JP7465600B1 - Mask container and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a mask container that is compact and aesthetically pleasing while maintaining the cleanliness of the mask, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Solution] In the mask container 10, 10' of the present invention, the mask 1 comprises a mask body 11 having at least an inner layer 5a that contacts the face and an outer layer 5b on the opposite side of the inner layer 5a, and ear straps 6 with string ends 6a, 6b connected to the four corners of the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11, and the folded body 2 has a folding structure in which the mask body 11 encloses the ear straps 6 and the outer layer 5b forms a pair of outer surfaces 12a, 12b by rolling in four. 2 has an elongated shape with a folded length L1 corresponding to the longitudinal length of the mask body 11 and a folded width W2 shortened from the lateral length of the mask body 11, and the packaging bag 30, 30' has an elongated shape surrounding the elongated folded body 2, and the packaging bag 30, 30' is opaque, and the color of the bag outer surface 31 of the packaging bag 30, 30' is substantially the same color as the outer layer 5b of the mask 1 sealed and contained in the packaging bag 30, 30'.

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Law applies. Sales date: January 1, 2023, Publisher: Shanghai Fumanjia Convenience Co., Ltd., Location: Approximately 2,930 FamilyMart stores across China. Posting date: December 1, 2022, Publisher: Qingdao Black Shield Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Posting address: https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?abbucket=19&id=692310833916&rn=c68dcf5cd29339a20d4ae77eae39b9cb&spm=a1z10.5-b. w4011-22553414289.51.774f569a8Zpz33&sku_properties=20509:28383

The present invention relates to a mask container in which a folded mask is contained in a packaging bag, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Recently, there has been an increase in demand for sanitary masks (hereafter referred to as "masks"). In particular, masks that are individually packaged are currently being manufactured and sold in large quantities, as they can always be used in a clean state. However, because the sheet-like mask body of an individually packaged mask is placed in an open packaging bag, the overall dimensions of the mask are large, making it difficult to store in trouser or jacket pockets or small handbags, and there is a demand for individually packaged masks to be made more compact. In addition, masks placed in transparent packaging bags do not look good.

Patent Document 1 discloses a sanitary mask package in which a sanitary mask folded into a stick shape is individually packaged in a packaging bag made of a resin film, and illustrates a mask in which the mask body is folded in half and then rolled in three (DM six-fold). However, when the mask is folded in six DM, two folds appear as wrinkles between the short edges (horizontal direction) and one fold appears between the long edges (vertical direction) when opened (Patent Document 1, Figure 8). In particular, the fold between the long edges, i.e., the vertical wrinkle, appears along the bridge of the nose when the mask is worn, which is undesirable from an aesthetic point of view. In addition, in a mask equipped with a nose wire for fitting the mask to the wearer's nose, if the mask body is folded in half along the fold between the long edges, the nose wire must also be folded, which increases the thickness of the mask. In addition, when the mask is actually opened and used, there is a risk that the nose wire , which has been kept folded for a long time when stored, will break at the bent point.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, a transparent packaging bag is used, which is favorable because the contents can be seen, but the folded mask does not necessarily look beautiful. That is, when a transparent packaging bag is used, the mask has an irregular shape, and the folded mask loses its neatly folded initial state in the transparent packaging bag due to transportation, stuffing, stacking, compression, load, friction, etc., and the appearance of the mask in the packaging bag becomes shabby. Although the sanitary condition of the sealed inside should not change at all, a person who sees the mask before using it will get the impression that the mask is unsanitary before opening the packaging bag. Furthermore, deterioration and yellowing occur in the transparent bag. In this way, when the folded mask is stored in a transparent bag, the user may feel that the mask is unsanitary and unclean when they see the untidy mask through the transparent bag.

Patent Document 2 discloses a folding structure for a mask in which ear loops are attached to both longitudinal ends of the mask body, which unfolds from a folded state into a rectangular sheet, to cover the face, including the mouth and nose. The mask body has multiple fold lines arranged in the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals in the width direction, and the mask is folded alternately in opposite directions along the width direction at each fold line. Patent Document 2 shows a folding structure that is W-shaped when viewed from the side, i.e., folded in four on the outside.

