JP7489839B2 - Containers and display methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container and a display method.

A commonly used method for displaying products at retail stores and the like is to provide a through hole in a container containing the product and suspend the container by inserting a rod-shaped support extending from a wall or shelf into the through hole. For example, a package disclosed in JP 2003-54628 A (Patent Document 1) is an example of a container suitable for such a display method, and has a circular through hole. In addition, a package disclosed in JP 2014-506547 A (Patent Document 2) has a similar through hole configured in a shape that has a wide portion and a roughly semicircular portion provided above the wide portion.

JP 2003-54628 A JP 2014-506547 A

In order to increase the appeal of products at the storefront, it is desirable for the products to be displayed with the front of the container, on which the product name and other information is printed, facing directly towards the customer. However, when a container with a through hole as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is suspended from a cylindrical support, the container may vibrate when an external force is applied to the container, causing it to tilt. When this happens, it may become difficult for customers to see the front of the container.

Therefore, there is a need to develop containers and display methods that allow displayed products to easily maintain a forward-facing position.

A container according to one aspect of the present invention is a container which is used by being suspended from a single cylindrical support, and which comprises a through hole portion having a thickness of 2 mm or less through which a cylindrical support can be inserted, and a storage portion capable of storing an object to be stored, and which is characterized in that a portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a score line provided in the base material of the container, and another portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a connecting portion which connects a separation portion which is separated from the base material by the score line to a remainder of the base material , the connecting portion being provided on the storage portion side of the periphery of the through hole portion, the through hole portion having a first portion through which the cylindrical support can be inserted, and a second portion connected to the first portion on the opposite side of the first portion to the storage portion side, and the width of the boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support .

and a suspending step of inserting a cylindrical support into the through-hole and suspending the container from the cylindrical support, the suspending step being characterized in that at least one point of the periphery of the separation portion is abutted against the cylindrical support.

According to this container and this display method, when the container is suspended from the cylindrical support, the cylindrical support and the through-hole portion come into contact with each other on the upper side of the cylindrical support, and the cylindrical support and the separation portion come into contact with each other on the lower side of the cylindrical support. This causes the container to apply both a downward force due to gravity and an upward force due to the elasticity of the separation portion to the cylindrical support. In other words, the force applied by the container to the cylindrical support acts to sandwich the cylindrical support in the vertical direction. This restricts the relative movement of the container with respect to the cylindrical support, which makes it easier for the displayed product to maintain a front-facing position. In addition, because the portion (separation portion) that is cut off from the base material to provide the through-hole portion does not separate from the container, the cut-off portion is prevented from being generated as waste, and the trouble of disposing of the waste can be reduced.

In this way, the container is suspended from the cylindrical support in a position where both ends of the boundary between the first and second parts of the through hole abut against the cylindrical support. If an external force is applied to the container and the container is tilted from the forward-facing position, the container will be positioned at a higher position than the stable state, and its potential energy will increase. A force (gravity) that attempts to return the increased potential energy to its original state acts on the container, and the container will attempt to return to its forward-facing position, which is the state in which its potential energy is the smallest within its movable range. In other words, even if the container is tilted due to the application of an external force, it will naturally return to the forward-facing position, which is the most stable in terms of potential energy. This makes it easier for displayed products to maintain a forward-facing position.

As another configuration, it is preferable that at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the separation section facing the connecting section is formed in a convex curve toward the inside of the separation section.

In this way, the curved portion of the separation section abuts against the cylindrical support in a position that follows the side of the cylindrical support, or multiple points of the portion abut against the side of the cylindrical support, making it easier to regulate the relative movement of the container with respect to the cylindrical support.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, which are given with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a through-hole portion and a separation portion of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the periphery of a through-hole portion in a display state of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the periphery of the through-hole portion in the container according to the embodiment in an exhibited state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a mechanism for stabilizing the display position of a container according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the through hole portion; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the through hole portion; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the through hole portion; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the through hole portion;

Embodiments of the container and display method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, an example will be described in which the container according to the present invention is applied to a container 1 that can store a group of interdental cleaning tools Da and display them in a store.

