JP7524644B2 - Dripper and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dripper and a manufacturing method thereof, for example, a dripper that is pre-stored with contents having components to be extracted (e.g., regular coffee powder, black tea leaves, green tea leaves, etc.) and a manufacturing method thereof.

Disposable coffee drippers are known that consist of a bag-shaped filter in which regular coffee powder is already enclosed, and a cylindrical support (sleeve-shaped mount) for positioning the filter over a cup. The support is often made of thick paper with both ends glued together to form a cylinder, and before use, the support is folded with a nonwoven fabric filter attached to the inside. When brewing coffee, the filter is opened and the support is changed from its folded state to an open cylindrical state, and the dripper is then placed over the cup. When hot water is poured into the filter, the extracted coffee passes through the filter and accumulates in the cup.

Coffee drippers such as those described above require good transportability. For example, in the drippers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, part of the opening edge of the filter is folded back and attached to the outer surface of the upper end of the support with hot melt adhesive, making it possible to open the filter by pinching that part with your hand. However, since the support and the filter are attached at two points at the upper end of the support, the filter may move during transport and become detached or torn. To avoid this, the dripper described in Patent Document 1 is designed to suppress the movement of the filter by shaping the upper end of the support. In addition, the dripper described in Patent Document 2 is configured to suppress the movement of the filter during transport by bonding the support and the filter at their center parts.

Coffee drippers such as those described above also require good opening suitability. For example, it is necessary to prevent the regular coffee powder in the filter from scattering or the filter from breaking when the filter is opened. The drippers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take into consideration measures to prevent the contents from scattering, but as described in Patent Document 3, by performing ultrasonic sealing via a support, it is possible to close the opening of the filter in a peelable manner with stable sealing strength. Moreover, the ultrasonic sealing can simultaneously perform temporary adhesion of the filter to the support.

JP 2008-245894 A JP 2004-24763 A JP 2004-711 A

The drippers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not provide sufficient filter stability during transportation, and the opening suitability when the filter is opened is also not good. On the other hand, the dripper described in Patent Document 3 has a support made of ivory paper or waterproof cardboard, so if one tries to achieve an appropriate seal strength at the filter opening, it becomes difficult to suppress the movement of the filter during transportation by temporarily adhering it to the support. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain good transport suitability, and there is a risk that the filter will move during transportation and become dislodged or torn. Conversely, if the ultrasonic sealing process time is extended to increase the temporary adhesion strength of the filter to the support, the seal strength at the filter opening becomes so strong that it cannot be peeled off. Therefore, it becomes difficult to obtain good opening suitability, and the contents are more likely to scatter or the filter is more likely to tear when the filter is opened.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a dripper that has good transport suitability in terms of the attachment state of the filter to the support, and good opening suitability in terms of the sealing strength of the filter opening, and a method for manufacturing the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a dripper according to a first aspect of the present invention is a dripper having a bag-shaped filter in which a content having a component to be extracted is enclosed, and a cylindrical support formed so as to be foldable with the filter located therein,
the support having a polyethylene layer on an inner surface thereof;
The opening of the filter is releasably closed by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support, and the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter are releasably adhered to each other.

The dripper of the second invention is the dripper of the first invention, characterized in that the sealing area for releasably closing the opening of the filter coincides with the temporary adhesion area for releasably adhering the filter and the support.

The dripper of the third invention is the dripper of the first or second invention, characterized in that the support has a polyethylene layer on the inner surface and the outer surface.

The dripper of the fourth invention is any one of the first to third inventions described above, characterized in that the inner surfaces of the support are releasably bonded to each other at the folds when the support is in a folded state by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surfaces of the support.

The dripper of the fifth invention is any one of the first to fourth inventions described above, characterized in that the peelable adhesion between the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter exists only on one side of the fold line when the support is in a folded state.

