JP7495783B2 - Storage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a synthetic resin storage container for storing various liquids, semi-solids, powders, and granular materials.

As containers for storing various liquids, semi-solids, powders, granules, etc., synthetic resin storage containers with a dispensing member (such as a spout or a manual pump) at the top center of the container body are used. For example, as a container for storing shampoo or body soap, as shown in Patent Document 1, a storage container is known in which the container body is made of synthetic resin and formed into a cylindrical shape with a bottom that tapers gradually toward the tip, and a manual pump mechanism is provided at the top of the container body.

JP 2006-123985 A

However, in conventional synthetic resin storage containers such as those in Patent Document 1, the container body is integrally formed from synthetic resin into a shape having a curved surface, and it is difficult to apply overall decoration (for example, wood grain decoration), so it is not necessarily said to be aesthetically pleasing. In addition, since conventional storage containers such as those in Patent Document 1 are integrally formed from synthetic resin, they emit a lot of _CO2 when burned after disposal, which is a problem in that they impose a large environmental load when discarded.

The object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that overcomes the problems of the conventional storage containers described above, has a beautiful appearance, and places a small burden on the environment when burned after disposal.

The present invention, as described in claim 1, is a synthetic resin storage container for storing liquids, semi-solids, powders, and granules, and has a pouring member provided on the upper part of the container body, the container body being formed by joining a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member for forming the peripheral surface, a flat bottom surface forming member for forming the bottom surface, and an upper surface forming member for forming the upper surface, the peripheral surface forming member having a two-layer laminate structure consisting of a surface layer and an inner layer, both of which are formed from synthetic resin mainly composed of particles of plant-derived material whose surface has been acetylated and polyolefin to which a compatibilizer has been added, the content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the surface layer being 20% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and the content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the inner layer being 10% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, and the content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the surface layer being greater than the content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the inner layer.

Plant-derived materials include various types of wood, bamboo, bamboo charcoal, cellulose made from food waste, or mixtures of these.

The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1 , characterized in that a number of stripe-shaped recesses are formed in the surface layer of the peripheral surface forming member along the vertical direction.

The storage container according to claim 1 has a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member, so it is easy to print or apply integral decoration to the outer peripheral surface (front, back, left and right sides, etc.), making it aesthetically pleasing.

In addition, since the storage container according to claim 1 has a laminated structure of two or more layers of peripheral surface forming member, recycled synthetic resin, synthetic resin containing added plant-derived materials, etc. can be used as the material for forming the inner layer, and therefore the environmental impact is small.

The storage container of claim 1 , in which the surface layer of the peripheral surface forming member is formed from a synthetic resin with added particles of plant-derived material (hereinafter referred to as plant-containing resin), has a carbon-neutral property (property that does not affect the increase or decrease of _CO2 in the atmosphere when burned), so that the environmental impact when burned after disposal is extremely small, it can be manufactured cheaply and easily, and since the surface layer contains plant-derived material, it has a texture (a wood-like texture, etc.) and is aesthetically pleasing.

The storage container of claim 1, in which the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member is formed from a synthetic resin containing added particles of plant-derived material (hereinafter referred to as plant-containing resin), has an extremely small environmental impact when burned after disposal, since the plant-containing resin has carbon-neutral properties.

In addition, the storage container of claim 2 has a number of ridge-like recesses formed in the vertical direction on the surface of the peripheral surface forming member, so that it is possible to create an appearance similar to that of wood material with an inexpensive structure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage container 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the storage container 1 of the first embodiment. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the storage container 1 of the first embodiment (a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2). 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2) of the storage container 1 of the first embodiment. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged horizontal cross section of a peripheral surface forming member. FIG. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams showing a method for forming a peripheral surface forming member. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a storage container 11 according to a second embodiment.

The storage container according to the present invention is made of synthetic resin and has a pouring member provided on the top of the container body, and is characterized in that the main container body is formed by joining a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member for forming the peripheral surface, a flat bottom surface forming member for forming the bottom surface, and a top surface forming member for forming the top surface. As synthetic resins for forming the storage container (peripheral surface forming member, bottom surface forming member, top surface forming member) according to the present invention, polyester, polyamide, polyacrylic, polyolefin, etc. can be used, but among these synthetic resins, polyolefin is preferable because it is easy to manufacture and has a small environmental impact when disposed of. As such polyolefins, polypropylene, low density polyethylene such as LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene), medium density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene can be used alone or in a mixture of two or more of them.

