JP7354700B2 - Dripper and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dripper and a method for manufacturing the same, and for example, a dripper in which contents having components to be extracted (e.g., regular coffee powder, black tea leaves, green tea leaves, etc.) are stored in advance, and a method for manufacturing the same. It is.

Disposable coffee drippers have been known that consist of a bag-shaped filter pre-filled with regular coffee powder and a cylindrical support (sleeve-shaped mount) for positioning the filter on the cup. . The support is often made into a cylinder by gluing cardboard with both ends overlapped, and before use the support is folded with a filter made of nonwoven fabric attached inside. When brewing coffee, the filter is opened, the support is changed from a folded state to an open cylindrical state, and then a dripper is placed on the cup. When hot water is poured into the filter, the brewed coffee will pass through the filter and collect in the cup.

For a coffee dripper like the one mentioned above, it is necessary to prevent the regular coffee powder inside the filter from scattering or tearing the filter when the filter is opened. Various types of drippers have been proposed in the past, and for example, the dripper described in Patent Document 1 has a lid that is thermally bonded to the opening of a filter to prevent the contents from scattering. However, since this configuration limits the amount of contents filled into the filter, it cannot be adopted in a small dripper as described in Patent Document 2.

Patent Documents 3 to 5 propose a dripper in which a filter opening is removably closed by ultrasonic sealing via a support. These configurations do not pose a problem when the sealing range of the filter opening does not overlap with the overlapping portion of the support (that is, the overlapping portions at both ends of the cardboard), as in the dripper described in Patent Document 6, but Patent Document 2 When the sealing range of the filter opening overlaps with the overlapping portion of the support, as in the dripper described in , the sealing strength of the filter opening will vary.

Patent No. 4391441 Patent No. 4124352 Patent No. 3967258 Patent No. 4028456 Patent No. 4815736 Patent No. 5389588

Ultrasonic sealing is performed using an ultrasonic sealing device that includes an ultrasonic horn (resonator), a receiving jig (anvil), and the like. The variation in the sealing strength of the filter opening is due to the variation in the force that the filter receives from the ultrasonic horn during ultrasonic sealing through the support. In other words, if an overlapping portion of the support exists as a thickness deviation within the range of the ultrasonic seal on the filter, the filter will be strongly pressed by the overlapping portion, and ultrasonic vibration energy will strongly act on the filter. For example, in the overlapping portion of the support, the filters are strongly sealed to each other, or the outer surface of the filter is strongly sealed to the inner surface of the support (for example, a sealant layer made of polyethylene). Such a sealed filter portion makes it difficult to open smoothly, which can lead to the filter tearing when the filter is opened.

As described in Patent Documents 4 and 5, if an anvil for ultrasonic sealing is provided with a relief process (a hole called a "counterbore") equivalent to the thickness of one sheet of paper, defects in seal strength can be avoided. Uniformity can be overcome to some extent. However, since adhesive (for example, hot melt adhesive) is applied to the overlapping parts of the supports to hold the supports in a cylindrical shape, the filter is strongly pressed due to the unstable thickness of the adhesive. Ultrasonic vibration energy acts strongly on the filter. Such a sealed filter portion makes it difficult to open smoothly, which can lead to the filter tearing when the filter is opened.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a small dripper that can prevent the contents from scattering and the filter from breaking when the filter is opened, and a method for manufacturing the same. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, the dripper of the first invention includes a bag-like filter in which a content having a component to be extracted is enclosed, and a cylindrical shape that is foldable with the filter located inside. A dripper having a support body,
The support body is made of a bent blank plate,
The support body is formed into a cylinder by bonding both ends of the blank plate with an adhesive so as to overlap,
The opening of the filter is removably closed by ultrasonic sealing via the support,
The support is characterized in that the area sealed by the ultrasonic seal and the area bonded by the adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap.

A dripper according to a second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the adhesive is a hot melt adhesive.

A dripper according to a third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect, two or three adhesive areas are arranged with the adhesive.

The dripper of a fourth invention is the dripper according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the cylindrical support body has a first opening forming one opening and a second opening forming the other opening. an opening, and the opening of the filter is attached to the first opening so that the filter opens when the support is changed from a folded state to a cylindrical open state. do.

A manufacturing method of a fifth invention is a method of manufacturing a dripper according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, comprising:
Applying an adhesive to the overlapping portion formed by overlapping both ends of the blank plate, forming a cylindrical support by the adhesive,
providing the filter within the support;
Putting the contents into the filter,
It is characterized in that the opening of the filter is releasably closed by performing ultrasonic sealing through the support outside the range of adhesion with the adhesive.

