion 17 included in the connecting piece 16B. Thus, the fourth layer 304 and the fifth layer 305 are joined together.
The fourth layer 304 is formed by the second region 122b (see FIG. 2) of the top surface side region 120A. The fourth layer 304 corresponds to one of the two regions separated by the line 123a in the second region 122b folded along the line 123a.
The fifth layer 305 is formed by the fourth region 125b (see FIG. 3) of the bottom surface side region 120B.

The sixth layer 306 is formed by the fourth region 125b. The sixth layer 306 corresponds to one of the two regions separated by the line 123b in the fourth region 125b that is folded along the line 123b.

The seventh layer 307 is formed by the fourth region 125b. The seventh layer 307 corresponds to the other of the two regions separated by the line 123b when the fourth region 125b is folded in half along the line 123b (the other corresponds to the sixth layer 306).

The eighth layer 308 and the ninth layer 309 constitute the joint portion 17 included in the connecting piece 16B. Thus, the eighth layer 308 and the ninth layer 309 are joined together.
The eighth layer 308 is formed by the fourth region 125b of the bottom surface side region 120B.
The ninth layer 309 is formed by the second region 122b of the top surface side region 120A. The ninth layer 309 corresponds to the other of the two regions divided by the line 123a in the second region 122b folded along the line 123a (the other region corresponds to the fourth layer 304).

The tenth layer 310, the eleventh layer 311, the twelfth layer 312, the thirteenth layer 313, the fourteenth layer 314 and the fifteenth layer 315 are part of the connecting piece 16A.

The tenth layer 310 and the eleventh layer 311 constitute the joint portion 17 included in the connecting piece 16A. Thus, the tenth layer 310 and the eleventh layer 311 are joined together.
The tenth layer 310 is formed by the second region 122a (see FIG. 2) of the top surface side region 120A. The tenth layer 310 corresponds to one of the two regions separated by the line 123a in the second region 122a folded along the line 123a.
The eleventh layer 311 is formed by the fourth region 125a (see FIG. 3) of the bottom surface side region 120B.

The twelfth layer 312 is formed by the fourth region 125a. The twelfth layer 312 corresponds to one of the two regions separated by the line 123b in the fourth region 125a that is folded along the line 123b.

The thirteenth layer 313 is formed by the fourth region 125a. The thirteenth layer 313 corresponds to the other of the two regions separated by the line 123b in the fourth region 125a that is folded along the line 123b (the other corresponds to the twelfth layer 312).

The fourteenth layer 314 and the fifteenth layer 315 constitute the joint portion 17 included in the connecting piece 16A. Thus, the fourteenth layer 314 and the fifteenth layer 315 are joined together.
The fourteenth layer 314 is formed by the fourth region 125a of the bottom surface side region 120B.
The fifteenth layer 315 is formed by the second region 122a of the top surface side region 120A. The fifteenth layer 315 corresponds to the other of the two regions separated by the line 123a in the second region 122a folded along the line 123a (the other region corresponds to the tenth layer 310).

In the thickest part 30, the part between the outer surface of the thickest part 30 and the surface of the connecting piece 16 (connecting piece 16B in FIG. 8) that is closer to the side body 15 among the two connecting pieces 16, 16, facing the side body 15, is referred to as the specified part 31. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the specified part 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16, 16. Specifically, the specified part 31 is composed of connecting piece 16A (second connecting piece) and connecting piece 16B (first connecting piece). In this case, the outer surface of the thickest part 30 is the outer surface of the 15th layer 315, and the surface of connecting piece 16B facing the side body 15 is the surface of the 3rd layer 303 side in the 4th layer 304. The specified part 31 is configured to have a gap g between at least one adjacent layer among the multiple layers that the specified part 31 has. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a gap g is provided between adjacent layers among the fifth layer 305, the sixth layer 306, the seventh layer 307, and the eighth layer 308 included in the connecting piece 16B. Similarly, a gap g is provided between adjacent layers among the eleventh layer 311, the twelfth layer 312, the thirteenth layer 313, and the fourteenth layer 314 included in the connecting piece 16A.

For example, such gap g can be ensured as follows. That is, in the process of forming the connecting piece 16A, when the folded second region 122a (corresponding fourth region 125a) is pressed to mold the shape of the connecting piece 16A into a predetermined shape, the second region 122a (corresponding fourth region 125a) is pressed so that the folded second region 122a (corresponding fourth region 125a) has a gap g (in other words, has a bulge) within the region included in the thickest part 30. The same applies when forming the connecting piece 16B.

The specified portion 31 has a gap g on its inside as described above. Therefore, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 is greater than the total thickness of the layers that make up the specified portion 31. Therefore, the first side portion 13 protrudes outward in the region of the thickest portion 30 including the specified portion 31, compared to when the thickness T is the same as the total thickness of the layers that make up the specified portion 31. As a result, when a user uses the paper container 1 (container body 10), it is easier to grip the paper container 1 at the thickest portion 30, improving the handleability of the paper container 1. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the thickness T corresponds to the maximum thickness at the portion where the two connecting pieces 16, 16 overlap.

Since the specified portion 31 has multiple layers as described above, the rigidity is also improved. Therefore, the thickest part 30 of the paper container 1 is easy to grasp. This also makes the paper container 1 easy to handle.

In the first embodiment, since each of the pair of opposing first side portions 13 has the above-mentioned specified portion 31, the user can easily hold the paper container 1 using the pair of first side portions 13. As a result, the handling properties of the paper container 1 are further improved.