In addition, in the storage container according to the present invention, if the peripheral surface forming member has a laminated structure of two or more layers, it is possible to use recycled synthetic resins, plant-containing resins, etc. as materials for forming either or both of the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member and the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member, which is preferable because it reduces the environmental load. If a plant-containing resin is used for both the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member and the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member, it is very preferable because it can efficiently reduce the environmental load. It is also possible to use a plant-containing resin for only either the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member or the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member. It is preferable to use a resin with strong water resistance, barrier properties, and sealing properties as a material for forming the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member. It is preferable that the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member contains more plant-derived materials than the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member, and by using a plant-containing resin with a more textured (wood-like texture, etc.) on the outside in this way, it is possible to achieve both the functionality and aesthetics of the storage container and the environmental load.

The peripheral surface forming member is not limited to a two-layer structure, but may have a laminated structure of three or more layers, with a layer made of recycled synthetic resin or synthetic resin containing added plant-derived materials sandwiched between non-recycled resin on both sides. Furthermore, it is more preferable for the storage container according to the present invention to have layers other than the surface layer of the peripheral surface forming member formed from plant-containing resin, since this greatly reduces the environmental impact and allows for inexpensive and easy production.

Furthermore, plant-containing resins can also be used as the materials for forming the bottom surface forming member, the top surface forming member, and the pouring member, and by increasing the proportion of plant-containing resins in the container as a whole, the environmental impact can be further reduced.

As described above, when the surface layer or the inner layer of the storage container is formed from a plant-containing resin, various resins can be used as the synthetic resin. However, it is preferable to use a polyolefin-based resin whose main component is polyolefin (i.e., a resin in which the ratio of polyolefin is approximately 80% by mass or more), since this makes it easier to manufacture the storage container. As such polyolefins, polypropylene, low-density polyethylene such as LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene), medium-density polyethylene, and high-density polyethylene can be used alone or in a mixture of two or more of them. In addition, the use of LLDPE as the polyolefin is preferable, since it provides good compatibility (affinity) between the synthetic resin and the particles of the plant-derived material, making it extremely difficult for voids and cracks to form inside the peripheral surface forming member.

When the surface or inner layer of the storage container is formed from a plant-containing resin, the plant-derived material particles to be filled in the synthetic resin can be preferably wood, bamboo, bamboo charcoal, cellulose made from food waste, or a mixture of these ground into particles. When wood is used as the plant-derived material, it is preferable to use coniferous trees such as cedar, cypress, pine, and spruce, broad-leaved trees such as rosewood, quince, teak, mahogany, walnut, oak, beech, ash, paulownia, cherry, lauan, and birch, or a mixture of these. Among such plant-derived material particles, it is preferable to use cedar ground into particles, as this provides extremely good dispersibility of the plant-derived material particles in the synthetic resin and makes it easier to disperse uniformly.

In addition, the size of the particles of the above-mentioned plant-derived material is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the maximum particle diameter is 10 to 500 μm, since it is easy to mix with synthetic resin and a storage container having uniform physical properties without unevenness can be obtained when the storage container is molded, and it is more preferable that the particle diameter is 20 to 100 μm, and particularly preferable that the particle diameter is 40 to 60 μm. The maximum particle diameter can be obtained as the number average diameter by image analysis using a microscope, and the average value of the diameters of 100 particles (the diameter with the longest length of the particle diameter when the particles are not circular) can be used. In addition, it is preferable to use particles whose surfaces have been acetylated (treated with acetylene, etc.) as the particles of the plant-derived material, since the dispersibility in the synthetic resin is further improved. Furthermore, it is particularly preferable to use needle-shaped particles of the plant-derived material, since the strength of the storage container is good.