[Container configuration]
First, the configuration of the container 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 has a blister B made of a synthetic resin film (an example of a base material) having a thickness of 0.3 mm, and a sealing seal S that seals the back side of the blister B. The blister B is provided with a through-hole portion 2 and a storage portion 3. The container 1, which stores a group of interdental cleaning tools Da (an example of a stored object) in the storage portion 3, is displayed by being suspended from a cylindrical support in a manner in which the cylindrical support is inserted into the through-hole portion 2. In the following description, the up-down direction is defined based on the orientation of the container 1 in the displayed state. In other words, the side of the container 1 on which the through-hole portion 2 is provided is defined as "upper".

The through-hole portion 2 is provided as a through-hole penetrating blister B. Therefore, the thickness of the through-hole portion 2 is 0.3 mm, which corresponds to the thickness of the synthetic resin film that constitutes blister B. The through-hole portion 2 also has a first portion 21 configured as a part of a circle with a radius R1 of 4.0 mm, and a second portion 22 configured as a part of a circle with a radius R2 of 2.5 mm. The second portion 22 is connected to the first portion 21 on the upper side of the first portion 21 (i.e., the side opposite the storage portion 3).

The boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 is defined as a line segment connecting two intersections 23a, 23b between a circle of radius R1 that defines the periphery of the first portion 21 and a circle of radius R2 that defines the periphery of the second portion 22. In this embodiment, the width W of the boundary 23 is 4.9 mm. In other words, the width W of the boundary 23 is smaller than the opening dimension in the width direction of the first portion 21, which is 8.0 mm (twice the radius R1), and more specifically, the width W of the boundary 23 is 61% of the opening dimension in the width direction of the first portion 21.

2, the through-hole portion 2 is formed in such a manner that a cut line 24 is provided in the synthetic resin film constituting the blister B. Therefore, a part of the periphery of the first portion 21 and the entire periphery of the second portion 22 (a part of the periphery of the through-hole portion 2) are configured as the cut line 24. Since the cut line 24 does not form a closed curve, the separation portion 25 separated from the synthetic resin film by the cut line 24 is not completely separated, and is connected to the synthetic resin film body via the connection portion 26. Here, the connection portion 26 is provided on the lower side of the first portion 21 (i.e., the side of the storage portion 3), and the length L of the connection portion 26 along the periphery of the first portion 21 is 3 mm. Since the width of the periphery of the through-hole portion 2 is 8 mm, the ratio of the length L of the connection portion 26 to the width of the periphery is 37.5%.

The storage section 3 is formed by curving the synthetic resin film that constitutes the blister B, and forms a space capable of storing the interdental cleaning tool group Da. The back side of the storage section 3 is open, and after the interdental cleaning tool group Da is stored through the opening, the opening is closed by the sealing seal S.

[Display method]
Next, a description will be given of a method for displaying the group of interdental cleaning tools Da using the container 1. The display method according to this embodiment includes a storage step of storing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da in the container 1, and a suspending step of suspending the container 1 containing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da on a cylindrical support. Note that the method for storing the group of interdental cleaning tools Da in the container 1 in the storage step is as described above.

The container 1 containing the interdental cleaning tool group Da is suspended from a cylindrical support P that is installed on a retail store's product shelf or the like. More specifically, the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P by inserting the cylindrical support P into the through-hole portion 2, with the through-hole portion 2 serving as a support for the entire container 1 (Figure 3).

Here, the diameter Dp of the cylindrical support P is 6.1 mm. In other words, the diameter Dp of the cylindrical support P is larger than the width W of the boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22. Due to the above-mentioned relationship between the diameter Dp and the width W, when the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, the container 1 is most stable when both ends 23a, 23b of the boundary 23 abut against the cylindrical support P.

