JP3383698B2 - Synthetic resin cup - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel synthetic resin cup which can be supplied to a vending machine for beverages and used sufficiently.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a cup container that can be supplied to a beverage vending machine and used, a conventional paper cup is mainly used, and a synthetic resin cup has not been used. Since a synthetic resin cup can be a transparent product like a glass cup, it is preferable because it feels as if a glass cup is used when a beverage is filled and consumed. However, this synthetic resin cup is expensive and has been unsuitable for disposable drink vending machines and the like.

However, in recent years, a sheet molding technique has been developed for synthetic resin cups, and sheet molded products using thin synthetic resin sheets, such as polystyrene sheets, with relatively few materials can also be formed, and used in beverage vending machines for disposable use. Inexpensive synthetic resin cups that can also be supplied have been developed.

[0004]

An extremely common conventional cup made of synthetic resin has a structure as shown in FIGS. As shown in the figure, this structure has a cup body 23 formed downward from a hump-shaped portion 22 peculiar to the sheet forming formed inside the cup upper edge flange 21 to a lower end with a taper angle of about 5 degrees. At the lower end of the cup body, there is provided a bottom 24 having step portions 25 forming a stack pitch d of approximately 7 mm or more. The taper angle expressed in this specification refers to the taper inclination angle.

When supplying cups to a beverage vending machine, usually 50 cups are stacked and supplied, but when 50 cups are stacked, they are supplied in a substantially straight and non-deflected state. Is required.
In the case of the general synthetic resin cups shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cup-shaped portion 22 formed inside the upper edge flange 21 as shown in FIG.
Since the upper cups are brought into contact with the outside of the main body 23 and are firmly stacked, even if 50 cups are stacked, the stacked state is not likely to be bent firmly. However, the hump-shaped portion 22 is the upper cup body 23.
However, there is a problem in that meshing occurs at this portion, causing a blocking phenomenon.

The inventors developed an improved synthetic resin cup shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in order to solve the problems of the general synthetic resin cup described above, and conducted various experiments. This improved synthetic resin cup has an inclined upper region 36 having a taper angle of about 14 degrees in the uppermost region including the bump-shaped portion formed inside the upper edge flange 31. Part 3
6 has a cup body 33 formed downward from 6 with a taper angle of about 5 degrees, and a step portion 3 having a stack pitch d of about 7 mm or more at the lower end of the cup body.
A bottom 34 having 5 is provided. The width of the inclined upper region 36 is set to the stack pitch d so that the inclined upper region 36 of the upper cup does not come into contact with the bump-shaped portion 32 of the lower cup in a stacked state for stacking the cups. It was made narrower than the width.

In the improved synthetic resin cup having the above-described structure, the inclined upper region 36 is provided so that the upper body 33 of the upper cup and the hump-shaped portion 32 of the lower cup do not come into contact with each other. There is no longer a risk of blocking when stacking many cups, but in the stacking state of many cups, there is a gap between the main body 33 following the upper region of each cup and the bump-shaped portion 32 of the lower cup. Occurs, which causes a new problem of bending in a stacking state. The flexing in the stacking state causes a problem that the automatic supply of, for example, 50 stacked cups cannot be performed smoothly.

Further, this improved synthetic resin cup has
There is also a problem that the cup separating mechanism of some vending machines does not operate smoothly. That is, FIG. 7 shows a schematic explanatory view of a cup disconnecting mechanism of this kind of vending machine. In this disconnecting mechanism, the cup dropper 41 always supports 4 to 8 cups, and the cup dropper 41 is When the bottommost cup is cut off and supplied, and the remaining amount of the cup supported by the cup dropper becomes four, this is sensed and four cups are dropped and supplied from the stacked cups in the column 42. is there.

Therefore, a column bottom plate 43 that can be opened and closed is provided at the column bottom, and the column bottom plate is closed to support a large number of stacking cups. The wedges 44 for locking the cups in the tier are closed so that the wedges support the stacked cups above it, and the column bottom plate 43 is opened to drop and feed four cups. Therefore, in the improved synthetic resin cup, the inclined upper region 3
Since the wedge 44 holds 6 down, the entire upper cup is slanted as shown in FIG. 7 due to the slanting of the slanted upper portion 36, and the lower cup hits the inner wall of the column 42 and cannot fall. occured.