In Patent Document 2, the folded mask is stored in a transparent storage bag, and after storage, the opening side is folded back to close it, and a cut-out portion for letting air out is shown on the opposite side of the opening (paragraph 0035 and figure 4 of Patent Document 2). That is, in the folding structure of Patent Document 2, the opening of the storage bag is not welded, so there is no problem of welding the ear straps together when welding the storage bag. In other words, in the folding structure of Patent Document 2, the ear straps are not enclosed by the mask body but placed on the outside, so when welding the opening, there may be a manufacturing defect problem in which the ear straps remaining near the opening overlap the storage bag due to friction with the inner surface of the storage bag when the mask is inserted, and are welded. However, since the opening is not welded in the first place, Patent Document 2 does not disclose or suggest any idea for solving this problem.

In addition, the storage bag shown in Patent Document 2 does not have a sealed opening and has a cutout on the side opposite the opening, i.e., the storage bag has a structure with air vents on both ends, so air may enter the storage bag and contaminate the stored mask with airborne bacteria, dust, etc. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 uses a transparent storage bag, just like Patent Document 1, which spoils the aesthetic appearance when the arrangement and folding structure of the mask inside are distorted, and the yellowing and deterioration of the transparent bag gives the user the impression that the mask is not hygienic before wearing it.

On the other hand, when a folded mask is stored in an opaque packaging bag, the state of the contents cannot be visually confirmed, so for example, when there are multiple variations of individually packaged masks, some kind of identification means is required to distinguish the contents (first problem). Also, when a defective product is manufactured in which the mask ear straps are welded together with the packaging bag, the internal condition cannot be visually confirmed in the opaque packaging bag, so absolute measures must be taken in advance to prevent the ear straps from being welded (second problem). Figure 12 shows a defective mask container 100 in which the ear straps 106 of a mask 101 stored in an opaque packaging bag 130 are mistakenly welded 110 at the end seal 135 of the welding point. In Figure 12, the mask 101 and ear straps 106, which cannot be visually confirmed from the outside of the opaque packaging bag 130, are shown with dotted lines. As described above, when masks are individually stored in an opaque packaging bag, the first and second problems exist and it is necessary to solve these problems.

Utility Model Registration No. 3228666 JP 2014-226184 A

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a mask housing body that is compact and has a high aesthetic appearance while maintaining the cleanliness of the mask, and a manufacturing method thereof. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a mask housing body that solves the conventional problems caused by the use of opaque packaging bags , and a manufacturing method thereof. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a mask housing body that does not require folding of the nose wire, and a manufacturing method thereof.

The mask container of the present invention is a mask container 10, 10' in which a folded body 2 obtained by folding a mask 1 is sealed and contained in a packaging bag 30, 30'. The mask 1 is equipped with a mask body 11 having at least an inner layer 5a that contacts the person's face and an outer layer 5b on the opposite side of the inner layer 5a, ear straps 6 having string ends 6a, 6b connected to the four corners of the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11, and a nose wire 15 arranged between a fold-back piece 9a folded back at a long edge 13a of the mask body 11 and the inner layer 5a . The folded body 2 has a folding structure in which the mask body 11 envelops the ear straps 6 and the outer layer 5b forms a pair of outer surfaces 12a, 12b by folding twice in the same direction , the folded body 2 has an elongated shape with a folding length L2 corresponding to the longitudinal length of the mask body 11 and a folding width W2 shortened to approximately one-fourth of the lateral length of the mask body 11, the packaging bag 30, 30' has an elongated shape surrounding the elongated folded body 2, the packaging bag 30, 30' is opaque, and the color of the bag outer surface 31 of the packaging bag 30, 30' is substantially the same color as the outer layer 5b of the mask 1 sealed and contained in the packaging bag 30, 30'.