The thickness T of the specified portion 31 may be 4.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less. In this case, a certain amount of bulge can be achieved in the first side portion 13 while ensuring the capacity of the storage space. The thickness T may be 5.00 mm or more and 10.0 mm or less. This allows for further improvement in handling while ensuring the capacity.

When the total thickness of the layers of the predetermined portion 31 is T _S [mm] and the porosity is defined by the formula (1), the porosity may be, for example, 10% or more and 70% or less. The porosity may be 12% or more and 66% or less. In this case, the handleability can be further improved.
Porosity (%)={(T−T _S )/T}×100 (1)

In one embodiment, the paper container 1 may satisfy both the range of thickness T of the specified portion 31 and the range of porosity. For example, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 may be 4.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less, and the porosity may be 10% or more and 70% or less. In this case, it is possible to improve handleability while maintaining the capacity.

The thickest part 30 may be formed in a range of 30% to 70% of the distance between the top surface 11 and the bottom surface 12 in the third direction D3. In this range, the thickest part 30 is located near the center of the first side surface 13, which further improves the handleability of the paper container 1 by the user.

The position of the thickest part 30 can be adjusted by the size of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B. The position of the thickest part 30 can also be adjusted by the position where the joint 17 is formed. Furthermore, the overlapping state of the two connecting pieces 16 can be adjusted, for example, by the length of the connecting piece 16 in the second direction D2 in FIG. 1 (the direction from one of the pair of edges of the side body 15 to the other). In the example of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the length of the connecting piece 16 can be adjusted by the length in the second direction D2 of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 that are to become the connecting piece 16.

In the thickest part 30 shown in FIG. 8, a gap g is also generated between the third layer 303 and the fourth layer 304. This is because the joint 17 included in the side body 15 is not joined to the first layer 301, and the connecting piece 16B is not joined to the side body 15. Specifically, the joint 17 consisting of the fourth layer 304 and the fifth layer 305 included in the connecting piece 16B is not joined to the third layer 303 by heat sealing or the like, so a gap g is also generated between the third layer 303 and the fourth layer 304. In other words, the method of fixing the two connecting pieces 16 to the side body 15 by joining the two connecting pieces 16 folded toward the side body 15 is effective from the viewpoint of making the thickness of the thickest part 30 thicker. In the thickest part 30 shown in FIG. 8, a gap g is also generated between the first layer 301 and the second layer 302. This is because the joint 17 included in the side body 15 is not joined to the first layer 301 by heat sealing or the like.

Second Embodiment
9 is an exploded perspective view of a paper container 1A according to the second embodiment. The paper container 1A includes the container body 10, spout 20, and pump dispenser 40 described in the first embodiment. The container body 10 is the same as the container body 10 described in the first embodiment. In other words, the paper container 1A is a paper container in which the spout 20 and the pump dispenser 40 are attached to the container body 10 described in the first embodiment.

As in the first embodiment, the second embodiment may also be described using the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3. In the second embodiment, the third direction D3 is the vertical direction.

In the second embodiment, the contents contained in the paper container 1A are liquids. The liquid is not limited to low-viscosity liquids such as water and lotion, but may also be high-viscosity liquids such as shampoo and conditioner. In the second embodiment, the "liquid" may be any liquid that has a viscosity that can be dispensed by the pump dispenser 40.

The container body 10 is the same as the container body 10 described in the first embodiment, so a description of the container body 10 will be omitted. The spout 20 has a tubular portion 21 and a flange portion 22 (see FIG. 10) as in the first embodiment. The tubular portion 21 has, for example, a cylindrical shape. The spout 20 is attached to the top surface portion 11 by fixing the flange portion 22 to the inner surface of the top surface portion 11. In the second embodiment, a screw structure for attaching a pump dispenser 40 is formed on the outer periphery of the tubular portion 21 of the spout 20.

The pump dispenser 40 is a member for pumping out the liquid (contents) contained in the container body 10. The pump dispenser 40 has a pump part 41, a support member 43, and an attachment part 44.

The pump portion 41 is a member that sucks up liquid through the support member 43 by being pushed down toward the bottom portion 12 in the vertical direction (third direction D3).

9, an example of the pump section 41 has a pump head 411, a cylindrical piston section 412, a cylindrical cylinder section 413, and a discharge nozzle 414. The piston section 412 is provided below the pump head 411. The cylinder section 413 is configured so that the piston section 412 can slide in the third direction D3 within the cylinder section 413. The cylinder section 413 has a pump mechanism (not shown) therein.

The support member 43 is a cylindrical member extending from the lower end of the pump section 41 toward the opposite side to the pump head 411. In the second embodiment, the support member 43 functions as a suction tube for sucking out liquid. The support member 43 is disposed in the container body 10 with the pump dispenser 40 attached to the container body 10. A notch 43b may be formed in the lower end 43a (the end closest to the bottom section 12) of the support member 43 so that the liquid can be sucked in more reliably. An example of the diameter of the lower end 43a of the support member 43 is 5 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

The mounting portion 44 is a member for mounting the pump dispenser 40 to the spout 20. In the second embodiment, the mounting portion 44 is a member that can be attached and detached to the spout 20 by screwing. The mounting portion 44 is provided at the position of the cylinder portion 413 of the pump dispenser 40. The mounting portion 44 is cap-shaped. The mounting portion 44 has a tube portion 441 and an end wall 442 that closes the upper opening of the tube portion 441. A screw structure is formed on the inner surface of the tube portion 441 so that the tube portion 441 and the tube portion 21 of the spout 20 can be screwed together. The cylinder portion 413 is passed through the end wall 442. The lower surface (inner surface) 442a of the end wall 442 contacts the upper end portion 21a of the tube portion 21 of the spout 20 when the mounting portion 44 is attached to the spout 20.