The manufacturing method of the sixth aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a dripper according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention,
The support is made of a folded blank plate,
Applying an adhesive to the overlapping portion formed by overlapping both ends of the blank plate, and forming a cylindrical support by the adhesion;
The filter is provided within the support;
Place the contents in the filter;
The opening of the filter is releasably closed by performing ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support, and the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter are releasably bonded to each other.

According to the present invention, since the support has a polyethylene layer on its inner surface, the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter can be stably and releasably adhered to each other in a short time by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support. This adhesion state prevents the movement of the filter during transportation, etc., by the support, preventing the filter from coming off or breaking due to the movement of the filter. In addition, since the opening of the filter is releasably closed by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support, the seal strength is stabilized, preventing the contents from scattering when the filter is opened and the filter from breaking. Therefore, it is possible to realize a dripper that has good transport suitability in terms of the attachment state of the filter to the support, and good opening suitability in terms of the seal strength of the filter opening.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the embodiment of the dripper in an unopened state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the dripper of FIG. 1 in an opened state. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a blank plate of a support constituting the dripper of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an ultrasonic sealing process in the dripper of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a front view showing a specific example of a positional relationship between a sealing area and an adhesive area in the dripper of FIG. 1 . 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views of essential parts that typically show specific examples of two types of supports having different laminate structures. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a dripper in which a filter is temporarily attached to one side of a support. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of cut and non-cut portions that form the folding lines of the blank plate. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the dripper in an upright position with its roughly S-shaped outer shell exposed.

The dripper and other components according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in each specific example will be given the same reference numerals and duplicate explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

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

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

As the material for the filter 2, it is preferable to use a sheet material having thermal adhesive properties as a material, or a sheet material having thermal adhesive properties on one side (the innermost layer when made into a bag), taking into consideration the workability when making the filter into a bag. Examples include water-permeable nonwoven fabrics made of polyolefin-based (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.) or polyester-based materials, and multi-layered filter paper containing a thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin-based (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.) or polyester-based on one side (the innermost layer when made into a bag). The filter is made into a bag by folding the sheet material in half or gusset-folding it to overlap, heat-bonding it to a predetermined shape, and cutting and punching it out.

The cylindrical support 3 allows the filter 2 to be set on the cup 17 (Fig. 2) while maintaining a predetermined shape. As shown in Fig. 2, the support 3 has a first opening 7 constituting one opening 7a and a second opening 8 constituting the other opening 8a. A filter opening 9 is attached to the first opening 7 so that the filter 2 opens when the support 3 is changed from the folded state (Fig. 1) to the cylindrical open state (Fig. 2). The filter 2 is attached by inserting the filter 2 into the support 3, folding back a part of the filter opening 9 to the outside at the edge of the first opening 7 of the support 3, and attaching the folded back part to the outer surface of the support 3. When the filter 2 is attached in this way, when the support 3 is opened to the cylindrical state during use, the filter 2 opens wide and becomes suitable for pouring hot water or dripping.

The support 3 is formed by folding and gluing a single blank plate 3A shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a development of the support 3, and the blank plate 3A is formed by punching a plate-shaped sheet material as shown in the development (FIG. 3). The material of the blank plate 3A is not particularly limited, but for example, cardboard such as waterproof cardboard or ivory paper, or cardboard coated with resin (polyethylene, etc.) on both sides (especially the inner surface of the support 3) can be used as the sheet material. Note that if the blank plate 3A is made of cardboard coated with resin, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the rigidity of the support 3 even if it is exposed to hot water or steam.

The support 3 preferably has a polyethylene layer on its inner surface, and more preferably has polyethylene layers on its inner and outer surfaces. When a polyethylene layer is disposed on the inner surface of the support 3, the blank plate 3A needs to have a polyethylene layer on at least one side. Therefore, for the blank plate 3A, it is preferable to use a sheet material of cardboard (waterproof cardboard, ivory paper, etc.) with polyethylene applied to at least one side, and more preferably to use a sheet material of cardboard with polyethylene applied to both sides.