According to the present invention, the area sealed by the ultrasonic seal and the area bonded by the adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap, so that the filter is not strongly pressed due to the unstable thickness of the adhesive. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration energy does not act strongly on any part of the filter, so the filters are not strongly sealed to each other or the outer surface of the filter is not strongly sealed to the inner surface of the support. Therefore, even a small dripper can prevent the contents from scattering and the filter from tearing when the filter is opened.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an embodiment of the dripper in an unopened state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the dripper of FIG. 1 in an unsealed state. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a blank plate of a support that constitutes the dripper of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an ultrasonic sealing process in the dripper of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a specific example of the positional relationship between the sealing range and the adhesion range in the dripper of FIG. 1;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Drippers and the like according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in each specific example are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanation will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the dripper 1 in an unopened state (the support body 3 is in a folded state), and FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the dripper 1 in an unsealed state (the cylindrical open state of the support body 3). FIG. 1 is a rear view of the dripper 1, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the dripper 1 set on the cup 17. The dripper 1 consists of a bag-shaped filter 2 in which a content 18 (FIG. 2) containing a component to be extracted is enclosed, and a cylindrical support (sleeve) that is foldable with the filter 2 located inside. It has a double structure with a mount (shaped mount) 3. This dripper 1 is suitable for portability because the support body 3 is foldable, and is suitable for disposable use because it has a simple structure that can be constructed from materials that are easy to dispose of. In other words, although it is a portable and disposable type, it has the advantage of being able to easily brew drip coffee, for example.

The contents 18 (FIG. 2; for example, regular coffee powder, black tea leaves, green tea leaves, etc.) containing the components to be extracted are sealed in the bag-shaped filter 2 in advance. In order to prevent the contents 18 from spilling out of the filter 2 before using the dripper 1, the opening 9a of the filter 2 is removably closed by an ultrasonic seal via the support 3. In FIG. 1, a sealing range 24 by ultrasonic sealing is shown.

The material for the filter 2 may be a sheet material that has heat adhesive properties, a sheet material that has heat adhesive properties on one side (the innermost layer when it is made into a bag shape), etc., in consideration of processability when making it into a bag shape. It is preferable to use For example, water-permeable nonwoven fabric made of polyolefin-based (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.), polyester-based material, etc., thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin-based (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.), polyester-based material on one side (innermost layer when made into a bag) Examples include filter paper with a multilayer structure containing . The bag-shaped processing is performed by folding the sheet materials in half or gusset-folding the sheet materials, stacking them, thermally adhering them into a predetermined shape, and cutting and die-cutting them.

The cylindrical support 3 allows the filter 2 to be set on the cup 17 (FIG. 2) while maintaining the filter 2 in a predetermined shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the support 3 has a first opening 7 forming one opening 7a and a second opening 8 forming the other opening 8a. A filter opening 9 is attached to the first opening 7 so that the filter 2 opens when the filter is changed from the folded state (FIG. 1) to the cylindrical open state (FIG. 2). To attach the filter 2, insert the filter 2 into the support 3, fold back a part of the filter opening 9 to the outside at the edge of the first opening 7 of the support 3, and attach the folded part to the support 3. This is done by pasting it on the outside surface. When the filter 2 is attached in this manner, when the support body 3 is opened into a cylindrical state during use, the filter 2 opens wide, making it suitable for pouring or dripping.

The support body 3 is formed by bending, gluing, etc. one blank plate 3A shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a developed view of the support body 3, and the blank plate 3A is formed by punching out a plate-shaped sheet material as shown in the developed view (FIG. 3). The material of the blank board 3A is not particularly limited, but for example, cardboard such as waterproof card paper or ivory paper, or cardboard coated with resin (polyethylene, etc.) on both sides (particularly the inner surface of the support 3) may be used. It can be used as a sheet material. Note that if the blank board 3A is made of cardboard coated with resin, even if the support body 3 is exposed to hot water or steam, a decrease in its rigidity can be prevented.