Further, in the above conventional cup, in order to prevent blocking in a stacked state, the size of the stack pitch d cannot be made smaller than about 7 mm, and as a result, even if the stack height is about 500 mm, 50 cups can be stacked. There was a problem that you could only stack the cups. This reduces the amount of cups to be stocked in the beverage vending machine, and the cups must be frequently replenished. Therefore, in order to increase the stock amount of cups, it is desired that more cups can be stacked in a carton having a stack height of about 500 mm.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the inventor can prevent a flexure in a stacking state of a large number of cups, and can perform a smooth automatic supply without causing a blocking. We have developed a new synthetic resin cup that allows more cups to be stacked in a carton of cups of similar stack height, increasing the amount of cups that can be stocked in beverage vending machines. It has already been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-170826.

In the previously proposed synthetic resin cup,
The uppermost part including the bump-shaped part formed inside the upper edge flange has the uppermost part with a slight taper angle that is almost vertical, and a relatively large taper angle is continuous to this uppermost part. It has a stepped portion which has, and slightly changes the taper angle in the upper cup portion and the lower cup portion in succession to this stepped portion,
The upper part of the cup has a taper angle slightly larger than the taper angle of the lower part of the cup and has a cup body formed to the lower end, and the lower end of the cup body has a bottom with a step forming a stack pitch. In order to perform stacking, the stepped portions of the upper cup are positioned so that the stepped portions of the upper cup face the bump-shaped portions of the lower cup so as to face each other or contact each other. Further, in the already proposed synthetic resin cup, the thickness of the upper region and the lower region of the cup is changed so that the lower region is thinner than the upper region.

In the previously proposed synthetic resin cup,
In the state where a large number of cups are stacked, since the stepped portions of the upper cups face or come into contact with the bump-shaped portions of the lower cups, respectively, a gap is not formed between the upper cups and the lower cups. Since a large number of cups are less likely to be bent in a stacking state, and the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup then comes close to or abuts the stepped portion of the upper cup having a relatively large taper angle, these are not in contact with each other. Even if they come into contact with each other, they do not engage with each other at this portion, and therefore there is no risk of blocking in the stacking state. In particular, by slightly changing the taper angle in the upper and lower parts of the cup and making the taper angle of the cup upper part slightly larger than the taper angle of the cup lower part, the upper part of the cup is stacked. The gap at the position of the upper area of the cup between the lower cup and the lower cup can be made larger than that of the cup that does not change the taper angle, and the lower cup can be separated smoothly and reliably. Become. Further, the gap between the cups in the upper region and the lower region can be easily changed and adjusted by changing the thickness of the cup.
For example, the upper part of the cup where the gap between the cups is originally secured is made thicker to improve the feel of holding the cup, and the lower part, which is not so affected, is made thinner to secure a further gap. Is. As a result, the size of the stack pitch can be reduced, and the stack amount of cups can be increased.

Although the basic problems in the structure have been solved by the above structure, the following problems still remain in reality. That is, it is common to apply surface printing to synthetic resin cups, but this printing causes static electricity,
Due to this static electricity, there is a problem that the cup is not sufficiently separated. In order to prevent this generation of static electricity as much as possible, a means of kneading or applying an antistatic agent to the cup itself is taken, but due to this, when filling a carbonated drink, a lot of foam is said to overflow from the cup. There is a problem that a forming phenomenon occurs.
Further, when printing is performed on a considerable surface area of the cup, there is a problem that transparency of the transparent printing and a slip phenomenon on the printing surface during printing occur. That is, the slip phenomenon is a phenomenon in which the printing surface on the upper part of the cup slips due to the diameter difference (peripheral speed difference) between the upper part and the lower part of the cup, and it is caused especially when the ink in which silicon is kneaded is used. There is a problem that it is easily damaged.

In view of the above-mentioned various problems, the present invention improves the sliding performance of each cup so that the cups can be smoothly separated, and has mechanical compatibility with a vending machine, a filling machine and the like. The main purpose is to improve. Further, the present invention aims to reduce the generation of static electricity and the amount of electrification, further improve transparency, and reduce slip reduction during printing. In addition, in the present invention, the rigidity of the upper region of the cup with respect to external pressure is increased, the deformation due to external pressure and the deformation due to contraction are reduced, the separation and drop of the cup is made good, and the mechanical compatibility is improved. To aim.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, in the synthetic resin cup of the present invention, a slight taper which is almost vertical to the uppermost region including the bump-shaped portion formed inside the upper edge flange. It has an uppermost part with an angle, and a step part with a relatively large taper angle is continuous to this uppermost part, and in the upper cup part and the lower part of the cup, it is continuous with this step part. the taper angle is slightly changed, it has a cup body formed to the lower end taper angle of the cup upper area portion is slightly larger than the taper angle of the cup under the region part, the cup upper region part
Occupies approximately 2/3 of the upper part of the cup body, and the lower part of the cup
It is distributed so that it occupies approximately 1/3 of the bottom of the cup body.
Change the wall thickness of the upper part of the cup and the lower part of the cup.
There as thinner than the upper region part the frequency band, has a bottom provided with a stepped portion constituting the stack pitch cup body bottom, the mosquito
Height difference that forms the stack pitch on the bottom of the main body
And a diametrical step is provided, and the stepped portions of the upper cup are positioned so that the stepped portions of the upper cup face the close proximity or abutment of the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup in the state of stacking the cups for stacking, and A colored or colorless transparent printing process is performed with an ink containing silicon to improve the sliding performance of the cup. Further, according to the present invention, a rib that slightly protrudes outward is provided in the shape of a stirrup over the entire circumference of the cup below the step portion having a relatively large taper angle continuously from the uppermost area. Further, a colored or colorless transparent printing process is applied to the outer surface of the cup having the ribs with a silicone-containing ink to improve the sliding performance of the cup. In addition, the silicone-containing ink is characterized by mixing a syrup containing an antistatic agent and a conductive substance, and the printing process is performed by a punching printing means.