When using the transparent packaging bag of the prior art, the masks are not fixed in shape, so they move around in the packaging bag during transportation, etc., and over a long period of time, they become crushed or the folds become misaligned. If the packaging bag is placed vertically, the masks fall to the bottom of the packaging bag, and anyone who sees this situation gets a bad impression of the packaging bag being unclean even before opening it. In contrast, the present invention uses opaque packaging bags 30, 30', which can avoid the drawback of the mask 1 in the packaging bag 30, 30' giving a bad impression from the appearance before use. In addition, opaque packaging bags 30, 30' allow bar codes and characters to be printed more clearly than transparent bags, and the accuracy of reading bar codes is also high. In the present invention, which uses opaque packaging bags 30, 30', the outer surface 31 of the packaging bag 30, 30' is the same color as the outer layer 5b of the mask 1 as an identification means, so that the packaging bag 30, 30' can be opened without mistaking the color of the mask 1, which cannot be seen from the outside, and the first problem caused by using opaque packaging bags 30, 30' is solved. Because the ear straps 6 are connected to the inner layer (mouth layer) 5a of the mask body 11 and are folded while being surrounded by the mask body 11, when the packaging bags 30, 30' are welded and sealed, it is possible to prevent the production of defective products in which the ear straps 6 are welded together. In other words, the folding structure prevents the ear straps 6 from detaching from inside the mask body 11, thus avoiding the second problem mentioned above caused by using opaque packaging bags 30, 30'.

In the present invention, the outer layer 5b is folded twice to form the outer surface 12a, 12b of the folded body 2, and the outer layer 5b is exposed to the outside, i.e., the inner layer 5a on the side that contacts the face is not exposed. This prevents dust, bacteria, etc. floating in the air from adhering to the inner layer 5a immediately after opening the packaging bag 30, 30', and keeps the mask 1 clean until it is worn. In addition, the folded body 2 and the packaging bag 30, 30' that surrounds and packages it have a sophisticated elongated shape (stick shape), a smart design, and a beautiful silhouette. The mask container 10, 10' looks like a slim body with a waist. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to provide the mask container 10, 10' that stimulates the consumer's desire to purchase and can be provided as a minimum sales unit.

In an embodiment of the mask container according to the present invention, the folds forming the folded body 2 consist of a first fold 8a, a second fold 8b, and a third fold 8c that extend approximately parallel to each other between a pair of short edges 14a, 14b of the mask body 11, and when the mask body 11 is in an open state, the first fold 8a is disposed between the second fold 8b and the third fold 8c, and the folded body 2 has a folding structure in which the second fold 8b and the third fold 8c are aligned.
The folded body 2 has a folded structure folded twice by rolling in four, and the folded body 2 folded in four has a folded structure in which one inner layer 5a1 and the other inner layer 5a2 located on both sides of the first fold 8a are in surface contact with each other, and one outer layer 5b1 and the other outer layer 5b2 located on both sides of the third fold 8c are in surface contact with each other. In other words, the rolling in four fold method involves first folding the first fold 8a near the center of the mask body 11 to align the pair of inner layers 5a1, 5a2 (to align the pair of long edges 13a, 13b), and then folding the mask in the same direction as the initial fold to align the pair of outer layers 5b1, 5b2, using the second and third folds 8b, 8c as folds.
The mask 1 has one or more pleat lines 21-24 extending between a pair of short edges 14a, 14b of the mask body 11, and the first fold 8a and the second fold 8b are formed substantially in line with the two pleat lines 22,24.
The folded pieces 9a, 9b are provided by folding the sheet-like nonwoven fabric constituting the outer layer 5b toward the inner layer 5a at a pair of long edges 13a, 13b of the mask body 11, and the folded pieces 9a, 9b extend at least to the ear strap welding parts 16 that connect the ear straps 6 to the mask body 11.
The total length L1 in the longitudinal direction is 180 to 240 mm, and the total width W1 in the lateral direction is 25 to 40 mm.
A transparent portion 32 is provided at the end of the packaging bag 30'.