The blank plate 3A (FIG. 3) is composed of three parts having the bending line L as a boundary, that is, a front plate 4, a back plate 5, and a glue margin piece 6. Specific examples of the bending line L include ruled lines such as lead rules, press rules, cut rules, and perforation rules. A T-shaped notch 14, a V-shaped notch 15, a sector-shaped hole 16, and a recess N are provided in the front plate 4 and the back plate 5, respectively, symmetrically. The notch 14 is located at a portion corresponding to the second opening 8 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the support 3, and the notch 15 is located at a portion corresponding to the first opening 7 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the support 3. ), and the hole 16 is located midway between the portions corresponding to the first and second openings 7 and 8. Note that when attaching the filter 2 inside the support 3, by pressing the filter 2 through the holes 16, it is possible to effectively suppress relative displacement of the filter 2 with respect to the support 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of protrusions 11 and leg portions 13 are formed in a portion of the support body 3 corresponding to the second opening 8 (FIGS. 1 and 2). In other words, the protrusion 11 is formed at the position of each bending line L and the position where they are attached (the overlapping part 20 in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the leg 13 is formed between the positions of the two bending lines L. It is formed. Two legs 13 are formed by the same notch 14, and a recess N is formed in each leg 13 on the protrusion 11 side. The combination of the recess N and the notch 14 allows the leg 13 to be bent toward the second opening 8 of the support 3 while reducing wastage of sheet material when forming the blank plate 3A. .

When assembling the support body 3, first, the blank plate 3A is bent along the bending line L at the boundary between the front plate 4 and the back plate 5, so that the front plate 4 and the back plate 5 are overlapped. Next, the blank board 3A is bent along the bending line L at the boundary between the front plate 4 and the adhesive strip 6, so that the adhesive strip 6 overlaps the back panel 5. When the adhesive piece 6 is adhered to the back plate 5 in this state, the blank plate 3A becomes cylindrical and the support body 3 in a folded state is obtained. To adhere the adhesive strip 6 to the back plate 5, apply adhesive (for example, hot melt adhesive) to the overlapping portion 20 formed by overlapping both ends of the blank plate 3A in three adhesive areas 22 (FIG. 1). It is done by coating.

A filter 2 is provided within the support 3 which has been formed into a cylinder as described above. To attach the filter 2 to the support 3, as described above, insert the filter 2 into the support 3, fold a portion of the filter opening 9 outward at the edge of the first opening 7 of the support 3, and This is done by attaching the folded portion to the outer surface of the support 3 with an adhesive (for example, hot melt adhesive).

By bending the blank plate 3A along each bending line L, a crease M (FIGS. 1 and 2) is formed at the position of each bending line L. When the left and right folds M are pressed toward each other on the folded support 3 (FIG. 1), force is concentrated on the lower end of the notch 15 and the upper and lower ends of the hole 16, causing the notch 15 and the hole to Folds along the lines 16 are likely to occur at two locations on each of the front plate 4 and the back plate 5. Therefore, the blank plate 3A can be easily bent. By this bending, creases M (FIGS. 1 and 2) are formed at the positions of each bending line L, and as shown in FIG. Square openings 7a and 8a are formed. Then, the support body 3 becomes a cylindrical open state (FIG. 2), and a substantially hexagonal opening 9a is also formed in the filter opening 9. Note that in order to increase the capacity of the dripper 1, it is preferable to fold the bottom of the filter 2 into a gusset.

The second opening 8 of the support body 3 assembled as described above includes a pair of protrusions 11 facing each other through the opening 8a, two pairs of legs 13 facing each other through the opening 8a, is formed. When the support body 3 is brought into a cylindrical open state by bending the blank plate 3A along the bending line L, the protruding portion 11 and the leg portion 13 are arranged at predetermined positions in the second opening 8. That is, the protrusions 11 are provided at the bending positions (positions where the creases M are formed) on both sides of the support 3 in the folded state (FIG. 1), and the legs 13 are provided between the two protrusions 11. Since the protruding portion 11 and the leg portion 13 are arranged in a well-balanced manner in the second opening 8 of the support body 3, the center of gravity of the dripper 1 is lowered as a whole and stabilized.

The opening of the filter 2 can be peeled off by putting the contents 18 into the filter 2 through the opening 9a and performing ultrasonic sealing via the support 3 outside the adhesive bonding area 22 at the overlapping portion 20. When closed, the dripper 1 (FIG. 1) in an unopened state is obtained. The plan view of (A) and the front view of (B) in FIG. 4 (the ultrasonic sealing device is omitted) schematically show how the filter 2 is subjected to ultrasonic sealing treatment using the ultrasonic sealing device. show. The ultrasonic seal uses an ultrasonic sealing device that includes an ultrasonic horn 31 that applies ultrasonic vibration energy to the filter 2, and an anvil (receiving jig) 32 that positions the filter 2. It will be done.