In addition, since the separation part 25 is connected to the synthetic resin film constituting the blister B via the connecting part 26, when the cylindrical support P is to be inserted into the through-hole part 2, the separation part 25 may block all or part of the through-hole part 2. In this case, it is necessary to press the tip of the cylindrical support P against the separation part 25 to push it down, or to insert the cylindrical support P into the through-hole part 2 in which the separation part 25 has been previously folded at the connecting part 26 to ensure an opening. As a result of such an insertion operation, as shown in FIG. 4, in the state in which the container 1 is suspended on the cylindrical support P, the far end part 25a of the periphery of the separation part 25 abuts against a point Pc on the lower side of the cylindrical support P. This is because the separation part 25 folded at the connecting part 26 acts to return to the through-hole part 2 side due to the elastic force caused by the elasticity of the synthetic resin film.

[Stabilizing the display position]
Finally, we will explain how the display posture of the interdental cleaning tool group Da is stable when it is displayed using the container 1. As described above, when the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P, it is stable in a posture in which both ends 23a, 23b of the boundary 23 abut against the cylindrical support P (FIG. 5(a)). In addition, the distal end portion 25a of the periphery of the separation portion 25 abuts against a point Pc on the lower side of the cylindrical support P (FIG. 4).

At this time, the force that the container 1 exerts on the cylindrical support P is a downward force (due to gravity) at points 23a and 23b, and an upward force (due to elasticity) at point 25a. In other words, the force that the container 1 exerts on the cylindrical support P acts to sandwich the cylindrical support P in the vertical direction, so the relative movement of the container 1 with respect to the cylindrical support P is restricted. This effect prevents the container 1 from tilting. In addition, the fact that the container 1 is suspended from the cylindrical support P in a position where the three points 23a, 23b, and 25a are in contact with the cylindrical support P also contributes to preventing the container 1 from tilting.

Of the three points Pa, Pb, and Pc on the cylindrical support P, the distance between two of the points Pa and Pb is equal to the width W of the boundary 23. The straight line connecting the two points Pa and Pb is perpendicular to the axis X of the cylindrical support P. Assume that some external force is applied to the container 1 and the container 1 is tilted from the front (tilt angle θ) (FIG. 5(b)). At this time, the cylindrical support P abuts at two points Pa' and Pb', and the distance between them is equal to the width W of the boundary 23. Here, since the straight line connecting the two points Pa' and Pb' is tilted with respect to the axis X of the cylindrical support P, the height Hb of the two points Pa' and Pb' where the separation distance is equal to the width W is higher than the height Ha of the two points Pa and Pb when the container 1 is in the front-facing position. Therefore, the container 1 is placed at a higher position than the stable state, and the potential energy increases. After that, a force (gravity) acts on the container 1 to return the increased potential energy to its original state, and the container 1 tries to return to the state with the smallest potential energy within its movable range, that is, to a posture facing forward. Therefore, even if the container 1 is temporarily tilted, it will automatically return to a posture facing forward.

In this way, the container 1 can be maintained in a forward-facing position, i.e., a position that best displays the interdental cleaning tool group Da to the consumer.

[Modifications of the through hole portion]
Here, modified examples of the through-hole portion will be described. In any of the modified examples, the separation portion is not completely separated, but is connected to the synthetic resin film main body constituting the blister B via a connecting portion provided on the side of the storage portion 3.

The through-hole portion 4 shown in FIG. 6 has a shape in which a circle with a radius of 4.0 mm and a circle with a radius of 1.5 mm are connected by two straight lines. That is, the first portion 41 is configured as a part of a circle with a radius of approximately 4.0 mm, and the second portion 42 is configured in a shape in which a triangle with a semicircle with a radius of 1.5 mm is joined to form a triangle. The width of the boundary 43 between the first portion 41 and the second portion 42 is 4.9 mm, as in the above embodiment.