In addition, in the present invention, the plant-derived particles are preferably added in a ratio of 1 to 70% by mass to the synthetic resin. If the amount of plant-derived particles added is less than 1% by mass, the environmental load when disposing of the molded storage container is large, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the amount of plant-derived particles added exceeds 70% by mass, it is difficult to mix with the synthetic resin, making it difficult to mold, and it is also not preferable because the inherent properties of the synthetic resin are not easily expressed. When the plant-derived material is included in the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member, the content of the plant-derived particles is preferably 10% by mass to 60% by mass, and particularly preferably 10% by mass to 40% by mass. When the plant-derived material is included in the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member, the content is preferably 20% by mass to 70% by mass, and particularly preferably 20% by mass to 50% by mass. In addition, when comparing the inner layer of the peripheral surface forming member with the outer layer of the peripheral surface forming member, it is preferable that the outer layer contains a large amount of plant-derived material. If plant-derived materials are included in the bottom surface forming member, the top surface forming member, and the pouring member, the content can be 10% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

In addition, a compatibilizer can be added to the plant-containing resin together with the particles of plant-derived material. As such a compatibilizer, wax components, surfactants, acid-modified resin compositions, aliphatic ester compounds, polyhydric alcohol esters, fumaric acid, maleic acid, citric acid, stearic acid, polyalkylene glycols, etc. can be suitably used. In addition, among these compatibilizers, it is more preferable to use an acid-modified resin composition, and it is particularly preferable to use an acid-modified polyolefin (maleic acid-modified polyethylene, maleic acid-modified polypropylene, etc.). By adding such a compatibilizer, the dispersibility of the particles of plant-derived material in the plant-containing resin becomes even better. Furthermore, when adding a compatibilizer, it is preferable to adjust the amount of the compatibilizer to 0.1 to 30% by weight, since this improves the affinity between the synthetic resin and the particles of plant-derived material, and makes it difficult for voids and cracks to form inside the storage container. In addition, it is also possible to add a mold inhibitor to the plant-containing resin as necessary.

The storage container according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the aspects of these examples and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[First embodiment]
<Container structure>
1 to 4 show one embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention, and the storage container 1 of the first embodiment is formed by a main container 2 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped formed from resin, and a pouring member 3 formed from a plant-containing resin mixture A described below. The main member 2 is formed by joining a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member 4 for forming the peripheral surface, a flat bottom surface forming member 5 for forming the bottom surface, and an upper surface forming member 6 for forming the upper surface.

The peripheral surface forming member 4 has a two-layer structure in which the outer periphery of the inner layer 4a, which is a hollow rectangular column with a thickness of 1.5 mm, is covered with an outer layer 4b, which is also a hollow rectangular column with a thickness of 1.5 mm, and has a size of left-right width x front-back depth x height = 50 mm x 50 mm x 150 mm. The outer layer 4b of the peripheral surface forming member 4 is formed from a plant-containing resin mixture B described later, and the inner layer 4a of the peripheral surface forming member 4 is formed from a plant-containing resin mixture A described later. Furthermore, on the surface of the outer layer 4b of the peripheral surface forming member 4, as shown in Figure 5, a large number of fine (30 per 10 mm width) striated recesses (depth = 0.1 to 0.5 mm) 10, 10... are formed along the longitudinal direction, and these striated recesses 10, 10... create a wood-like decoration.

6 shows an example of a method for producing the peripheral surface forming member 4, and when forming the peripheral surface forming member 4, a melt extrusion device E equipped with a first extruder A, a second extruder B, and a die D having a square-shaped discharge hole is used. The plant-containing resin mixture B described below for forming the outer layer body 4b is fed into the first extruder A, and a plant-containing resin (for example, a plant-containing resin having the following composition with added plant-derived material particles) obtained by adding a compatibilizer and plant-derived material particles to the plant-containing resin mixture A described below for forming the inner layer body 4a is fed into the second extruder B, and the first extruder A and the second extruder B melt-knead at a molding temperature of 150 to 230°C, and then co-extrude from the die D in an inner and outer double layered state.
[Composition of plant-containing resin mixture A]
Linear low-density polyethylene: 77 parts by weight; particles obtained by crushing wood material (dried cedar): 20 parts by weight; maleic acid-modified polypropylene (compatibilizer): 2.5 parts by weight [Composition of plant-containing resin mixture B]
Linear low-density polyethylene: 57 parts by weight; particles obtained by crushing wood material (dried cedar): 40 parts by weight; maleic acid-modified polypropylene (compatibilizer): 2.5 parts by weight

Then, as described above, the tubular, long molded product having a laminated structure (a two-layer structure in which the inner layer 4a is covered with the outer layer 4b) melt-extruded from the die D is solidified by passing it through a water-cooling tank C (water temperature = 20°C) installed behind the die D immediately after extrusion. The solidified long molded product is then cut into predetermined lengths (200 mm) with a cutter G to obtain tubular (rectangular columnar) peripheral surface forming members 4, 4....