A counterbore 32a is formed in the anvil 32 so as to correspond to the overlapping portion 20 of the blank plates 3A (as a clearance for one blank plate 20). Although the overlapping portion 20 of the support body 3 exists within the sealing area 24 (FIGS. 1 and 4(B)), even if the support body 3 is pressed against the anvil 32 by the ultrasonic horn 31 (FIG. 4(B)). A)) Since one piece of the blank plate 20 enters the counterbore 32a in the overlapped portion 20, the filter 2 is not strongly pressed in the overlapped portion 20. This makes it possible to achieve uniformity in seal strength, so that no strong seal portion that would cause the filter 2 to break when opened is created in the overlapping portion 20 of the blank plates 3A.

The same applies to the adhesive area 22. Since the adhesive area 22 for holding the support 3 in a cylindrical shape is located outside the sealing area 24, the filter 2 will not be strongly pressed due to the unstable thickness of the adhesive. . In other words, in the support 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4(B), the sealing range 24 by ultrasonic sealing and the bonding range 22 by adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap, so that the adhesive Due to the unstable thickness of the filter 2, the filter 2 is not pressed strongly. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration energy does not act strongly locally on the filter 2, making it possible to achieve uniform sealing strength. For example, the outer surface of the filter 2 will not be strongly sealed against a sealant layer made of polyethylene. Therefore, in the adhesive area 22, there is no strong seal that could cause the filter 2 to tear when it is opened, so even with a small dripper 1, there is no possibility that the contents 18 would be scattered or the filter 2 would be torn when the filter 2 is opened. can be prevented.

When using the dripper 1, for example, when brewing coffee, the filter 2 is opened, the support 3 is changed from the folded state (Fig. 1) to the cylindrical open state (Fig. 2), and then the filter 2 is opened. , place the dripper 1 on the cup 17. When hot water is poured into the filter 2 through the opening 9a, extracted coffee passes through the filter and accumulates in the cup. Since the inside of the cup 17 can be seen through the hole 16, the amount of coffee inside the cup 17 can be easily checked while pouring hot water. In this way, by pouring a predetermined amount of hot water into the filter 2 through the opening 9a, a beverage (coffee, black tea, green tea, etc.) in which desired components have been extracted from the contents 18 in the filter 2 is poured into the cup 17. Obtainable.

When the dripper 1 with the support body 3 in the cylindrical open state is placed on the cup 17 as described above, the protrusion 11 will be located inside the edge of the cup 17, as shown in FIG. The leg portion 13 will be located on the outside of the second opening 8, and the tip portion of the leg portion 13 will be located on the outside of the edge of the cup 17. Due to the restoring force of the support body 3 that attempts to return to the folded state (FIG. 1), the edges of the cup 17 are bent from the inside and outside by the protrusion 11 located inside the cup 17 and the legs 13 located outside the cup 17. Since it is strongly pressed down, even a large-capacity dripper 1 can be held in a stable state.

Since the movement of the support 3 is restricted by the edge of the cup 17 due to the bent shape of the leg 13 (for example, locking in the bent position), the position of the dripper 1 cannot be fixed without the presence of the cup 17. do not have. In other words, as long as the edge of the cup 17 is within the range from the second opening 8 to the bent position of the leg 13, the dripper 1 can be set on the cup 17 while maintaining the shape of the dripper 1 in an open state. . Therefore, it is possible to accommodate a wide variety of cup 17 (various cup sizes, cup shapes, etc.). Note that depending on the cup size and cup shape, the dripper 1 may be set on the cup 17 so that the protruding part 11 is located outside the edge of the cup 17, or the protruding part 11 may be omitted and only the leg part 13 may be set. The dripper 1 may be set on the cup 17.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the sealing area 24 by the ultrasonic seal and the bonding area 22 by the adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap, so that the unstable thickness of the adhesive may cause the filter to be damaged. 2 is not pressed too hard. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration energy does not act strongly locally on the filter 2, so that the filters 2 are not strongly sealed to each other or the outer surface of the filter 2 is not strongly sealed to the inner surface of the support 3. do not have. Therefore, even with the small dripper 1, it is possible to prevent the contents 18 from scattering and the filter 2 from being torn when the filter 2 is opened.

The front view of FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the positional relationship between the seal area 24 and the adhesive area 22. FIG. 5A shows the specific example (FIG. 1) described above. That is, this is a specific example (3-point hot melt type) in which the three bonding areas 22 provided in the overlapping portion 20 of the back plate 5 are all located outside the sealing area 24. (B) to (D) in FIG. 5 are specific examples (two-point hot melt type) in which the two adhesive areas 22 provided in the overlapping portion 20 of the back plate 5 are both located outside the sealing area 24. It is. In both specific examples, the sealing range 24 by the ultrasonic seal and the bonding range 22 by the adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap, so that the thickness of the adhesive does not affect the ultrasonic seal.