Figure 6 shows two examples of supports 3 with different laminated structures. Figure 6(A) shows the cross-sectional structure of the main part of a support 3 made of a double-sided coated blank plate 3A, and Figure 6(B) shows the cross-sectional structure of the main part of a support 3 made of a single-sided coated blank plate 3A. The support 3 shown in Figure 6(A) has a laminated structure consisting of three layers: a paper layer P0, a polyethylene layer P1 formed on the inner surface of the paper layer P0, and a polyethylene layer P2 formed on the outer surface of the paper layer P0. The support 3 shown in Figure 6(B) has a laminated structure consisting of two layers: a paper layer P0 and a polyethylene layer P1 formed on the inner surface of the paper layer P0.

Since both of the supports 3 in Figures 6(A) and (B) have a polyethylene layer P1 on at least the inner surface, ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support 3 allows the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 to be peelably bonded in a short time. In other words, the polyethylene layer P1 functions as an adhesive layer. The adhesive state of the polyethylene layer P1 allows the support 3 to suppress the movement of the filter 2 during transportation, etc., preventing the filter 2 from coming off or breaking due to its movement. Furthermore, even if the support 3 is exposed to steam, boiling water, coffee, etc., the water resistance of the polyethylene layer P1 prevents the rigidity of the support 3 from decreasing.

The support 3 shown in FIG. 6(A) also has a polyethylene layer P2 on its outer surface, so the water resistance of the polyethylene layer P2 can more effectively prevent the rigidity of the support 3 from decreasing.

Blank plate 3A (Figure 3) is composed of three parts, namely front panel 4, back panel 5, and glue strip 6, bounded by folding line L. Specific examples of folding line L include lead creases, pressed creases, cut creases, and sewing creases. Figure 8 shows an example of folding line L composed of sewing creases (perforations). Fold line L is composed of multiple cut sections C1 to C5 and multiple non-cut sections U1 to U6, and is formed symmetrically above and below as a whole. Cut sections C1 to C5 are configured to be the same size by cutting edges. Non-cut sections U1 and U6 are also configured to be the same size, and non-cut sections U2 to U5 are also configured to be the same size. The non-cut portions U1 and U6 are longer than the non-cut portions U2 to U5, and the relatively longer non-cut portion U1 of the non-cut portions U1 to U6 is located closer to the opening 9a (Fig. 2) of the filter 2 than the cut portions C1 to C5 (i.e., closer to the opening 7a of the first opening 7). The seal area 24 (Fig. 1) that peelably closes the opening 9a of the filter 2 is located within the range of the non-cut portion U1 and is located so as not to overlap any of the cut portions C1 to C5.

The front panel 4 and the back panel 5 (Fig. 3) are provided with a T-shaped notch 14, a V-shaped cutout 15, a sector-shaped hole 16, and a recess N, which are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides. The notch 14 is located in a portion corresponding to the second opening 8 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the support 3, the cutout 15 is located in a portion corresponding to the first opening 7 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the support 3, and the hole 16 is located midway between the portions corresponding to the first and second openings 7 and 8. When the filter 2 is attached to the support 3, the filter 2 is pressed through the hole 16, which effectively prevents the filter 2 from shifting relative to the support 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of protrusions 11 and legs 13 are formed in the portion of the support 3 corresponding to the second opening 8 (FIGS. 1 and 2). That is, protrusions 11 are formed at the positions of each folding line L and its bonding position (overlapping portion 20 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), and legs 13 are formed midway between the positions of the two folding lines L. Two legs 13 are formed by the same cut 14, and a recess N is formed on the protrusion 11 side of each leg 13. The combination of the recess N and the cut 14 reduces the waste of sheet material when forming the blank plate 3A, while the legs 13 are formed in a shape that is bent toward the second opening 8 side of the support 3.

