JP7502851B2 - Can body - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a can body used as a packaging container for storing beverages, food, etc.

Conventionally, a can body has been known in which a pattern is formed of numerous recesses of the same shape around the entire outer surface of a metallic cylindrical body (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

In this can body, the pattern formed by the relatively large recesses formed on the outer surface of the body provides a three-dimensional decorative effect on the outer surface of the body, improving the aesthetic appearance of the can body. Furthermore, some parts of the outer surface of the body are left without recesses, to add variety to the decorative effect (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below).

These cans are also easy to manufacture, since all that is required is to form a number of identically shaped recesses on the outer surface of the body.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-26286 JP 2016-50041 A

However, the expression consisting of a repeating pattern made up of numerous relatively large, identically shaped recesses around the entire outer surface of the body has little variety, and it is not possible to improve the design or expand the expression to include some information, such as text. Furthermore, even if an attempt is made to leave a part of the outer surface of the body without recesses, the outline of the boundary with that surface is separated by a boundary ridge and is limited by the shape and size of the recesses, making it difficult to easily apply expressions to the can body that include, for example, Chinese characters or illustrations, or expressions that include information, such as character strings.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to easily provide a can body that not only improves design but also expands the scope of processing expression and improves the degree of freedom by forming patterns, character strings including kanji, information, etc., consisting of a large number of relatively small recesses of the same or multiple shapes on the outer surface of the can body, while maintaining ease of manufacture.

A can body having a cylindrical body is provided with a character representation comprising a large number of dot-shaped recesses selectively formed inside a plurality of matrix-shaped virtual squares formed on an outer surface of the body by a plurality of straight vertical virtual lines extending in the height direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of annular horizontal virtual lines extending in the circumferential direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction, and the virtual squares have a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the height direction of the body and a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the circumferential direction of the body.

According to the present invention, a larger number of fine recesses are provided in the form of dots than in the conventional art, making it possible to easily obtain a can body on which a mark is formed using character expressions including Chinese characters.

The present invention is also characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body are formed by combining the shape, size, depth, and density of the recesses.

Compared to the conventional method of using many recesses of the same shape, this method allows for a variety of expressions to be added to the can body by providing recesses of various sizes and shapes, and the density (degree of density) of each recess, as dot patterns, resulting in improved design.

The present invention is also characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body include an unfinished surface surrounded by a large number of the recesses.

With this method, instead of the processed boundary with the unprocessed part being formed by a processed ridge as in conventional technology, the outline of the character shape is formed by numerous fine recesses, making the boundary between the processed area and the unprocessed area softer, and it is also possible to display characters or illustrations on the smooth unprocessed surface.

In addition, in the present invention, the markings on the outer surface of the body are characterized in that a large number of the recesses are surrounded by other recesses that are shallower than the recesses.

Specifically, for example, the display of characters or the like using a large number of recesses may be surrounded by other recesses, such as dimple surfaces, which are shallower than the recesses, thereby decoratively highlighting the outline of the character display and improving visibility and design.

The present invention is also characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body are formed by a number of the recesses and have a shape that is self-similar to the shape of one of the recesses.

According to this, since the overall display shape formed by the aggregation of a plurality of recesses is a self-similar shape to the shape of one recess, a display including characters and having a higher aesthetic appeal can be formed.

When the dimension from the surface position of the body to the deepest part of the recess is taken as the machining depth dimension, the machining depth dimension of the recess is preferably 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm. If the machining depth dimension of the recess is less than 0.2 mm, there is a risk that visibility will be low and clarity as a marking will not be obtained. If the machining depth dimension of the recess is more than 2.0 mm, there is a risk that the thickness of the recess in the body will become extremely thin. Therefore, by setting the machining depth dimension of the recess to 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, a marking with high visibility can be formed without reducing the strength of the body.

When forming a recess in the body, the inner mold is abutted against the inner surface of the body, and the outer mold is pressed against the outside of the body. The inner mold has a recess, and the outer mold has a protrusion. The protrusion of the outer mold is recessed through the body into the recess of the inner mold, forming a recess in the body. Here, in the present invention, each recess constituting the marking on the outer surface of the body is formed at any position in the squares of a virtual matrix formed by a plurality of straight vertical virtual lines extending in the height direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of annular horizontal virtual lines extending in the circumferential direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction.

According to this, for example, by previously forming an arrangement of recesses of a fixed size in all of the positions corresponding to the virtual squares of the inner mold, and using an outer mold with protrusions of different shapes, coarseness, size, length, etc. as constituent units of dots in positions corresponding to the characters to be displayed on the body, not only Chinese characters but also characters using dots can be easily formed on the body. Moreover, by simply changing the outer mold (the arrangement or shape of the protrusions) while using an inner mold with previously forming an arrangement of recesses of a fixed size in all of the positions corresponding to the positions of the squares, it becomes possible to form a new display such as a different character string information on the body simply by changing the outer mold.