In the configuration of the pump dispenser 40 described above, liquid is extracted from inside the container body 10 using the pump dispenser 40 as follows. With the pump head 411 of the pump section 41 attached to the container body 10, it is pressed vertically downward. This causes the piston section 412 to slide inside the cylinder section 413. As a result, the pump mechanism (not shown) in the cylinder section 413 sucks up the liquid inside the container body 10 through the support member 43, which functions as a suction tube. The sucked up liquid passes through the cylinder section 413, the piston section 412, and the inside of the pump head 411 and is discharged to the outside from the discharge nozzle 414.

As shown in FIG. 10 , if the distance between the upper end 21 a of the spout 20 and the bottom portion 12 is X [mm], and as shown in FIG. 11 , the distance between the lower surface 442 a of the end wall 442 of the mounting portion 44 and the lower end 43 a of the support member 43 is Y [mm], in the second embodiment, the distance X and the distance Y satisfy the formula (2).
(X-7) < Y ≦ (X + 3) ... (2)
The lower surface 442a corresponds to a contact portion of the attachment portion 44 with the upper end portion 44a of the spout 20. The distance X is the distance between the upper end portion 21a and the bottom surface portion 12 in a state in which the pump dispenser 40 is not attached to the spout 20, as shown in Fig. 10. The distance Y is the distance between the lower surface 442a of the end wall 442 and the lower end portion 43a of the support member 43 in the pump dispenser 40 itself (in a state in which it is not attached to the spout 20), as shown in Fig. 11.

The distances X and Y that satisfy the above formula (2) can be achieved by adjusting the size of at least one of the pump dispenser 40, the container body 10, and the spout 20. The upper limit of the distance Y may be (X+2) mm.

The pump head 411 is usually pushed down vertically, but may also be pushed down at an angle. This downward pushing at an angle is referred to as "oblique pushing." When the distance Y is (X-7) mm or less (i.e., when the distance between the lower end 43a of the support member 43 and the bottom surface portion 12 is 7 mm or more), if the above-described oblique pushing is performed, the pump dispenser 40 itself will tilt obliquely relative to the vertical direction before the lower end 43a of the support member 43 comes into contact with the bottom surface portion 12, causing the pump dispenser 40 to fall over.

In contrast, when the distance Y is greater than (X-7) mm, the support member 43 is likely to come into contact with the bottom surface portion 12 before the pump dispenser 40 itself tilts obliquely as described above. Therefore, the pump dispenser 40 is less likely to tip over. This makes it possible to prevent deformation of the top surface portion 11 caused by the pump dispenser 40 tipping over. Since the pump dispenser 40 does not tip over, the pumping operation can be carried out appropriately.

When the distance Y is greater than (X+2) mm, the lower end 43a of the support member 43 is in contact with the bottom surface 12, and the bottom surface 12 of the paper container expands outward at the contact portion. The paper container begins to shake and rotate from the expanded portion.

In contrast, when the distance Y [mm] is (X+3) mm or less, the expansion of the portion where the lower end 43a contacts the bottom surface portion 12 is suppressed, so the above-mentioned shaking, rotation, etc. are less likely to occur. When the distance Y is (X+2) mm or less, the above-mentioned shaking, rotation, etc. can be further suppressed.

From the above, when X and Y satisfy formula (2), the stability of the paper container 1A can be improved while preventing the pump dispenser 40 from tipping over.

Various embodiments of a paper container and a method for manufacturing a paper container according to one aspect of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and is intended to include the scope indicated by the claims, as well as all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

The top surface area (top surface portion) of the top surface side sheet member (first sheet member) and the bottom surface area (bottom surface portion) of the bottom surface side sheet member (second sheet member) are not limited to a square shape, but may be a rectangle, a triangle, or a polygon with pentagons or more (hexagon, octagon, etc.). In this case, the shapes of the top surface side sheet member (first sheet member) and the bottom surface side sheet member (second sheet member) correspond to the shapes of the top surface area and the bottom surface area.

The top sheet member (first sheet member) and the bottom sheet member (second sheet member) are not limited to the layer configuration exemplified above as long as they have a paper layer. For example, the top sheet member (first sheet member) and the bottom sheet member (second sheet member) may have a barrier layer.

The number of connecting pieces 16 that the side portion with connecting pieces has may be one. For example, each of the four side portions of a box-shaped paper container may have one connecting piece (first connecting piece) 16. In other words, each of the four side portions of a box-shaped paper container may be a side portion with connecting pieces that has a side body having a configuration similar to that of the side body 15 shown in FIG. 5 and one connecting piece 16. In this case, the specified portion 31 is formed by one connecting piece 16. Such a paper container is manufactured by folding the four connecting pieces 16 so that the connecting pieces 16 are arranged on each side of the paper container in the intermediate box-shaped state in FIG. 5, and joining the folded connecting pieces 16 to the corresponding side.

In the embodiment in which the specified portion 31 is formed by one connecting piece 16 as described above, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 may be 4.00 mm or more and 7.00 mm or less. The thickness T of the specified portion 31 may be 5.00 mm or more. In the embodiment in which the specified portion 31 is formed by one connecting piece 16, the porosity calculated by formula (1) may be 10% or more and 70% or less. The porosity may be, for example, 37% or more and 64% or less.