When a container 1 having a through hole portion 4 as shown in Figure 6 is suspended from a cylindrical support P, if the container 1 is tilted from a forward orientation, the distance between the cylindrical support P and the container 1 becomes longer.
That is, the position of the contact point on the container 1 is lower than when it is facing forward. At this time, since the position of the cylindrical support remains unchanged, the container 1 is in a higher position than when it is facing forward, and a force (gravity) acts to return the increased potential energy to its original state, causing the container 1 to return to the state in which the potential energy is the smallest within the movable range, i.e., to the forward facing position. Therefore, in the same way as described in the above embodiment, the container 1 returns to the forward facing position on its own.

In the through-hole portion 5 shown in FIG. 7, the first portion 51 is configured as a part of a circle with a radius of 4.0 mm, and the second portion 52 is configured as a rounded rectangle with a width of 4.7 mm and a height of 2.5 mm.
The width of the boundary 53 between the first portion 51 and the second portion 52 is 4.9 mm, similar to the above embodiment.

In the through-hole portion 6 shown in FIG. 8, the shape of the first portion 61 is the same as the shape of the first portion 21 in the embodiment described in detail above. On the other hand, the upper peripheral portion 62a of the second portion 62 is formed in a curved shape that is convex toward the through-hole portion 6 side. Correspondingly, the far end portion 65a of the separation portion 65 is formed in a curved shape that is convex toward the inside of the separation portion 65. Therefore, when the cylindrical support body P is inserted into the through-hole portion 6, the separation portion 65, which tries to return to the through-hole portion 6 side by the elastic force, has the curved far end portion 65a abutting against the cylindrical support body P in a posture along the side surface of the cylindrical support body P, or multiple points of the far end portion 65a abut against the side surface of the cylindrical support body P. This further enhances the effect of suppressing the tilt of the container 1 compared to the above embodiment in which the far end portion 25a contacts the cylindrical support body P at one point.

In any of the above modified examples, when the container 1 is suspended on the cylindrical support P with the cylindrical support P inserted through the through-hole portion, the container 1 is stabilized in a position where the boundary between the first and second parts abuts against the cylindrical support P. Therefore, the effect of stabilizing the display position described above is achieved in any of the above modified examples. In this way, when the first and second parts are provided in the through-hole portion of the present invention, the shapes of the first and second parts can be selected arbitrarily as long as the width of the boundary between the first and second parts is smaller than the opening dimension of the first part in the width direction.

A modified example in which the through-hole portion does not have the first and second portions will also be described. The through-hole portion 7 shown in FIG. 9 is formed in a circular shape with a radius of 4.0 mm. In this modified example, when the container 1 is suspended on the cylindrical support P, the upper peripheral portion 71 of the through-hole portion 7 abuts on the upper side of the cylindrical support P. In addition, the separation portion 75 bent at the connecting portion 76 attempts to return to the through-hole portion 7 side due to elastic force, so that the far end portion 75a of the separation portion 75 abuts on the lower side of the cylindrical support P. Thus, as in the above embodiment, in this modified example, the force that the container 1 exerts on the cylindrical support P is a downward force at the peripheral portion 71 (due to gravity) and an upward force at the far end portion 75a (due to elastic force). Therefore, as in the above embodiment, the force that the container 1 exerts on the cylindrical support P acts to sandwich the cylindrical support P in the vertical direction, so that the relative movement of the container 1 with respect to the cylindrical support P is restricted.

It is possible to further modify the modified example shown in FIG. 9 by forming the upper peripheral portion 71 of the through-hole portion 7 as a convex curve toward the through-hole portion 7. In this case, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 8, the distal end portion 75a of the separation portion 75 is formed as a convex curve toward the inside of the separation portion 75, and thus the effect of suppressing tilting of the container 1 is further enhanced, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 8.