The bottom surface forming member 5 is integrally formed from plant-containing resin A, and a 10 mm wide folded piece 8 is provided perpendicularly and facing upwards around the periphery of a rectangular bottom plate measuring 47 mm wide x 47 mm deep. Both the bottom plate and the folded piece 8 have a thickness of 2.0 mm.

The top surface forming member 6 is also integrally formed from the same plant-containing resin A as the bottom surface forming member 5. A 10 mm wide folded piece 7 is provided perpendicularly downward around the periphery of a rectangular top plate of the same size as the bottom surface forming member 5 (left-right width x front-back depth = 47 mm x 47 mm). The top plate and the folded piece 7 both have a thickness of about 2.0 mm. An extraction member 3 is integrally provided at the center (center in the left-right and front-back directions) of the top plate of the top surface forming member 6. The extraction member 3 is made of plant-containing resin A and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter of 10 mmφ x thickness of 2.0 mm x height of 15 mm, and a screw thread is formed on the outer periphery of the upper part. The screw thread is used to fasten (screw) a lid member 9 with a screw groove formed on the inner periphery.

At the bottom of the storage container 1, the folded piece 8 of the bottom surface forming member 5 is inserted into the peripheral surface forming member 4, the outer surface of the folded piece 8 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4, and a hot plate P heated to a predetermined temperature (approximately 200°C) is pressed against the outside of the peripheral surface forming member 4 and the inside of the folded piece 8, and the two are thermally fused (heat sealed) together, thereby fixing the bottom surface forming member 5 to the peripheral surface forming member 4.

Meanwhile, in the upper part, the folded piece 7 of the top surface forming member 6 is inserted inside the peripheral surface forming member 4, and the outer surface of the folded piece 7 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4. A hot plate P heated to a predetermined temperature (approximately 200°C) is then pressed against the outside of the peripheral surface forming member 4, and the two are thermally fused together, thereby fixing the top surface forming member 6 to the peripheral surface forming member 4.

[Second embodiment]
7 shows a second embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention, in which a storage container 11 is formed of a main container 12 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped formed from a plant-containing resin, and an upper surface forming member 16 formed from a plant-containing resin 1. An outer layer 4b of the peripheral surface forming member 4 is formed from the above-mentioned plant-containing resin mixture B, and an inner layer 4a of the peripheral surface forming member 4 is formed from the above-mentioned plant-containing resin mixture A.

The top surface forming member 16 of the storage container 11 is formed in a substantially quadrangular pyramid shape, with the extraction member 3 integrally provided at the top of the center. A folded piece 17 is also integrally provided at the periphery of the lower end. Then, in the upper part of the storage container 11, the outer surface of the folded piece 17 of the top surface forming member 16 is abutted against the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4, and ultrasonic waves are applied from the outside of the peripheral surface forming member 4 to bond the folded piece 17 to the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4 (i.e., ultrasonic bonding), thereby fixing the top surface forming member 16 to the top of the peripheral surface forming member 4. In addition, a stopper 21 is provided on the outer side of the upper end of the folded piece 17 of the top surface forming member 16 to prevent the top surface forming member 16 from entering too far into the peripheral surface forming member 4.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the storage container 11, the folded piece 18 of the bottom surface forming member 15 is inserted into the inside of the peripheral surface forming member 4, and the outer surface of the folded piece 18 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4. Then, ultrasonic waves are applied from the outside of the peripheral surface forming member 4 to bond the folded piece 18 to the inner surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4, thereby fixing the bottom surface forming member 5 to the bottom of the peripheral surface forming member 4. In addition, a stopper 22 is provided on the outside of the base end of the folded piece 18 of the bottom surface forming member 15 to prevent the bottom surface forming member 15 from entering too far into the peripheral surface forming member 4.