In a second embodiment, the pump dispenser 40 may have a suction tube disposed within the support member 43.

The top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B may be paper sheet members. The main component of a paper sheet member is, for example, paper. As an example, a paper sheet member refers to a sheet member in which the mass of paper exceeds 50% of the total mass of the sheet member.

The above embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention will be further described using examples. The present invention is not limited to the examples described below. For ease of explanation, in the following explanations of the examples and comparative examples, the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

<Handling evaluation>
Examples and comparative examples relating to evaluation of handling properties will be described.

Example 1a
In Example 1a, a paper container was manufactured using a top sheet member 100A and a bottom sheet member 100B.

2, the top surface side sheet member 100A had a square top surface area 110, two first areas 121a, two first areas 121b, and four second areas 122. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the top surface side sheet member 100A had ruled lines 123a on each side 112 of the top surface area 110, on a side shared between each first area 121a and the adjacent second area 122, and on a side shared between each first area 121b and the adjacent second area 122, and also had ruled lines 123a in each second area 122.

An opening 11a was formed in the top surface region 110, and a spout 20 was attached to the opening 11a.

The bottom side sheet member 100B had a square bottom surface area 130, two third areas 124a, two third areas 124b, and four fourth areas 125, as shown in FIG. 3. The size of the bottom surface area 130 was approximately the same as that of the top surface area 110. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the bottom side sheet member 100B had lines 123b on each side 132 of the bottom surface area 130, on the side shared by each third area 124a and the adjacent fourth area 125, and on the side shared by each third area 124b and the adjacent fourth area 125, and lines 123b were also provided in each fourth area 125. The bottom side sheet member 100B also had lines 123c, as shown in FIG. 3.

The top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B have the same layer structure, and have the following layer structure as described with reference to FIG.
<Layer structure>
First LDPE layer/paper layer/second LDPE layer/PET layer/LLDPE layer

In Example 1a, the thicknesses of the layers in the above layer configuration were as follows:
Thickness of first LDPE layer: 23 μm
Paper layer thickness: 280 μm
Thickness of second LDPE layer: 25 μm
PET layer thickness: 12 μm
LLDPE layer thickness: 80 μm
Therefore, the thickness of the top surface side sheet member 100A and the bottom surface side sheet member 100B of Example 1a was 420 μm.

In Example 1a, the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B were stacked on top of each other and joined by heat sealing as described with reference to FIG. 2 to produce a flat paper container. After that, a paper container in a final box-shaped state was obtained by a manufacturing method similar to that described in the above embodiment. In the paper container, as shown in FIG. 1, a side portion with a connecting piece (first side portion 13 in FIG. 1) including two connecting pieces 16 and a side body 15, and a side portion without a connecting piece 16 (second side portion 14 in FIG. 1) were formed alternately in the circumferential direction.

The specified portion 31 of the thickest portion 30 in the connecting piece-attached side portion of the paper container manufactured in Example 1a was composed of two connecting pieces 16, 16 as shown in FIG. 8. In Example 1a, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 15.0 mm. In the layer structure shown in FIG. 8, the specified portion 31 had 12 layers, excluding the three layers that constitute the side body 15. Since each layer was in the area of the top side sheet member 100A or the bottom side sheet member 100B, the thickness of each layer was the thickness of the top side sheet member 100A or the bottom side sheet member 100B, i.e., 420 μm. Therefore, the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 was 5040 μm (5.04 mm).

Example 1b
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1a, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1b, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 10.0 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1b are the same as those in Example 1a, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1b was also 5040 μm (5.04 mm).

Example 1c
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1a, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1c, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 7.00 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1c are the same as those in Example 1a, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1c was also 5040 μm (5.04 mm).

Example 1d
In Example 1d, a box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1c, except that the thicknesses of the first LDPE layer, paper layer, second LDPE layer and LLDPE layer were changed as follows.
Thickness of first LDPE layer: 18 μm
Paper layer thickness: 200 μm
Thickness of second LDPE layer: 20 μm
LLDPE layer thickness: 42 μm
Therefore, the thickness of the top surface side sheet member 100A and the bottom surface side sheet member 100B in Example 1 was 292 μm.

In the paper container of Example 1d, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 7.00 mm.

In Example 1d, the thickness of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B was 292 μm, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 was 3504 μm (3.504 mm).

Example 1e
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1d, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1e, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 5.00 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1e are the same as those in Example 1d, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1d was also 3504 μm (3.504 mm).

Example 1f
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1d, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1f, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 4.00 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1f are the same as those in Example 1d, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1f was also 3504 μm (3.504 mm).

(Comparative Example 1a)
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1d, except that the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 were folded so that no gap was left within the connecting piece 16.

In the paper container of Comparative Example 1a, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 3.50 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Comparative Example 1a are the same as those in Example 1d, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 was also 3504 μm (3.504 mm) in Comparative Example 1a.

Example 1g
In Example 1g, a paper container similar to that of Example 1a was obtained, except that each of the four side portions of the box-shaped paper container had one connecting piece. Specifically, a paper container in the same flat state as in Example 1a was prepared. Therefore, the flat paper container in Example 1g also had the same top sheet member 100A and bottom sheet member 100B as in Example 1a. From the flat paper container prepared as described above, a paper container in the intermediate state shown in FIG. 5 was obtained. Next, the four connecting pieces 16 were folded so that one connecting piece 16 was arranged on each side of the intermediate box-shaped paper container, and the folded connecting pieces 16 were joined to the corresponding side to obtain the paper container of Example 1g.