The method for manufacturing the mask container of the present invention includes the steps of forming a mask 1 including a mask body 11 having at least an inner layer 5a that contacts a person's face and an outer layer 5b on the opposite side of the inner layer 5a, ear straps 6 having strap ends 6a, 6b connected to four corners of the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11, and a nose wire 15 disposed between a folded-back piece 9a folded back at a long edge 13a of the mask body 11 and the inner layer 5a, arranging the ear straps 6 on the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11, and assembling the mask body 11 with the ear straps 6 disposed on the inner layer 5a at least once. the step of folding the folded body 2 twice to enclose the ear straps 6 inside the inner layer 5a and form a folded body 2 having a folding width W2 that is shortened to approximately one-fourth the short-side length of the mask body 11 ; the step of wrapping the folded body 2 in packaging bags 30, 30'; the step of sealing the packaging bags 30, 30' by welding to form a continuous body 40 of packaging bags 30, 30' in which the folded body 2 is sealed and contained; and the step of cutting the continuous body 40 of packaging bags 30, 30' at regular intervals approximately perpendicular to the continuation direction to form individual mask containers 10, 10'.

In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the folded body 2 is wrapped in the packaging bag 30, 30' rather than being inserted from an opening, so that movement of the folded body does not cause frictional contact between the folded body and the inner surface of the packaging bag, the shape of the folded body 2 is not distorted, and the ear straps 6 do not come off the folded body 2. This reliably prevents manufacturing defects caused by welding the mask body 11 and/or the ear straps 6 to the packaging bag 30, 30' together.
In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the mask container according to the present invention, the step of forming the folded body 2 includes a step of bringing one inner layer 5a1 and the other inner layer 5a2 located on both sides of the fold 8a of the mask body 11 into surface contact to form the folded intermediate body 4, and a step of bringing one outer layer 5b1 and the other outer layer 5b2 located on both sides of the folds 8b, 8c of the folded intermediate body 4 into surface contact to form the folded body 2.

The mask container and its manufacturing method of the present invention maintain the cleanliness of the mask with a sealed structure, while having a highly aesthetically pleasing, compact, elongated shape, making it easy to store in a bag, etc., and ideal for carrying when going out. In addition, the outer surface of the packaging bag can be made colorful to match the color of the mask, so that when the mask container is displayed in a store as a product, it will have a colorful appearance that stimulates consumers' desire to purchase, along with a smart, elongated shape. Furthermore, although an opaque packaging bag is used, the folding structure prevents the ear straps from coming off, and therefore the risk of the ear straps welding can be avoided in advance, reducing the rate of defective products manufactured and improving yield.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a surface of a mask container according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the rear surface of the mask container according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the folded body is removed from the packaging bag; Front view showing the folded body FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross section A-A of FIG. 4 and its developed cross-sectional view. Diagram showing folding intermediates Diagram showing the inner layer of the mask with the ear straps closed Diagram showing the inner layer of the mask with the ear straps open Diagram showing the outer layer of the mask with the ear straps open FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the rear surface of a mask container according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a mask container according to the present invention; A front view showing the problems with a conventional mask container

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mask container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The following embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
1 and 2 are a front view showing the front surface of a mask housing body 10 according to the present invention, and a rear view showing the rear surface. In the mask housing body 10, a folded body 2 (FIG. 4) obtained by folding a mask 1 twice is sealed and housed inside a packaging bag 30. In order to further compactify or to adjust the shape of the folded body 2, it may be folded three or more times. The packaging bag 30 of the mask housing body 10 has an elongated (stick-like) shape that seals and surrounds the elongated folded body 2, and when the mask housing body 10 contains the folded body 2, it forms a visually beautiful silhouette with a slightly depressed outline near the center as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The total length L1 in the longitudinal direction of the mask housing body 10 shown in FIG. 1 is 150 to 260 mm, preferably 180 to 240 mm, and the total width W1 in the lateral direction is 20 to 50 mm, preferably 25 to 40 mm. The longitudinal length of the mask 1 contained therein varies from child size to adult male size, and taking into consideration the compact size to be put into a handbag, etc., the total length L1 = 180 to 240 mm × total width W1 = 25 to 40 mm as described above is preferable.