[0017]

In the synthetic resin cup configured as described above, the stepped portions of the upper cups come into close proximity to or abut the bump-shaped portions of the lower cups in the stacking state of a large number of cups. No gap is formed between the cup and the lower cup. Therefore, it is less likely to bend when a large number of cups are stacked. Next, since the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup opposes or abuts the stepped portion of the upper cup having a relatively large taper angle,
Even if they come into contact with each other, they do not mesh at this portion. Therefore, there is no risk of blocking in the stacking state. In particular, by slightly changing the taper angle in the upper and lower parts of the cup and making the taper angle of the cup upper part slightly larger than the taper angle of the cup lower part, the upper part of the cup is stacked. The gap between the upper cup and the lower cup can be made larger than that of the cup that does not change the taper angle, and the lower cup can be separated smoothly and reliably. Become. Further, the gap between the cups in the upper region and the lower region can be easily changed and adjusted by changing the thickness of the cup. For example, the upper part of the cup where the gap between the cups is originally secured is made thicker to improve the feel of holding the cup, and the lower part, which is not so affected, is made thinner to secure a further gap. Is. As a result, the size of the stack pitch can be reduced, and the stack amount of cups can be increased.

In addition, particularly in the present invention, since the outer surface of the cup is subjected to a colored or colorless transparent printing treatment with the ink containing silicon, the sliding performance of the cup surface is improved, and the lower cup separating action is smoother and more reliable. Becomes In addition, the bevel-shaped ribs that protrude slightly outwardly under the stepped portion that has a relatively large taper angle continuously in the uppermost region of the cup enhances the rigidity of the upper region of the cup against external pressure. Deformation is reduced, and from this point, the cup is cut off and dropped more smoothly and reliably.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an upper edge flange formed on the upper edge of the synthetic resin cup, and when the cup is sheet-formed with a synthetic resin sheet, a bump-shaped portion 2 is formed inside the upper edge flange. In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes the uppermost region of the cup including the bump-like portion, which is formed with a slight taper angle that is almost vertical, and in the embodiment, this taper angle is formed to be approximately 2 degrees.

Reference numeral 7 in the drawing denotes a step portion formed continuously with the uppermost portion 6 and having a relatively large taper angle, and in the embodiment, it has a two-step taper angle. The taper angle of the two step portions may be any angle as long as it is approximately 15 degrees to approximately 90 degrees. Also, this step is
The cross section of the inclined surface having the taper angle is not necessarily linear, but may be curved. Further, the stepped portion may have a single step. The stepped portion serves to prevent the stacking from bending and blocking, as will be described later. In the figure, 3 is the cup body, and the stepped portion 7
Is formed continuously up to the lower end. The cup body is divided into an upper region 8 and a lower region 9 with a point A in the drawing as a boundary. In the illustrated embodiment, the point A is positioned at a position approximately 1/3 from the bottom of the cup body 3, but the position of the point A may be an intermediate position. The taper angle between the upper region 8 and the lower region 9 is slightly changed so that the taper angle of the upper region 8 is slightly larger than the taper angle of the lower region 9. In other words, the upper area point x and the lower area y point are dimensionally determined, and if the taper angle is not changed, the taper angle is about 5 degrees, and the cup upper area is relatively thick and easily deformed. Since it becomes easy to block in the part, the taper angle in the lower region of the cup, which is relatively thin and has a roundness, is made slightly smaller, and the taper angle in the upper region is made slightly larger. is there. As a result, the gap in the upper region can be secured without impairing the gap between the cups in the lower region, as shown in the examples described later. The cup body 3 has a bottom 4 at the lower end thereof, and the bottom 4 has a step D in the height direction of about 1 mm, and steps 5 and 10 constituting a stack pitch having a diametrical step having a dimension R. Have.