When assembling the support 3, first, the blank plate 3A is folded along the fold line L at the boundary between the front plate 4 and the back plate 5 so that the front plate 4 and the back plate 5 overlap. Next, the blank plate 3A is folded along the fold line L at the boundary between the front plate 4 and the glue strip 6 so that the glue strip 6 overlaps the back plate 5. When the glue strip 6 is attached to the back plate 5 in this state, the blank plate 3A becomes cylindrical, and the support 3 in the folded state is obtained. The glue strip 6 is attached to the back plate 5 by applying an adhesive (e.g., hot melt adhesive) to three adhesion areas 22 (Figure 1) in the overlapping area 20 formed by overlapping both ends of the blank plate 3A.

The filter 2 is provided inside the support 3 that has been formed into a cylindrical shape as described above. As described above, the filter 2 is attached to the support 3 by inserting the filter 2 into the support 3, folding back a part of the filter opening 9 outward at the edge of the first opening 7 of the support 3, and attaching the folded back part to the outer surface of the support 3 with an adhesive (e.g., hot melt adhesive) (two points on the upper end of the support 3).

By folding the blank plate 3A along each fold line L, creases M (Figs. 1 and 2) are formed at the position of each fold line L. When the left and right creases M of the folded support 3 (Fig. 1) are pressed in a direction in which they approach each other, the flat cylindrical portion stands up to become an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. Figure 9 shows the dripper 1 when it is thus erected as viewed from the front panel 4 side. When the support 3 is erected into an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, the force is concentrated at the lower end of the notch 15 and the upper and lower ends of the hole 16 at the corners extending in the vertical direction, and an approximately S-shaped outline G (shown by a dashed line a little away from the outline position) along the notch 15, the crease 19, and the hole 16 is easily formed in two places on each of the front panel 4 and the back panel 5. In other words, when the dripper 1 is in an upright position, the diagonal contour portion 15a of the notch 15 on the center side of the front panel 4, the fold 19 that is formed in a generally straight line facing outward from the bottom end of the notch 15 to the top end of the sector-shaped hole 16, and the arc-shaped contour portion 16a that connects the top end of the sector-shaped hole 16 to its bottom end can be seen to form a roughly S-shaped outline G when viewed from the front.

When the blank plate 3A is configured to have an approximately S-shaped outer periphery G as described above, it is easy to fold it. This folding forms diagonals at the positions of the creases M (Figs. 1 and 2), forming approximately hexagonal openings 7a, 8a at the first opening 7 and the second opening 8 of the support 3. Then, as the support 3 enters a cylindrical open state (Fig. 2), an approximately hexagonal opening 9a is also formed at the filter opening 9. In this way, the shape of the dripper 1 is stabilized, making it possible to place the dripper 1 on the cup 17 in a stable state. In order to increase the capacity of the dripper 1, it is preferable to gusset the bottom of the filter 2.

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

Contents 18 are placed into filter 2 through opening 9a, and ultrasonic sealing is performed via support 3 outside the range 22 of adhesive bonding at overlapping portion 20 to releasably close opening 9a of filter 2, resulting in dripper 1 (Figure 1) in its unopened state. This releasably closing opening 9a of filter 2 is a temporary bond until filter 2 is opened when dripper 1 is used.

The plan view (A) and front view (B) in Figure 4 (the ultrasonic sealing device is not shown) show a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic sealing process being performed on the filter 2 using an ultrasonic sealing device. The ultrasonic sealing is performed using an ultrasonic sealing device equipped with an ultrasonic horn (sealing bar) 31 that applies ultrasonic vibration energy to the filter 2, and an anvil (receiving jig) 32 that positions the filter 2.

For example, it is preferable to use an ultrasonic horn 31 or anvil 32 with staggered micro-projections on its surface to perform filling and sealing so that the micro-projections come into contact with the back side of the support 3 (the side where the overlapping portion 20 is located). In this way, ultrasonic sealing can be performed without damaging the front panel 4 side (the side facing the package) of the support 3. Since no traces of ultrasonic sealing remain on the front panel 4, the front panel 4 can be kept in beautiful condition, making it possible to balance the appearance of the dripper 1, stable production, and consumer usability.