The four side portions of the paper container manufactured in Example 1g were side portions with a connecting piece having one connecting piece 16 and a side body. The side body of the side portion with a connecting piece in Example 1g had the same configuration as the side body 15 shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, for convenience of explanation, the side body of the side portion with a connecting piece in Example 1g is also referred to as the side body 15. The thickest part 30 and the specified part 31 in the side portion with a connecting piece in Example 1g had the same configuration as Example 1a, except that the number of connecting pieces 16 included in the thickest part 30 and the specified part 31 was one. The thickness T of the specified part 31 in Example 1g was 7.00 mm. The layer structure of the connecting piece 16 was the same as the connecting piece 16 shown in FIG. 8, so the connecting piece 16 had six layers. Since each layer is in the area of the top-side sheet member 100A or the bottom-side sheet member 100B, the thickness of each layer was the thickness of the top-side sheet member 100A or the bottom-side sheet member 100B, i.e., 420 μm. Therefore, the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers that make up the specified portion 31 was 2520 μm (2.52 mm).

Example 1h
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1g, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1h, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 5.00 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1h are the same as those in Example 1g, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1h was also 2520 μm (2.52 mm).

Example 1i
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1g, except that the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.

In the paper container of Example 1i, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 4.00 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Example 1i are the same as those in Example 1g, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 in Example 1i was also 2520 μm (2.52 mm).

(Comparative Example 1b)
A box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1g, except that the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 were folded so that no gap was left within the connecting piece 16.

In the paper container of Comparative Example 1b, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 2.52 mm.

The thicknesses of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B in Comparative Example 1b are the same as those in Example 1g, so the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 was also 2520 μm (2.52 mm) in Comparative Example 1b.

(Comparative Example 1c)
In Comparative Example 1c, a box-shaped paper container was obtained in the same manner as Comparative Example 1b, except that the thicknesses of the first LDPE layer, paper layer, second LDPE layer and LLDPE layer were changed as follows, and the degree of folding of the second region 122 and the fourth region 125 when forming the connecting piece 16 was adjusted.
Thickness of first LDPE layer: 18 μm
Paper layer thickness: 200 μm
Thickness of second LDPE layer: 20 μm
LLDPE layer thickness: 42 μm

In the paper container of Comparative Example 1c, the thickness T of the specified portion 31 was 1.75 mm.

In Comparative Example 1c, the thickness of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B was 292 μm. Therefore, in Comparative Example 1c, the total thickness Ts of the multiple layers in the specified portion 31 was 1752 μm (1.752 mm).

(Testing and Evaluation Methods)
The paper containers manufactured in Examples 1a to 1i and Comparative Examples 1a to 1c were filled with 600 ml of liquid. The portability (handling ability) of the paper containers was evaluated without capping the spout 20. Specifically, when 10 monitors carried a paper container containing liquid, each monitor evaluated whether it was easy to carry. As a result, when the number of monitors who evaluated it as easy to carry was 8 or more, it was evaluated as "A", when the number of monitors who evaluated it as easy to carry was 5 to 7, it was evaluated as "B", and when the number of monitors who evaluated it as easy to carry was 4 or less, it was evaluated as "C".

The evaluation results for Examples 1a to 1f and Comparative Example 1a, in which the specified portion 31 was composed of two connecting pieces 16, were as shown in Table 1. The evaluation results for Examples 1g to 1i and Comparative Examples 1b and 1c, in which the specified portion 31 was composed of one connecting piece 16, were as shown in Table 2.

The "member thickness" in Tables 1 and 2 is the thickness of the top sheet member 100A and the bottom sheet member 100B. The "total thickness Ts" in Tables 1 and 2 is the total thickness of the layers of the predetermined portion 31. Specifically, the "total thickness Ts" in Table 1 is the total thickness of the layers of the two connecting pieces 16, 16 that constitute the predetermined portion 31, and the "total thickness Ts" in Table 2 is the total thickness of the layers of one connecting piece 16 that constitutes the predetermined portion 31. The thicknesses T [mm] in Examples 1d to 1f and Comparative Examples 1a and 1c in Tables 1 and 2 are rounded to the nearest third decimal place. The porosity in Tables 1 and 2 is a value calculated by substituting the thickness T and the total thickness Ts in Tables 1 and 2 into the above-mentioned formula (1). The "number of monitors who evaluated the product as being easy to carry" in Tables 1 and 2 is the number of monitors who evaluated the product as being easy to carry.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, in Comparative Examples 1a to 1c, the thickness T was the same as the total thickness Ts. That is, in Comparative Examples 1a to 1c, there was substantially no gap in the specified portion 31. In Comparative Examples 1a to 1c, no monitors rated the paper containers as easy to carry. In contrast, in Examples 1a to 1i, the thickness T was greater than the total thickness Ts. That is, gaps were formed in the specified portion 31 in Examples 1a to 1i. In Examples 1a to 1i, more than seven out of ten monitors rated the paper containers as easy to carry. Therefore, it was confirmed that the handleability of the paper container is improved when there is a gap in the specified portion 31, that is, when there is a gap between at least one pair of two adjacent layers among the multiple layers of the specified portion 31.

From the results shown in Tables 1 and 2, in both cases where the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16 (in the case of Table 1) and where the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16 (in the case of Table 2), if the thickness T is 4.00 mm or more, the evaluation is A or B, and if the thickness T is 5.00 mm or more, the evaluation is A. In other words, it can be seen that if the thickness T is 4.00 mm or more, the portability (i.e., handleability) of the paper container is improved, and if the thickness T is 5.00 mm or more, the portability is further improved.