The synthetic resin cup of the present invention is characterized by the positioning of the stepped portion. That is, when a large number of cups are stacked and stacked, the position of the stepped portion 7 faces each of the bump-shaped portions of the lower cups so as to face each other or contact each other. That is, when stacking a large number of cups in a stacking state in this manner, the respective cups come into proximity with or abut on the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup at the stepped portion 7.
There is no clearance at this position in the respective cups and therefore no flexing in the stacking condition. Moreover, since the stepped portion 7 of the upper cup and the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup come close to or abut against each other as described above, the stepped portion is placed on the bump-shaped portion, and no meshing occurs at this portion. . Therefore, blocking does not occur.

Further, in the synthetic resin cup of the present invention, even when the cup is supplied to the beverage vending machine having the cup separating mechanism shown in FIG. 7, the position held by the wedge 44 is
Uppermost region 6 having a slight taper angle that is almost vertical
Therefore, the cup does not greatly incline, and the cup does not largely incline and the automatic falling of the cup is not hindered. Further, in the synthetic resin cup of the present invention, the taper angles of the upper region 8 and the lower region 9 of the cup body are slightly changed so that the taper angle of the upper region is slightly smaller than the taper angle of the lower region. Since it is made large, even if the thickness of the upper region is larger than the thickness of the lower region between the upper cup and the lower cup with the cups stacked as shown in FIG. It is possible to secure the gap 1 in the region of the region, and it is possible to separate the lower cup even if the stack amount of the cup is increased.

In particular, in the present invention, the colored printing 11 is performed on the outer surface of the cup with the ink mixed with silicon on the portion where the original design and appearance are required. Next, the transparent printing 12 is performed on the other portions with a transparent ink containing silicon. The printing of the ink containing silicon improves the sliding of the cup and facilitates the separation. Further, by applying the transparent print 12 to the bottom of the cup, the sliding of the bottom portion of the cup can be made smoother and the separation of the cup can be improved. The color printing 11 and the transparent printing 12 may be performed in one stroke or two strokes. If it is performed in two steps, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost, but there is no slippage in printing due to the reduction of the printing area for one time, and multiple coatings can be applied if necessary, so the range of application is wider. Become. Further, the viscosity and transparency of the ink are adjusted by mixing an antistatic agent in advance with these inks or mixing them with a medium containing a conductive substance. In addition, in the 12 parts of transparent printing and the part that does not require much printing ability,
Die printing is performed instead of solid printing to reduce the deviation between the plate and the cup during printing and prevent the slip phenomenon. The above-mentioned blank printing may be linear or mesh-shaped. In the above, the amount of silicon mixed in the ink is 1
~ 2% is good. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a cup of the present invention in which a rib 13 in the shape of a bevel is provided under the step portion 7 so as to slightly project outward and is provided on the entire circumference of the cup. Colored printing 11 and colorless printing 12 are similarly applied to this cup.

A polystyrene cup containing 0.5% of an antistatic agent was used to test the state of charge of the conventional printed cup and the cup of the present invention by a tester. Each of these tests is a conventional printed cup A
And a cup B using the ink containing 1% silicon of the present invention, and a cup C using the ink containing medium containing 1% silicon containing an antistatic agent or a conductive substance.
Each of 50 and 50 was put in a stacked state and the charged voltage was measured. As a result, there was no great difference in the charged voltage on the outside of the cup, but the stack state was separated in the middle, and the charged state on the inner surface of the lower cup was measured.

[Table 1]

On the other hand, a polystyrene cup is 350
0%, 0.3%, 0.45 in cc full cups, respectively
%, 0.6%, and 0.8% of an antistatic agent was kneaded into a cup, and about 260 cc of a carbonated beverage cooled to about 2 ° C was poured vigorously from the filling nozzle without ice. The result was on the street.

[Table 2] As shown in Table 2, in the cup in which the antistatic agent was kneaded by 0.8%, the carbonated beverage having a large forming state and having a large cc of 35 spilled. Next, in a cup containing 0.6% of an antistatic agent, 1-2 cc of carbonated beverage was spilled. In the cups containing 0.45%, 0.3% and 0% of antistatic agent, the foaming state was small and the carbonated beverage did not spill.

From the above, when the silicone-containing ink or the medium-containing ink containing an antistatic agent or a conductive substance is used, the charged state can be lowered as described above. The kneading of the antistatic agent can be eliminated or suppressed, and the forming state at the time of filling the beverage can be reduced.