The packaging bag 30 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 can be formed from a film sheet made of resin, nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, or paper, and is preferably a resin film sheet, which is particularly airtight. The packaging bag 30 is configured to include a bag body 33 including a folded body 2, a pair of end seals 35a, 35b that seal the packaging bag 30 at both ends of the bag body 33, and a center seal (back seal) 37 shown in Fig. 2 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the bag body 33 between the pair of end seals 35a, 35b. One end seal 35a of the packaging bag 30 has a V-shaped notch 39 that assists in opening the packaging bag 30. The packaging bag 30 is colored or colorless and opaque, and the color of the bag outer surface 31 of the packaging bag 30 is substantially the same color as the outer layer 5b of the mask 1 sealed and contained in the packaging bag 30, so that the mask user can recognize the color of the mask 1 before opening the packaging bag 30. In addition, mask manufacturers can provide masks 1 and mask containers 10 in a variety of colors, and when multiple colored mask containers 10 are displayed in a store or the like, they are colorful and eye-catching. The colors of the packaging bag 30 and the mask 1 can be any color, such as black, white, brown, gray, red, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc.

Figure 3 shows a state in which a person who wishes to wear the mask 1 tears open the packaging bag 30 from the notch 39 in the direction of the arrow 39a in Figure 1, and removes the elongated folded body 2 contained therein from the packaging bag 30. In this state, the bag outer surface 31 of the packaging bag 30 and the outer surfaces 12a and 12b of the folded body 2 are substantially the same color.

Figure 4 shows the folded body 2 after it has been removed from the packaging bag 30 or before it has been wrapped in the packaging bag 30. The folded body 2 has an elongated shape with a folded length L2 equivalent to the longitudinal length of the mask body 11 (Figure 7) and a folded width W2 that is shortened to about one-fourth the lateral length of the mask body 11. This reduces the area to about one-fourth, making it easy to store in a handbag or pocket. The folded length L2 and folded width W2 are slightly smaller than the overall length L1 and overall width W1 of the mask container 10 (L2<L1, W2<W1).

The folded body 2 in Fig. 4 is formed by folding in four. "Folding in four" means folding in two (half) and then folding in two again in the same direction. The "roll" in "folding in four" means folding in the same direction as the previous fold. Specifically, the mask 1 (Fig. 7, Fig. 11(a)) with the ear straps 6 placed on the inner layer (mouth layer) 5a is folded along the first fold 8a so that one inner layer 5a1 and the other inner layer 5a2 located on both sides of the first fold 8a are aligned (surface contact) to form the folded intermediate body 4 (Fig. 6, Fig. 11(b)), and the folded intermediate body 4 is folded along the second and third folds 8b, 8c so that one outer layer 5b1 and the other outer layer 5b2 located on both sides of the third fold 8c are aligned (surface contact) to form the folded body 2 (Fig. 4, Fig. 11(c)). By folding the mask in four, the surface area can be reduced to about one-fourth the size of the mask body in conventional packaging, making it easy to carry. As shown in Figure 4, the folded body 2 has a folded structure in which the mask body 11 encases the ear straps 6, and the outer layer 5b forms one outer surface 12a. The other outer surface 12b (Figures 11(c) and (d)) is formed on the back side of one outer surface 12a.

Figure 5(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the A-A cross section of Figure 4, and Figure 5(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the folded body 2 of Figure 5(a) opened into a ladle shape. For simplification, both figures show the folded body 2 without the ear straps 6. Figure 6 shows the folded intermediate body 4 after the folded body 2 of Figure 4 has been opened at the second and third folds 8b, 8c or before folding along the second and third folds 8b, 8c. As shown in Figure 6, the ear straps 6 are held by the mask body 11, and it can be expected that the ear straps 6 will be included even when the folded body 2 is folded once more.

Figure 7 shows the mask 1 after the first fold 8a has been opened from the folded intermediate body 4 of Figure 6 or before it has been folded along the first fold 8a. As shown in Figure 7, the ear straps 6 are positioned on the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11, and it can be expected that the ear straps 6 will be included even in the folded body 2 that is folded twice.