Other embodiments
Finally, other embodiments of the container and the display method according to the present invention will be described. Note that the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the blister B provided with the through-hole portion 2 was made of a synthetic resin film. However, without being limited to such a configuration, the through-hole portion may also be provided in a container made of a material such as paper, wood, or metal, so long as it is 2 mm thick or less. The thickness of the through-hole portion may be appropriately selected according to the elasticity of the selected material, as long as it is capable of generating an elastic force that causes the separation portion to abut against the cylindrical support, and may be, for example, 0.2 mm thick or more.

In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the ratio of the length L of the connecting portion 26 along the periphery of the first portion 21 to the width of the periphery is 37.5%. However, the length of the connecting portion in the direction along the periphery of the through-hole portion is not particularly limited. However, from the viewpoint of suitably generating an elastic force that brings the separation portion into contact with the cylindrical support, it is preferable that the length be 20 to 40% of the width of the periphery.

In the above embodiment, the width W of the boundary 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22 of the through-hole portion 2 is 4.9 mm. However, when the first and second portions are provided in the through-hole portion, the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is not particularly limited as long as it is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support that suspends the container. However, considering that the diameter of the cylindrical support used in retail stores is typically 5 to 7 mm, it is preferable that the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is 1.0 mm or more and 4.9 mm or less. Also, considering that the first portion can be inserted into the cylindrical support, if the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is 80% or less of the opening dimension in the width direction of the first portion, the width of the boundary between the first and second portions is likely to be smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support, so that the effect of stabilizing the display posture is more likely to be realized.

As for other configurations, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and that the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will easily understand that appropriate modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, other embodiments that are modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention are naturally included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used, for example, in containers for storing small products such as interdental cleaning tools and displaying them in stores.

1: container 2: through hole portion 21: first portion 22: second portion 23: boundary 24: cut line 25: separation portion 25a: distal end portion of separation portion 25 26: connection portion 3: storage portion 4: through hole portion (modified example)
5: Through hole portion (modified example)
6: Through hole portion (modified example)
61: First portion 62: Second portion 62a: Upper peripheral portion of second portion 62 65: Separation portion 65a: Distal end portion of separation portion 65 7: Through hole portion (modified example)
71: Upper peripheral edge of through hole portion 7; 75: Separation portion; 75a: Distal end portion of separation portion 75; 76: Connection portion; P: Cylindrical support; B: Blister; S: Sealing seal; Da: Interdental cleaning tool group

Claims (4)

A container comprising a through-hole portion having a thickness of 2 mm or less through which a cylindrical support can be inserted, and a storage portion capable of storing an object to be stored, the container being used by being suspended from one of the cylindrical supports,
A portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a score line provided in a base material of the container,
the other portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a connecting portion that connects a separation portion separated from the base material by the cut line and a remainder of the base material,
the connecting portion is provided on a peripheral portion of the through-hole portion on the housing portion side ,
The through hole portion is
A first portion through which the cylindrical support can be inserted;
a second portion connected to the first portion on a side opposite to the housing portion side of the first portion,
A container in which the width of the boundary between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical support . The container according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the periphery of the separation portion facing the connecting portion is formed in a curved shape that protrudes inwardly of the separation portion. The container according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the periphery of the separation portion facing the connecting portion is formed in a curved shape that protrudes outward from the separation portion. The container has a through hole having a thickness of 2 mm or less and a housing portion capable of housing an object to be housed therein.
A portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a score line provided in a base material of the container,
the other portion of the periphery of the through hole portion is configured as a connecting portion that connects a separation portion separated from the base material by the cut line and a remainder of the base material,
the connecting portion is provided on a peripheral portion of the through-hole portion on the housing portion side ,
The through hole portion is
A first portion through which the cylindrical support can be inserted;
a second portion connected to the first portion on a side opposite to the housing portion side of the first portion,
a housing step of housing the object to be housed in a container having a width of a boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion that is smaller than a diameter of the cylindrical support;
and a suspending step of inserting a cylindrical support into the through-hole portion and suspending the container on the cylindrical support,
In the suspending step, at least one point of the peripheral edge of the separated portion is abutted against the cylindrical support.

Images