Furthermore, the imaginary squares have a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the height direction of the body portion, and a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the circumferential direction of the body portion .

The recesses that make up the display are formed within the area of the virtual squares, but if the virtual squares are extremely small, the outer diameter of the recesses may be affected and a recess of sufficient depth may not be formed, which may result in a lack of a clear display. Furthermore, if the virtual squares are excessively large, a high-definition display may not be formed. According to the present invention, by setting the virtual squares so that the length dimension in the height direction of the body is 1 mm to 5 mm and the length dimension in the circumferential direction of the body is 1 mm to 5 mm, a clear and high-definition display can be obtained from the recesses formed within the virtual squares.

FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory development showing an example of character expression on the torso part.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the can body 1 of this embodiment is composed of a cylindrical body 2, a top cover 3 wound tightly around the upper end of the body 2, and a bottom cover 4 wound tightly around the lower end of the body 2.

The outer surface of the body 2 is provided with a display in the form of text, which is made up of a large number of dot-shaped recesses 5 .

The recesses 5 are selectively formed inside the imaginary squares 6 shown in the figure for ease of explanation. The imaginary squares 6 are formed by a number of straight vertical imaginary lines 6a extending in the height direction of the body 2 and spaced at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a number of annular horizontal imaginary lines 6b extending in the circumferential direction of the body 2 and spaced at equal intervals in the height direction.

Figure 2 shows a can body 2 with a number of recesses 5, which are laid out around the circumference of the can body for convenience. Figure 2A shows a display in kanji, and Figure 2B shows a display in English letters. These display in kanji can be created simply by forming recesses 5 at the appropriate locations of the imaginary squares 6.

The shape of the recess 5 that can be used as the display is rectangular in the one shown in Figures 1 and 2 , but the shape of the recess 5 that forms the display of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a circular recess 5 inscribed in the imaginary square 6 , a cross-shaped recess 5 inscribed in the imaginary square 6 , a pentagonal recess 5 inscribed in the imaginary square 6 , or a triangular recess 5 partially in contact with the imaginary square 6.

The imaginary squares 6 are effective for positioning when designing the arrangement of the recesses 5. The imaginary squares 6 may have the same length dimension in the height direction of the body 2 and the same length dimension in the circumferential direction of the body 2, but the ratio between the length dimension in the height direction of the body 2 and the length dimension in the circumferential direction of the body 2 can be set appropriately. This allows for a greater variety of character expressions to be displayed.

In addition, by setting the size of the imaginary squares 6, with the length dimension a in the height direction of the body 2 being 1 mm to 5 mm and the length dimension b in the circumferential direction of the body 2 being 1 mm to 5 mm, a precise display can be formed using a large number of relatively small recesses 5.

In this case, the ratio (H:W) of the length dimension a (H) in the height direction of the body 2 to the length dimension b (W) in the circumferential direction of the body 2 can be defined as being any ratio between 1 :1 and 5:5.

When the dimension from the surface position of the body 2 to the deepest part of the recess 5 is taken as the machining depth dimension, the machining depth dimension of the recess 5 is set to 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm. This ensures that the strength of the body 2 is not reduced by the recess 5, and high visibility of the display is obtained.

Although not shown, the outer surface of the body may be covered with a printed plastic film decorated with a metallic color tone. This increases the reflection of light through the recesses, improving the overall aesthetic appearance of the body.

1...can body, 2...body, 5...recess, 6...imaginary square, 6a...vertical imaginary line, 6b...horizontal imaginary line, 7...unfinished surface.

Claims (6)

In a can body having a cylindrical body portion,
A can body, characterized in that an indication using textual expression is provided on the outer surface of the body, the indication being composed of a number of dot-shaped recesses selectively formed inside a plurality of matrix-shaped virtual squares formed by a plurality of straight vertical virtual lines extending in the height direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of annular horizontal virtual lines extending in the circumferential direction of the body and arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction, and the virtual squares have a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the height direction of the body, and a length dimension of 1 mm to 5 mm in the circumferential direction of the body. The can body according to claim 1, characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body are formed by combining the shape, size, depth, and density of the recesses. The can body according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body include an unfinished surface surrounded by a number of the recesses. The can body according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the markings on the outer surface of the body are such that a number of the recesses are surrounded by other recesses that are shallower than the recesses. The can body according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the marking on the outer surface of the body is formed by a number of the recesses and has a shape similar to that of one of the recesses. A can body according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the machining depth dimension of the recess is 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm when the dimension from the body surface position to the deepest part of the recess is the machining depth dimension.

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