8 and 9 show the back and front of the mask 1 after the ear straps 6 are opened or closed from FIG. 7. The mask 1 has a mask body 11 made of nonwoven fabric or resin. The mask body 11 may have a two-layer structure in which an inner layer 5a (FIG. 8) on the side that contacts the face and an outer layer 5b (FIG. 9) on the opposite side to the inner layer 5a are laminated, but it is preferable to laminate an intermediate layer (not shown) between the inner layer 5a and the outer layer 5b to form a three-layer structure. In this embodiment, a mask body 11 having a recess 29 near the center of a pair of short edges 14a, 14b is exemplified, but a mask body with straight short edges may also be used, and there is no restriction on the outer shape of the mask body 11. The ear straps 6 of the mask 1 have their string ends 6a, 6b connected to the ear strap welding parts 16 of the inner layer 5a at the four corners of the mask body 11. Since the ear straps 6 are welded to the inner layer 5a, when the bag is folded, the inner layer 5a encases the ear straps 6, preventing accidents of the ear straps 6 welding at the end seals 35a, 35b. In other words, if the ear straps were welded to the outer layer and placed on the inside of the inner layer, they would pass on the outside of the short edge once and part of them would be placed on the outside of the short edge even after folding, which could cause the ear straps to be welded.

8 and 9, the mask 1 has one or more pleat lines 21-24 extending approximately parallel to each other between a pair of short edges 14a, 14b of the mask body 11. In Fig. 8, three straight second, third and fourth pleat lines 22-24 are provided on the inner layer 5a, and in Fig. 9, three straight first, second and third pleat lines 21-23 are provided on the outer layer 5b. The pleat lines 21-24 are lines folded to form pleats (folded portions, folded portions) 7 (Fig. 5(b)), and the pleats 7 are a folded structure that allows the mask body 11 to expand and contract vertically when worn and provides three-dimensionality in the front-to-back direction. On the other hand, in the roll-in-four fold shown in this embodiment, the mask body 11 is divided into four, so that the first, second, and third folds 8a, 8b, and 8c of the three folds forming the folded body 2 appear between a pair of short edges 14a and 14b of the mask body 11 in the mask 1 after it is opened from the folded body 2. On the other hand, in the mask 1 before the folded body 2 is formed, the first, second, and third folds 8a, 8b, and 8c shown by dotted lines are not actually visible (imaginary lines, imaginary lines) or appear as some kind of marker lines to make folding easier.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first fold 8a is disposed between the second fold 8b and the third fold 8c. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 6, the folded body 2 has a folded structure in which the second fold 8b and the third fold 8c are aligned and the outer layers 5b1 and 5b2 are in surface contact with each other. Here, "aligned" means that the second fold 8b and the third fold 8c are parallel to each other on approximately the same line along the longitudinal direction of the mask body 11 in the folded state. The folds consist only of the first, second, and third folds 8a, 8b, and 8c in the horizontal direction extending between a pair of short edges 14a and 14b, and there are no vertical folds extending between a pair of long edges 13a and 13b. For this reason, the formation of vertical wrinkles that deteriorate the appearance when the mask 1 is worn can be avoided, and the aesthetic appearance is not impaired in this embodiment. In addition, since there is no vertical fold extending between the long edges 13a, 13b, there is no need to fold the nose wire 15 (FIG. 5) disposed between the pair of pressure-bonding portions 15a, 15b shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. This prevents an increase in the thickness of the folded body 2 that would occur if the nose wire 15 were folded together with the mask body 11, and allows the mask container 10 to be formed in a compact size as a whole.

8 and 9, the first fold 8a and the second fold 8b are formed substantially on the same line as the second pleat line 22 and the fourth pleat line 24, respectively. Therefore, since two of the three fold lines 8a, 8b are substantially on the same line as the pleat lines 22, 24, the folds (wrinkles) 8a, 8b are not noticeable and do not give the impression of a worn mask, and the aesthetic appearance of the mask 1 is not marred when it is worn.