The anvil 32 is formed with a countersunk 32a (as a clearance for one sheet of blank plate 3A) to correspond to the overlapping portion 20 of the blank plate 3A. The overlapping portion 20 of the support 3 exists within the sealing range 24 (Figs. 1 and 4(B)), but even if the support 3 is pressed against the anvil 32 by the ultrasonic horn 31 (Fig. 4(A)), the filter 2 is not strongly pressed by the overlapping portion 20 because one sheet of blank plate 3A enters the countersunk 32a at the overlapping portion 20. This makes it possible to obtain uniformity in the seal strength, and therefore no strong seal is created at the overlapping portion 20 of the blank plate 3A that could cause the filter 2 to tear when opened.

The same is true for the adhesive area 22. Since the adhesive adhesive area 22 for holding the support 3 in a cylindrical shape is located outside the sealing area 24, the filter 2 is not strongly pressed by the unstable thickness of the adhesive. In other words, in the support 3, as shown in Figures 1 and 4 (B), the ultrasonic sealing area 24 and the adhesive adhesive area 22 are arranged so as not to overlap, so the filter 2 is not strongly pressed by the unstable thickness of the adhesive. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration energy does not act strongly on the filter 2 in part, so uniformity in the seal strength can be obtained, and for example, the filters 2 are not strongly sealed to each other or the outer surface of the filter 2 is not strongly sealed to the inner surface (polyethylene layer P1) of the support 3. Therefore, in the adhesive adhesive area 22, there is no strong sealing part that can cause the filter 2 to break when opened, so even with a small dripper 1, it is possible to prevent the contents 18 from scattering or the filter 2 from breaking when the filter 2 is opened.

If the seal of the filter 2 to the support 3 has an appropriate strength, the seal can be used to stabilize the filter 2. In other words, ultrasonic sealing can be used to stably hold the filter 2 to the support 3 before using the dripper 1. For example, the filter 2 can be sealed to the support 3 with an appropriate strength by adjusting the condition of the inner surface of the support 3 with a coating, adjusting the ultrasonic sealing processing time, or adjusting the adhesion range.

When the support 3 shown in FIG. 6(A) is used, since a polyethylene layer P1 is formed on its inner surface, the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 can be peelably bonded in a short time by performing ultrasonic sealing through the support 3 (FIG. 4). In other words, by performing ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support 3, the opening 9a of the filter 2 can be peelably closed (filling and sealing process) and the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 can be peelably bonded. Since two bonding operations can be performed simultaneously in one process, high production efficiency can be achieved. Note that when the dripper 1 is used, the support 3 needs to be in a cylindrical open state, so the filter 2 will be peeled off from the support 3. Therefore, the above-mentioned peelable bonding is a temporary bonding to prevent problems caused by the movement of the filter 2 during transportation, etc., by using the support 3.

If the ultrasonic sealing process time is long, the adhesive force closing the opening 9a of the filter 2 becomes strong, increasing the possibility that the contents 18 will scatter or the filter 2 will tear when the filter is opened. There is also a risk that marks such as the countersink 32a of the anvil 32 will be left on the front plate 4 of the support 3, deteriorating the appearance. If the ultrasonic sealing process time is short, the adhesive force between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 will weaken, making the filter 2 more likely to move during transportation, etc., increasing the possibility that the filter 2 will come off or tear.

The adhesion between the filter 2 and the polyethylene layer P1 is completed in a shorter time than the adhesion between the filter 2 and the paper layer P0, and with an adhesive force of appropriate strength, so the adhesive force closing the opening 9a of the filter 2 does not become too strong, and the adhesive force between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 does not become weak. This prevents the filter 2 from coming off or breaking due to its movement, and also prevents the contents 18 from scattering when the filter is opened and the filter 2 from breaking. In other words, by properly balancing the adhesive force when the opening 9a of the filter 2 is peelably closed and the adhesive force when the inner surface of the support 3 is peelably adhered to the outer surface of the filter 2, it is possible to achieve both suitability for transportation and suitability for opening.

Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a dripper 1 with a filter 2 temporarily attached to one side of a support 3. One inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 are temporarily attached, but the other inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 are not attached. When ultrasonic sealing is performed from the outer surface of the support 3, peelable adhesion between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 tends to occur only on one side of the fold M when the support 3 is in a folded state (the side where ultrasonic vibration energy acts strongly on the support 3 and the filter 2). When ultrasonic sealing is performed as shown in Figure 4, it tends to occur only on the side of the back panel 5 and the glue strip 6 (the side of the ultrasonic horn 31 in Figure 4) as shown in Figure 7, and is even more likely to occur at the overlapping portion 20 of the blank plate 3A.

When the filter 2 is temporarily attached to one side of the support 3 as described above, in addition to the attachment points of the filter opening 9 to the first opening 7 of the support 3 (two points at the top end of the support 3), a temporary attachment point between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 is added, so that the filter 2 is held to the support 3 at three points. This adhesion state allows the support 3 to effectively suppress the movement of the filter 2 during transportation, etc. (improved transportation suitability), and also makes it easier to open the dripper 1 despite the extremely improved production efficiency (improved opening suitability).

When the filter 2 is temporarily attached to one side of the support 3, it becomes easier to judge whether excessive biased force is being applied to the sealing area 24 of the filter 2 (i.e., to judge whether the product is good during production). The filter 2 may also be partially temporarily attached to the other side of the support 3 (held at four points), but in that case, the adhesive force closing the opening 9a of the filter 2 tends to be too strong. For example, if excessively biased ultrasonic sealing is performed, the filter does not become completely unbonded, and temporary adhesion occurs especially in the overlapping portion 20, and if the bias becomes even more excessive, temporary adhesion occurs outside the overlapping portion 20 as well. As a result, it becomes difficult to improve the opening suitability of the filter 2.

When the filter 2 is temporarily attached to one side of the support 3, the load on the closed filter opening 9 is smaller than when the filter 2 is temporarily attached to both sides of the support 3. For example, even if the folded support 3 receives an impact at the position of the fold M (i.e., an impact that presses the left and right folds M in a direction toward each other) during transportation (e.g., during the transportation of the product), the filter 2 is temporarily attached to one side of the support 3, so the impact is absorbed by the gap between the filter 2 and the support 3 in the non-adhesive state. As a result, the temporary adhesion that closes the opening 9a is less susceptible to influence, and the filter 2 can be prevented from being opened before the dripper 1 is used. In addition, by adjusting the processing time of the ultrasonic seal so that the filter 2 is temporarily attached to only one side of the support 3, it is possible to prevent the front panel 4 of the support 3 from being left with marks such as the countersink 32a of the anvil 32 (scratches caused by the corners of the countersink 32a) and deteriorating the appearance. Therefore, it is preferable that the peelable adhesion between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 exists only on one side of the fold M when the support 3 is in a folded state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sealing area 24 that releasably closes the opening 9a (FIG. 2) of the filter 2 coincides with the temporary adhesion area 26 that releasably adheres the filter 2 to the support 3. Therefore, the releasable adhesion between the filter 2 and the support 3 is performed within the sealing area 24 that releasably closes the opening 9a of the filter 2. Since the temporary adhesion area 26 is located away from the contents 18 and there is no need to use an adhesive (such as a hot melt adhesive) for the temporary adhesion, there is no need to worry about hygiene problems, and there is no possibility that the taste or flavor of the coffee will be affected, for example. Another advantage is that no additional steps are required when filling the container with coffee.

As shown in FIG. 7, ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support 3 allows the inner surfaces of the support 3 to be peelably bonded together at the fold M when the support 3 is in a folded state (i.e., temporary bonding area 28). Since the support 3 is configured to be slightly smaller than the filter 2, ultrasonic sealing (sealing area 24) from the outer surface of the support 3 allows the inner surfaces of the support 3 to be peelably bonded together between the left and right folds M of the support 3 and the filter 2 (temporary bonding area 28).