Table 1 shows the results when the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16. From the results shown in Table 1, when the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16, the portability of the paper container is improved even when the thickness T is 15.0 mm, and it is considered that the larger the thickness T, the easier it is to carry. However, when realizing a thickness T greater than 15.0 mm, the thickness of the sheet members (top sheet member and bottom sheet member) is likely to increase. If the thickness of the sheet members (top sheet member and bottom sheet member) increases, it is difficult to ensure the capacity of the paper container. Therefore, it is effective for the thickness T to be 15.0 mm or less. Therefore, it can be understood that when the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16, if the thickness T is 4.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less, it is possible to improve the handleability of the paper container while ensuring the capacity of the paper container. Furthermore, if the thickness T is 5.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less, it is possible to further improve the handleability of the paper container while ensuring the capacity of the paper container.

Table 2 shows the results when the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16. From the results shown in Table 2, when the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16, the portability of the paper container is improved even when the thickness T is 7.00 mm, and it is considered that the larger the thickness T, the easier it is to carry. When the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16, if a thickness T greater than 7.00 mm is realized, the thickness of the sheet members (top sheet member and bottom sheet member) is likely to increase. If the thickness of the sheet members (top sheet member and bottom sheet member) increases, it is difficult to ensure the capacity of the paper container. Therefore, when the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16, the thickness T is effectively 7.00 mm or less. Therefore, when the specified portion 31 is composed of one connecting piece 16, if the thickness T is 4.00 mm or more and 7.00 mm or less, it can be understood that the handleability of the paper container can be improved while ensuring the capacity of the paper container. Furthermore, if the thickness T is 5.00 mm or more and 7.00 mm or less, the handleability of the paper container can be further improved while ensuring the capacity of the paper container.

From the results in Tables 1 and 2, it can be understood that if the void ratio is 10% or more (more specifically, 12% or more) and 70% or less (more specifically, 66% or less), the handleability of the paper container is further improved.

When only the void ratio shown in Table 1 is considered, that is, when the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16, it can be understood that the handleability of the paper container is improved if the void ratio is 10% or more (more specifically, 12% or more) and 70% or less (more specifically, 66% or less), as described above.

When only the void ratio shown in Table 2 is considered, that is, when the specified portion 31 is composed of two connecting pieces 16, it can be understood that the handleability of the paper container is improved if the void ratio is 35% or more (more specifically, 37% or more) and 65% or less (more specifically, 64% or less).

<Lateral fall prevention evaluation test>
In the test for evaluating the ability to suppress sideways tipping, the effect of suppressing the sideways tipping of the pump dispenser when the pump dispenser was pressed obliquely was verified.

Example 2a
In Example 2a, as shown in Fig. 9, a paper container was prepared that included a rectangular prism-shaped container body 10 and a pump dispenser 40. The lower end portion 43a of the support member 43 of the pump dispenser 40 was a circle having a diameter of about 19 mm.

In Example 2a, as shown in FIG. 10, the distance between the upper end 21a of the spout 20 and the bottom surface 12 is X [mm], and as shown in FIG. 11, the distance between the lower surface 442a of the mounting portion 44 and the lower end 43a of the support member 43 is Y [mm]. In other words, in Example 2a, the distance Y was (X-6) mm.

Example 2b
In Example 2b, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 133.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 2b, the distance Y was (X-5) mm.

Example 2c
In Example 2c, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 133.5 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 2c, the distance Y was (X-4.5) mm.

Example 2d
In Example 2d, a paper container similar to that of Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 136.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 2d, the distance Y was (X-2) mm.

Example 2e
In Example 2e, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 137.5 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 2e, the distance Y was (X-0.5) mm.

Example 2f
In Example 2f, a paper container similar to that of Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 138.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 2f, the distance Y was the same as the distance X.

(Reference Example 2a)
In Reference Example 2a, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 131.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Reference Example 2a, the distance Y was (X-7) mm.

(Testing and Evaluation Methods)
The paper containers (paper containers with pump dispensers) prepared in Examples 2a to 2f and Reference Example 2a contained 20 ml of shampoo as the contents. The pump head 411 (see FIG. 9) of the pump dispenser 40 was pressed obliquely to evaluate whether the pump dispenser 40 would fall over sideways. Specifically, 10 monitors pressed the pump head 411 obliquely, and each monitor evaluated whether the pump dispenser 40 fell over sideways. As a result, the evaluation was given as "A" when the number of monitors who evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 fell over sideways was three or less, the evaluation was given as "B" when the number of monitors who evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 fell over sideways was four or five, and the evaluation was given as "C" when the number of monitors who evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 fell over sideways was six or more.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 3. The "number of times that the pump dispenser 40 fell over" in Table 3 is the number of monitors who evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 fell over.

In Reference Example 2a, where distance Y was (X-7) mm, all of the monitors evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 had fallen over. In contrast, in Examples 2a to 2f, where distance Y was (X-6) mm or more, less than half of the monitors evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 had fallen over. Furthermore, in Examples 2c, 2d, 2e, and 2f, where distance Y was (X-4.5) mm or more, no monitors evaluated that the pump dispenser 40 had fallen over.