As shown in Figures 5 and 8, this embodiment includes folded pieces 9a and 9b, which are formed by folding back the sheet-like nonwoven fabric constituting the outer layer 5b of the mask body 11 toward the inner layer 5a at a pair of long edges 13a and 13b of the mask body 11. The ends of the folded pieces 9a and 9b reach the ear strap welding parts 16 that connect at least the ear straps 6 to the mask body 11, as shown in Figure 8. This makes the ear strap welding parts 16 at the locations where at least three sheets, i.e., the outer layer 5b, the inner layer 5a, and the folded pieces 9a and 9b, are stacked, thereby reinforcing the strength of the welding parts to prevent the ear straps 6 from coming off the mask body 11. In addition, a nose wire 15 can be placed between the folded pieces 9a and 9b and the inner layer 5a.

Figure 10 shows a mask container 10' of the second embodiment of the present invention, which has a transparent portion 32 at the end of the packaging bag 30'. The mask container 10' has substantially the same effect as the mask container 10 of the first embodiment, and improves the defect when the color of the outer surface 31 of the opaque packaging bag 30' is dark. That is, when sealing the packaging bag 30', if a defect occurs in the end seals 35a, 35b where the mask body 11 or the ear strap 6 is welded together with the packaging bag 30', it is difficult to detect the defect by light irradiation or visual inspection when the color of the outer surface 31 of the opaque packaging bag 30' is dark, such as black, navy blue, brown, purple, etc. For this reason, in this embodiment, a transparent portion 32 is provided at the end of the packaging bag 30' as a monitoring window, so that the defect of welding the ear strap to the bag (Figure 12) can be reliably found by visual inspection, a sensor, etc.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method for manufacturing the mask containers 10, 10' according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the string ends 6a, 6b of the ear straps 6 are welded and connected to the four corners of the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11 to form the mask 1. Next, the ear straps 6 connected to the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11 are placed on the inner layer 5a of the mask body 11. That is, the ear straps 6 are closed on the inner layer 5a as shown in FIG. 11(a). After that, the mask 1 is transported to a folding device by a high-speed conveyor belt, and the mask body 11 with the ear straps 6 placed on the inner layer 5a is folded twice in the same direction by the folding device to form a folded body 2 that encloses the ear straps 6. Specifically, the first fold 8a of the mask body 11 is pushed from the front side of FIG. 11(a) by a first folding member, for example a plate-like member, and one inner layer 5a1 and the other inner layer 5a2 are brought into surface contact to form the folded intermediate body 4 shown in FIG. 11(b). Next, the second and third folds 8b, 8c of the folded intermediate body 4 are pressed from the front side of Figure 11(b) with a second folding member, so that one outer layer 5b1 and the other outer layer 5b2 are brought into surface contact to form the folded body 2 shown in Figure 11(c).

Next, the folded body 2 is wrapped in a packaging bag 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11(d), the folded body 2 is placed on a film sheet 34, and both edge portions 34a, 34b of the film sheet 34 are overlapped. Next, the packaging bag 30 is sealed by welding (welding, crimping, hot pressing) to form a continuous body 40 of packaging bags 30 in which the folded body 2 is sealed and housed. That is, the overlapped both edge portions 34a, 34b are heat-welded to form a center seal 37, and the film sheet 34 is heat-welded at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction to form end seals 35, forming a continuous body 40 of packaging bags 30 in which the folded body 2 is sealed and housed, as shown in FIG. 11(e). Furthermore, the end seals 35 of the continuous body 40 of packaging bags 30 are cut at approximately regular intervals with a cutter in a direction approximately perpendicular to the continuation direction, thereby manufacturing individual mask containers 10 shown in FIG. 11(f), which have notches 39 in one end seal 35a.

When manufacturing the mask container 10' shown in FIG. 10, the mask container 10' is manufactured by the same manufacturing method as that shown in FIG. 11, except that a film sheet with a pre-formed transparent portion 32 is used instead of the film sheet 34 shown in FIG. 11(d).