When the inner surfaces of the support 3 are temporarily bonded together in the temporary bonding area 28, the load on the opening 9a of the closed filter 2 is smaller than when there is no temporary bonding in the temporary bonding area 28. For example, even if the folded support 3 receives an impact at the position of the fold M during transportation (i.e., an impact that presses the left and right folds M in a direction toward each other), the temporary bonding that closes the opening 9a of the filter 2 is less likely to be affected because the inner surfaces of the support 3 are temporarily bonded together in the temporary bonding area 28. This makes it possible to prevent the filter 2 from being opened before the dripper 1 is used.

When the blank plate 3A (Fig. 3) is coated with polyethylene layers P1, P2 (Fig. 6), it becomes difficult to bend. To facilitate this folding, it is preferable to configure the folding line L with cut sections C1-C5 and non-cut sections U1-U6, as shown in Fig. 8. By using such folding lines L consisting of perforations, the support 3 becomes easier to bend, making it easier to open the dripper 1. Furthermore, because the cut sections C1-C5 and non-cut sections U1-U6 are formed symmetrically from top to bottom as a whole, the support 3 becomes even easier to bend. This makes it even easier to open the dripper 1.

Since crease M is formed at the position of the folding line L, the sealing area 24 (Fig. 1) intersects with the folding line L. If the sealing area 24 intersects with the folding line L at any of the cut sections C1 to C5, the strength of the support 3 will decrease at the cut sections C1 to C5 due to the support 3 being pressed by the ultrasonic horn (sealing bar) 31, making it more likely to break. To avoid this, as shown in Fig. 8, the sealing area 24 is located within the range of the non-cut section U1 and is positioned so as not to overlap with any of the cut sections C1 to C5. The folding line M of the support 3 serves to relieve the folding stress at the cut sections C1 to C5, so that when using the dripper 1, the support 3 can be flexibly folded at the folding line M to a size that fits the cup 17, making it possible to achieve a stable fixed state (Fig. 2).

The non-cut portion U1, which is located closer to the opening 9a (Figure 2) of the filter 2 than the cut portions C1 to C5, is formed relatively long with a margin of error. This effectively prevents the sealing range 24 from moving outside the range of the non-cut portion U1. In other words, the uppermost non-cut portion U1 is formed long so that it can accommodate slight vertical misalignment of the ultrasonic horn 31. This effectively prevents tearing due to a decrease in strength of the support 3 at the folding line L.

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

When the dripper 1 with the support 3 in the cylindrical open state as described above is placed on the cup 17, as shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 11 is located inside the edge of the cup 17, the legs 13 are located outside the second opening 8, and the tips of the legs 13 are located outside the edge of the cup 17. The restoring force of the support 3 attempting to return to the folded state (FIG. 1) strongly presses the edge of the cup 17 from inside and outside by the protrusion 11 located inside the cup 17 and the legs 13 located outside the cup 17, so that even a large-capacity dripper 1 is held in a stable state.

The movement of the support 3 is restricted by the edge of the cup 17 due to the bent shape of the legs 13 (e.g., engagement at the bent position), so the position of the dripper 1 is not fixed without the presence of the cup 17. In other words, as long as the edge of the cup 17 is within the range from the second opening 8 to the bent position of the legs 13, the dripper 1 can be set on the cup 17 while keeping the shape of the dripper 1 open. This makes it possible to accommodate a wide variety of cups 17 (various cup sizes, cup shapes, etc.). Depending on the cup size and cup shape, the dripper 1 may be set on the cup 17 so that the protrusion 11 is located outside the edge of the cup 17, or the dripper 1 may be set on the cup 17 with only the legs 13, omitting the protrusion 11.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the ultrasonically sealed area 24 and the adhesively bonded area 22 are arranged so that they do not overlap, so the filter 2 is not pressed strongly by the unstable thickness of the adhesive. As a result, the ultrasonic vibration energy does not act strongly on the filter 2 in certain areas, so the filters 2 are not strongly sealed to each other or the outer surface of the filter 2 is not strongly sealed to the inner surface of the support 3. Therefore, even with a small dripper 1, it is possible to prevent the contents 18 from scattering when the filter 2 is opened and the filter 2 from breaking.