Therefore, it can be seen that when the distance Y is greater than (X-7) mm and equal to or less than X [mm], the pump dispenser 40 can be prevented from tipping over sideways. Furthermore, it can be seen that when the distance Y is equal to or greater than (X-4.5) [mm] and equal to or less than X [mm], the pump dispenser 40 can be further prevented from tipping over sideways.

<Stability evaluation test>
The stability test examined the stability of a paper container with a pump dispenser when it was moved.

Example 3a
In Example 3a, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 140.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 3a, the distance Y was (X+2) mm.

Example 3b
In Example 3b, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 139.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 3b, the distance Y was (X+1) mm.

Example 3c
In Example 3c, a paper container similar to that of Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 138.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 3c, the distance Y was the same as the distance X.

Example 3d
In Example 3d, a paper container similar to that of Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 137.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 3d, the distance Y was (X-1) mm.

Example 3e
In Example 3e, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 141.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Example 3e, the distance Y was (X+3) mm.

(Reference Example 3a)
In Reference Example 3a, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 143.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Reference Example 3a, the distance Y was (X+5) mm.

(Reference Example 3b)
In Reference Example 3a, a paper container similar to that in Example 2a was prepared, except that the distance Y was changed to 142.0 mm by using a support member 43 having a different length from the support member 43 used in Example 2a. In Reference Example 3b, the distance Y was (X+4) mm.

(Testing and Evaluation Methods)
The paper containers (paper containers with pump dispensers) prepared in Examples 3a to 3e and Reference Examples 3a and 3b were filled with 20 ml of shampoo as the contents. The paper container was lifted and moved horizontally 15 cm laterally, and then the presence or absence of shaking and rotation was evaluated when the paper container was used. Specifically, 10 monitors evaluated the presence or absence of shaking and rotation when the paper container was used after the paper container was moved horizontally as described above. As a result, the evaluation was given as "A" when the number of monitors who evaluated that shaking and rotation occurred was one or less, the evaluation was given as "B" when the number of monitors who evaluated that shaking and rotation occurred was two or more and less than five, and the evaluation was given as "C" when the number of monitors who evaluated that shaking occurred or the number of monitors who evaluated that rotation occurred was five or more.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 4. The "Shaking" column in Table 4 indicates the number of monitors who evaluated that shaking occurred, and the "Rotation" column indicates the number of monitors who evaluated that rotation occurred.

As shown in Table 4, in Reference Examples 3a and 3b, five or more monitors felt disturbing swaying or rotation. In particular, in Reference Example 3a, all of the monitors felt the swaying. In contrast, in Example 3e, the number of monitors who felt disturbing swaying and rotation decreased to less than five. Therefore, it can be seen that when distance Y is (X-1) mm or more and (X+3) mm or less, the paper container (paper container with pump dispenser) is more likely to be stable. Furthermore, in Examples 3a to 3d, no monitor felt the swaying or rotation. Therefore, it can be seen that when distance Y is (X-1) mm or more and (X+2) mm or less, the paper container (paper container with pump dispenser) is more stable.

From the results of the <Lateral fall prevention evaluation test> and the <Stability evaluation test>, it can be seen that when the distance Y is greater than (X-7) mm and less than (X+3) mm, the stability of the paper container can be improved while preventing the pump dispenser 40 from falling sideways. Furthermore, it can be seen that when the distance Y is greater than (X-7) mm and less than (X+2) mm, the stability of the paper container can be further improved while preventing the pump dispenser 40 from falling sideways.

1, 1A...paper container, 10...container body, 11...top surface (top surface area), 11a...opening, 12...bottom surface (bottom surface area), 13...first side surface (side surface with connecting piece), 14...second side surface, 15...side surface body (specified side surface), 16, 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D...connecting piece, 15a...edge portion (first edge portion), 15b...edge portion (second edge portion), 17...joint portion, 20...spout, 21...tubular portion, 21a...upper end portion (attachment part), 30...thickest part, 40...pump dispenser, 41...pump part, 43...support member, 43a...lower end, 44...mounting part, 100A...top surface side sheet member, 100B...bottom surface side sheet member, 100...sheet member (top surface side sheet member, bottom surface side sheet member), 101...paper layer, 110...top surface region, 111...vertex, 112...side, 120A...top surface side region, 120B...bottom surface side region, 121a, 1 21a1, 121a2, 121b, 121b1, 121b2...first region (first side region), 122, 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d...second region (second side region), 123a, 123b...ruled lines, 124a, 124a1, 124a2, 124b, 124b1, 124b2...third region (third side region), 125, 125a, 125b, 125c, 125d...fourth region (fourth side region), 13 0... bottom surface area, 131... vertex, 132... edge, 301... first layer, 302... second layer, 303... third layer, 304... fourth layer, 305... fifth layer, 306... sixth layer, 307... seventh layer, 308... eighth layer, 309... ninth layer, 310... tenth layer, 311... eleventh layer, 312... twelfth layer, 313... thirteenth layer, 314... fourteenth layer, 315... fifteenth layer, 442a... bottom surface (contact part with spout at attachment part), g... gap.