Not only can the mask container of the present invention be provided as the smallest sales unit, but the mask container of the present invention, which is highly designed and available in a wide variety of colors, can be arranged in a transparent container and displayed and sold in stores as a colorful set that looks great.

1: Mask; 2: Folded body; 5a: Inner layer; 5b: Outer layer; 6: Ear strap; 6a, 6b: Strap end; 8a: First fold; 8b: Second fold; 8c: Third fold; 9a, 9b: Folded piece; 10, 10': Mask container; 11: Mask body; 12a, 12b: Outer surface; 13a, 13b: Long edge; 14a, 14b: Short edge; 16: Ear strap welding part; 21-24: Pleats; 30, 30': Packaging bag; 31: Bag outer surface; L1: Total length; W1: Total width; L2: Folded length; W2: Folded width;

Claims (9)

In a mask container in which a folded mask is sealed and stored in a packaging bag,
The mask comprises a mask body having at least an inner layer that contacts a person's face and an outer layer on the opposite side of the inner layer, ear straps having string ends connected to four corners of the inner layer of the mask body, and a nose wire disposed between a folded piece folded back at a long edge of the mask body and the inner layer,
The folded body has a folded structure in which the mask body encloses the ear straps and the outer layer forms a pair of outer surfaces by folding twice in the same direction ,
The folded body has an elongated shape having a folded length corresponding to the longitudinal length of the mask body and a folded width shortened to approximately one-fourth of the lateral length of the mask body,
The packaging bag has an elongated shape that surrounds the elongated folded body,
The mask container is characterized in that the packaging bag is opaque and the color of the outer surface of the packaging bag is substantially the same color as the outer layer of the mask sealed and contained in the packaging bag. The folds forming the folded body include a first fold, a second fold, and a third fold that extend generally parallel to each other between a pair of short edges of the mask body,
When the mask body is in an open state, the first fold is disposed between the second fold and the third fold;
The mask container according to claim 1 , wherein the folded body has a folding structure in which the second fold and the third fold are aligned with each other. The folded body has a folded structure that is folded twice in four,
The folded body folded in four is
The mask container according to claim 2, having a folded structure in which one inner layer and the other inner layer located on both sides of the first fold are in surface contact with each other, and one outer layer and the other outer layer located on both sides of the third fold are in surface contact with each other. The mask comprises one or more pleat lines extending between a pair of short edges of the mask body;
The mask container according to claim 2 , wherein the first fold and the second fold are formed substantially on the same line as the two pleat lines. The folded pieces are provided by folding the sheet-like nonwoven fabric constituting the outer layer toward the inner layer at a pair of long edges of the mask body,
2. The mask container according to claim 1, wherein the folded piece extends at least to an ear strap welding portion that connects the ear strap to the mask body. The mask container according to claim 1, wherein the total length in the longitudinal direction is 180 to 240 mm, and the total width in the lateral direction is 25 to 40 mm. The mask container according to claim 1, which has a transparent portion at the end of the packaging bag. A process for forming a mask including a mask body having at least an inner layer that contacts a person's face and an outer layer on the opposite side of the inner layer, ear straps having string ends connected to four corners of the inner layer of the mask body, and a nose wire disposed between a folded piece folded back at a long edge of the mask body and the inner layer;
placing the ear straps on the inner layer of the mask body;
A step of folding the mask body with the ear straps disposed on the inner layer twice in the same direction to form a folded body in which the ear straps are enclosed inside the inner layer and the folded width is shortened to approximately one-fourth of the lateral length of the mask body ;
wrapping the folded body in a packaging bag;
a step of sealing the packaging bag by welding to form a continuous body of packaging bags in which the folded bodies are sealed and housed;
and cutting the continuous body of packaging bags at regular intervals approximately perpendicular to the direction of continuity to form individual mask containers. The step of forming the folded body includes:
A step of forming a folded intermediate body by bringing one inner layer and the other inner layer located on both sides of the fold of the mask body into surface contact;
The method for manufacturing a mask container according to claim 8, further comprising: bringing one outer layer and the other outer layer located on both sides of the fold of the folded intermediate body into surface contact to form a folded body.

Images