Hereinafter, the dripper and the like embodying the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples.

Table 1 shows the measurement results of the thickness (mm) of the overlapping portion 20 in Examples 1 and 2 and the reference example (current product) of the dripper 1. In Example 1, the position A 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6 is the position of the ultrasonic horn 31 (sealing range 24), and the position 16 mm from the top of the glue strip 6 is the position of the adhesive (adhesive range 22). Then, the thickness (mm) of the overlapping portion 20 was measured 10 times (sample numbers: 1 to 10) at a position A 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6 and a position B 17 mm from the top of the glue strip 6. In Example 2, the position A 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6 is the position of the ultrasonic horn 31 (sealing range 24), and the position 14 mm from the top of the glue strip 6 is the position of the adhesive (adhesion range 22). Then, the thickness (mm) of the overlapping portion 20 was measured 10 times (sample numbers: 1 to 10) at position A, 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6, and position B, 15 mm from the top of the glue strip 6. In the reference example, the ultrasonic horn 31 (sealing range 24) and the adhesive (adhesive range 22) are located at a position A 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6, and at a position A 10 mm from the top of the glue strip 6, The thickness (mm) of the overlapping portion 20 was measured 10 times (sample numbers: 1 to 10).

Table 2 shows the results of filter breakage when the dripper 1 of Examples 1 and 2 and Reference Example (current product) was opened. There were five monitors, and when each of them opened two coffee drippers, they evaluated the ease of tearing based on the number of filters 2 (nonwoven fabric) that were torn. Note that the force applied to the filter 2 when unsealing depends on the position of the overlapped sleeve part (that is, the glue allowance piece 6 is located inside the back plate 5 (filter 2 side) or outside in the overlapped part 20). Since it is thought that the difference may differ depending on whether the sleeves of the two drippers 1 are overlapped or not, the positions of the overlapped sleeves of the two drippers 1 were reversed and opened.

From the measurement results shown in Table 1, it was found that in both Examples 1 and 2, the thickness of the overlapping portion 20 could be stably obtained at the measurement position A. Further, from the test results shown in Table 2, it was found that in both Examples 1 and 2, the filter 2 could be prevented from breaking.

1 Dripper 2 Filter 3 Support 3A Blank plate 4 Front plate 5 Back plate 6 Glue allowance piece 7 First opening 8 Second opening 9 Filter opening 7a, 8a, 9a Opening 11 Projection 13 Leg 14 Notch 15 Cut Notch 16 Hole 17 Cup 18 Contents 20 Overlapping portion 22 Adhesion range 24 Sealing range 31 Ultrasonic horn (ultrasonic sealing device)
32 Anvil (receiving jig, ultrasonic sealing device)
32a Countersunk L Bending line M Crease N Recess

Claims (5)

A dripper comprising a bag-shaped filter in which a content containing a component to be extracted is enclosed, and a cylindrical support formed so as to be foldable with the filter located inside, the dripper comprising:
The support body is made of a bent blank plate,
The support body is formed into a cylinder by bonding both ends of the blank plate with an adhesive so as to overlap,
The opening of the filter is removably closed by ultrasonic sealing via the support,
In the support, the area sealed by the ultrasonic seal and the area bonded by the adhesive are arranged so as not to overlap ,
Overlapping portions of both ends of the blank plate exist within the sealing range,
When the support body is in a folded state, the number of overlapping blank plates within the sealing area is three in the overlapping area and two in other areas. The dripper of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a hot melt adhesive. The dripper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adhesive bonding range is arranged at two or three locations. The cylindrical support has a first opening that constitutes one opening and a second opening that constitutes the other opening, and when the support is changed from a folded state to a cylindrical open state. The dripper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an opening of the filter is attached to the first opening so that the filter is open. A method for producing a dripper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
The blank board is composed of a front board, a back board provided at one end of the front board, and a glue margin piece provided at the other end of the front board,
forming the overlapping part with the back plate and the adhesive piece, applying an adhesive to the overlapping part, and forming a cylindrical support by the adhesion;
providing the filter within the support;
Putting the contents into the filter,
The relief processing for one sheet of the blank plate, which is formed to correspond to the overlapped part, is used to prevent the filter from being strongly pressed by the overlapped part, and the support is applied outside the range of adhesion by the adhesive. A manufacturing method characterized in that the opening of the filter is releasably closed by performing ultrasonic sealing through the body.

Images