Claims (7)

A container body is provided which is deformable between a box-shaped state and a flat state,
The container body includes:
A first sheet member having a paper layer made of paper;
a second sheet member having a paper layer made of paper;
It has
In the flat state, the first sheet member is
A polygonal top surface area;
A top surface side region surrounding the top surface region;
It has
In the flat state, the second sheet member is
a polygonal bottom surface region corresponding to the top surface region;
a bottom side region surrounding the bottom region;
It has
In the flat state, the first sheet member and the second sheet member are arranged such that the top surface region and the bottom surface region overlap each other,
In the flat state, the first sheet member and the second sheet member are joined together along an entire periphery of the top surface side region or the bottom surface side region,
In the box-shaped state,
the top surface region and the bottom surface region are spaced apart;
the top surface side surface region and the bottom surface side surface region form a plurality of side surface portions connecting the top surface region and the bottom surface region;
The plurality of side portions include a plurality of side portions with connecting pieces,
Each of the plurality of side portions with connecting pieces is
A side body and
a first connecting piece provided continuously with a first edge portion of a pair of edges connecting the top surface region and the bottom surface region of the side surface body;
having
The first connecting piece is bent toward the side body,
In each of the plurality of tether-attached side sections, a predetermined portion between a surface of the first tether that faces the side body and an outer surface of the thickest portion includes a plurality of layers,
Each of the plurality of layers is formed by a plurality of regions in the top surface side region or a plurality of regions in the bottom surface side region,
a gap is provided between at least one pair of adjacent layers among the plurality of layers such that the thickness of the predetermined portion is greater than the total thickness of the plurality of layers;
Paper container. The predetermined portion is constituted by the first connecting piece,
The thickness of the predetermined portion is 4.00 mm or more and 7.00 mm or less.
The paper container according to claim 1. Each of the plurality of side portions with connecting pieces has a second connecting piece provided continuously with a second edge portion of the pair of edges,
the second connecting piece is bent toward the side body so as to overlap the first connecting piece,
The predetermined portion is constituted by the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece.
The paper container according to claim 1. The thickness of the predetermined portion is 4.00 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less.
The paper container according to claim 3. When the total thickness of the plurality of layers in the specified portion is Ts [mm], the thickness of the specified portion is T [mm], and the porosity is defined by formula (1), the porosity is 10% or more and 70% or less.
The paper container according to claim 1.
Porosity = {(T - Ts) / T} × 100 ... (1) A spout attached to an opening formed in the top surface region;
a pump dispenser attached to the container body via the spout;
Equipped with
The pump dispenser includes:
a pump section for pumping out the liquid contained inside the container body by pushing it down vertically;
a support member extending downward from the pump portion and disposed within the container body;
An attachment portion attached to the spout;
having
The distance between the upper end of the spout that contacts the mounting portion in the vertical direction and the bottom surface area is X [mm],
When the distance between the contact portion of the upper end of the spout in the pump dispenser and the lower end of the support member is Y [mm], the X and the Y satisfy the formula (2),
The paper container according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
(X-7) < Y ≦ (X + 3) ... (2) A method for manufacturing a paper container having a container body that is deformable between a box-shaped state and a flat state, comprising the steps of:
A first step of manufacturing the container body in the flat state;
A second step of forming the container body in the flat state into a container body in an intermediate box-shaped state;
a third step of forming a final box-shaped container body from the intermediate box-shaped container body;
Equipped with
The container body includes:
A first sheet member having a paper layer made of paper;
a second sheet member having a paper layer made of paper;
Equipped with
In the flat state, the first sheet member is
A polygonal top surface area;
A top surface side region surrounding the top surface region;
having
The top surface side region is
a plurality of first side surface regions provided on a plurality of sides of the top surface region;
a plurality of second side surface regions provided corresponding to a plurality of vertices of the top surface region, each of the plurality of second side surface regions connecting two first side surface regions provided on two sides of the top surface region that share a vertex among the plurality of vertices corresponding to each of the first side surface regions;
having
In the flat state, the second sheet member is
a polygonal bottom surface region corresponding to the top surface region;
a bottom side region surrounding the bottom region;
having
The bottom side surface region is
a plurality of third side surface regions provided on a plurality of sides of the bottom surface region and corresponding to the first side surface regions;
a plurality of fourth side surface regions provided corresponding to a plurality of vertices of the bottom surface region and corresponding to the plurality of second side surface regions, each of the plurality of fourth side surface regions connecting two third side surface regions provided on two sides of the bottom surface region that share a vertex among the plurality of vertices corresponding to each third side surface region;
having
In the first step, the first sheet member and the second sheet member are arranged so that the top surface region, the plurality of first side surface regions, and the plurality of second side surface regions overlap the corresponding bottom surface region, the plurality of third side surface regions, and the plurality of fourth side surface regions, and then the first sheet member and the second sheet member are joined around the entire periphery of the top surface side surface region or the entire periphery of the bottom surface side surface region to manufacture the flat container body;
The second step comprises:
forming a plurality of side portions connecting the spaced apart top surface region and the bottom surface region by folding the first sheet member and the second sheet member along the plurality of sides of the top surface region and the plurality of sides of the bottom surface region while separating the top surface region and the bottom surface region;
forming a plurality of connecting pieces by folding the second side area and the fourth side area corresponding to the second side area in half along an intended fold line while performing the step of forming the plurality of side surface portions;
having
In the third step, a container body in a final box-shaped state is formed having a plurality of side portions with connecting pieces formed by bending one or two of the plurality of connecting pieces to a plurality of predetermined side portions of the plurality of side portions,
In the step of forming the plurality of connecting pieces, the plurality of connecting pieces are formed so that a thickness of a predetermined portion formed by the one or two connecting pieces in the thickest portion of each of the plurality of connecting piece-attached side portions is greater than a total thickness of the plurality of layers that the predetermined portion has;
In the step of forming the plurality of connecting pieces, the plurality of connecting pieces are formed so as to have a gap inside the one or two connecting pieces constituting the predetermined portion.
A method for manufacturing paper containers.

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