<Effects of the storage container of each embodiment>
As described above, storage containers 1 and 11 have a main container body 2 formed by joining together a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member 4 for forming the peripheral surface, flat bottom surface forming members 5, 15 for forming the bottom surface, and top surface forming members 6, 16 for forming the top surface, so that it is easy to apply printing or integral decoration to the outer peripheral surfaces (front, back, left and right sides, etc.), resulting in excellent aesthetic appearance.

In addition, the storage container 1 and the storage container 11 have a peripheral surface forming member 4 having a two-layer laminated structure, and the inner layer 4a of the peripheral surface forming member 4 is formed from a plant-containing resin (i.e., a synthetic resin with added particles of plant-derived materials) that has carbon-neutral properties (the property of not affecting the increase or decrease of _CO2 in the atmosphere even when burned), so that the environmental impact is extremely small and the storage container 1 and the storage container 11 can be manufactured cheaply and easily.

Furthermore, the storage container 1 and storage container 11 have numerous striated recesses 10, 10... formed in the top and bottom directions on the surface of the peripheral surface forming member 4, so that an appearance similar to that of wood material can be created with an inexpensive structure.

In addition, storage container 1 is superior in that it requires fewer specially molded parts and can be manufactured easily because the top surface forming member 6 is flat. On the other hand, storage container 11 is superior in that the top surface forming member 16 is formed at an angle to the horizontal direction, making it easy to pour the contents, and each component is bonded by ultrasound without causing thermal damage to the plant-derived materials, making it less likely to deteriorate.

<Example of storage container change>
The storage container according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the material, shape, structure, size, and other configurations of the main container (circumferential surface forming member, bottom surface forming member, upper surface forming member) and the pouring member can be appropriately modified as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the storage container according to the present invention is not limited to a two-layer structure of the peripheral surface forming member as in the above embodiment, but can be modified to a three-layer structure in which the front and back of the plant-containing resin are sandwiched between polyolefin. In addition, the storage container according to the present invention is not limited to a rectangular prism-shaped peripheral surface forming member as in the above embodiment, but can be modified to a polygonal prism shape other than a rectangular prism, such as a cylindrical shape, a triangular prism, a pentagonal prism, or a hexagonal prism. Furthermore, the storage container according to the present invention is not limited to a bottom surface forming member and a top surface forming member heat-sealed to the peripheral surface forming member as in the above embodiment, but can be modified to a bottom surface forming member and/or a top surface forming member bonded to the peripheral surface forming member using an adhesive. On the other hand, the storage container according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment in which the spout is integrally attached to the top surface forming member, but can be modified to include a spout provided separately from the top surface forming member and bonded to the spout by heat fusion, ultrasonic bonding, or adhesive, or a manually operated pump mechanism provided on the top surface forming member.

The storage container according to the present invention has the excellent effects described above, and can therefore be suitably used as a container for storing various liquids, semi-solids, powders, and granules, including food, medicines, and cosmetics.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 11....Storage container 2, 12....Main container 3....Pour-out member 4....Circumference surface forming member 4a....Inner layer body 4b....Outer layer body 5, 15....Bottom surface forming member 6, 16....Top surface forming member 7, 8, 17, 18....Folded-back piece 9....Cover member 10....Striped recess E....Melt extrusion device A...First extruder B...Second extruder D...Die C...Cooling water tank F...Conveyor G...Cutter

Claims (2)

A synthetic resin storage container for storing liquids, semi-solids, powders, and granules, the container having a pouring member provided on the top of the container body,
the container body is formed by joining together a cylindrical peripheral surface forming member for forming a peripheral surface, a flat plate-shaped bottom surface forming member for forming a bottom surface, and an upper surface forming member for forming an upper surface,
The peripheral surface forming member has a two-layer laminate structure consisting of a surface layer and an inner layer, and both of the surface layer and the inner layer are formed of a synthetic resin mainly composed of polyolefin to which particles of a plant-derived material having been acetylated on the surface are added,
The content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the surface layer is 20% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and the content of the plant-derived material in the synthetic resin in the inner layer is 10% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, and
A storage container, characterized in that the content of plant-derived materials in the synthetic resin in the surface layer is greater than the content of plant-derived materials in the synthetic resin in the inner layer. The storage container according to claim 1, characterized in that a number of streak-like recesses are formed in the vertical direction on the surface of the peripheral surface forming member.

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