[0027]

As described above, according to the synthetic resin cup of the present invention, due to its structural characteristics, there is no risk of bending in the stacking state, and there is no risk of the respective cups engaging in the stacking state. In addition, it has the following effects. The sliding of the cup, that is, the sliding between the cup and the contact surface of the other machine and the sliding of the stacked cups are improved, and as a result, the free fall performance of the cup and the suitability for vending machines and other machines are significantly improved. The electrostatic charge in the printing process is significantly reduced, and it is possible to eliminate or reduce the kneading and application of the antistatic agent in the cup, and it is possible to significantly reduce the foaming phenomenon when injecting and filling carbonated drinks. I was able to. Then, the transparency of the transparent printing portion was improved, the slip phenomenon on the printing surface was reduced, and the transparent ink cost was also reduced. Furthermore, the rigidity of the upper cup region against external pressure can be improved, the deformation can be reduced, the area in which the stacked cups contact each other is reduced, and the natural fall due to the separation is not impaired.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a half section showing a synthetic resin cup of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing an upper part which is a main part of the synthetic resin cup shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a half section showing the synthetic resin cup of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an upper portion which is a main part of the synthetic resin cup shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing an intermediate portion of the cup body, which is a main portion of the synthetic resin cup of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a bottom which is a main part of the synthetic resin cup of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view of a cup separating mechanism of a certain type of beverage vending machine.

FIG. 8 is a front view in half section of an improved synthetic resin cup developed by the inventors.

9 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the improved synthetic resin cup shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a half sectional front view of a conventional synthetic resin cup.

11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the conventional synthetic resin cup of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Upper edge flange 2 bumps 3 cup body 4 bottom 5 steps 6 top area 7 Step 8 Upper part 9 Lower part 10 steps 11 Colored printing 12 colorless printing 13 ribs

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65D 1/26 B65D 21/02

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An uppermost region having a slight taper angle which is approximately vertical to the uppermost region including a bump-shaped portion formed inside the upper edge flange, and the uppermost region is continuously compared. It has a step with a large taper angle, and the taper angle of the cup upper part and the lower part is slightly changed continuously with this step, and the taper angle of the cup upper part is the cup lower part. top of and slightly larger than the taper angle has a cup body formed to the lower end, the upper area portion of the cup body cup
Occupies approximately 2/3 of the lower part of the cup body
Allocated so as to occupy approximately 1/3, with the upper part of the cup
Change the wall thickness of the lower part of the cup to make the lower part thinner than the upper part
As a meat, it has a bottom with a step forming a stack pitch at the lower end of the cup body, and the bottom of the cup body is
Height and diametrical steps that make up the pitch.
It is provided, and stacking cups for stacking is positioned so that the stepped portion of the upper cup faces the bump-shaped portion of the lower cup facing or abuts, and the outer surface of the cup is colored with ink containing silicon. Or, a synthetic resin cup characterized by being subjected to a colorless and transparent printing treatment to improve the sliding performance of the cup. 2. An uppermost region including a bump-shaped portion formed inside the upper edge flange has an uppermost region having a slight taper angle which is approximately vertical, and the uppermost region is continuously compared. It has a step with a large taper angle, and a rib that protrudes slightly outward is provided under the step in the shape of a bevel, and it is continuous with this rib and roughly the upper part of the cup and the lower part of the cup. The taper angle of the cup is slightly changed so that the taper angle of the upper part of the cup is slightly larger than the taper angle of the lower part of the cup.
Part occupies approximately 2/3 of the upper part of the cup body, the lower part of the cup
Distribute so that it occupies approximately 1/3 of the bottom of the cup body
Yes, changing the wall thickness of the cup upper region and the cup lower region,
There as thinner than the upper region part of the lower region part, has a bottom provided with a stepped portion constituting the stack pitch cup body lower end, the
Height steps that form the stack pitch on the bottom of the cup body
Differences and diametrical steps are provided, and for stacking, the stepped portions of the upper cup are positioned so that the stepped portions of the upper cup face the bumps of the lower cup so as to face or come into contact with the bump-shaped portions of the lower cup. Synthetic resin cup to be. 3. The synthetic resin cup according to claim 2, wherein the outer surface of the cup is subjected to a colored or colorless transparent printing process with an ink containing silicon to improve the sliding performance of the cup. . 4. The synthetic resin cup according to claim 1, wherein the ink containing silicon is mixed with a medium containing an antistatic agent and a conductive substance. 5. The synthetic resin cup according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the printing process is performed by a blank printing means.