The front view of Figure 5 shows a specific example of the positional relationship between the sealing area 24 and the adhesive area 22. Figure 5 (A) shows the specific example (Figure 1) mentioned above. That is, it is a specific example (three-point hot melt type) in which the three adhesive areas 22 provided in the overlapping portion 20 of the back panel 5 are all located outside the sealing area 24. Figures 5 (B) to (D) are specific examples (two-point hot melt type) in which the two adhesive areas 22 provided in the overlapping portion 20 of the back panel 5 are all located outside the sealing area 24. In all of the specific examples, the sealing area 24 by ultrasonic sealing and the adhesive adhesive area 22 are positioned so that they do not overlap, so there is no effect of the thickness of the adhesive on the ultrasonic sealing.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the support 3 has a polyethylene layer P1 on its inner surface, the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 can be stably and releasably adhered to each other in a short time by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support 3. This adhesion state prevents the movement of the filter 2 during transportation, etc., by the support 3, so that it is possible to prevent the filter 2 from coming off or breaking due to the movement of the filter 2. In addition, since the opening 9a of the filter 2 is releasably closed by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support 3, the seal strength is stabilized, so that it is possible to prevent the contents 18 from scattering when the filter is opened and the filter 2 from breaking. Therefore, it is possible to realize a dripper 1 that has good transport suitability in terms of the attachment state of the filter 2 to the support 3, and has good opening suitability in terms of the seal strength of the filter opening 9a.

In addition, the peelable adhesion between the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 exists only on one side of the fold M when the support 3 is folded, so the load on the closed filter opening 9 is small. This stable adhesion suppresses the movement of the filter 2 during transportation, etc., by the support 3, so that it is possible to prevent the filter 2 from coming off or breaking due to the movement of the filter 2. In addition, the opening 9a of the filter 2 is peelably closed by the ultrasonic seal from the outer surface of the support 3, so that the stabilization of the seal strength prevents the contents 18 from scattering when the filter is opened and the filter 2 from breaking. Therefore, it is possible to realize a dripper 1 that has good transport suitability in terms of the attachment state of the filter 2 to the support 3, and good opening suitability in terms of the seal strength of the filter opening 9a.

In this embodiment, the folding line L that forms the crease M when the support 3 is in a folded state is made up of cut sections C1-C5 and non-cut sections U1-U6, so folding for opening and folding can be easily performed. Since folding when opening the filter is easy, it is possible to prevent the contents 18 from scattering. In addition, folding during the filling and sealing process is easy, which improves production efficiency, and sufficient adhesion between the support 3 and the filter 2 makes it possible to obtain stable sealing strength at the filter opening. Therefore, it is possible to realize a dripper 1 that maintains a stable shape and filter state while being easy to open and fold.

The dripper and other devices embodying the present invention will be described in more detail below with examples.

Table 1 shows the results of temporary adhesion between the filter 2 and the support 3 in Examples 1 and 2 and the Reference Example of the dripper 1. The cylindrical support 3 used in Examples 1 and 2 and the Reference Example is made of a blank plate 3A of the same shape, with a bag-shaped filter 2 placed inside. The support 3 in Example 1 has polyethylene layers P1 and P2 formed on both the inner and outer surfaces (PE double-sided coated paper), while the support 3 in Example 2 has a polyethylene layer P1 formed only on one side of the inner surface (PE single-sided coated paper). The support 3 in the Reference Example is made of waterproof paper (no polyethylene layer).

Ultrasonic sealing was performed on the outer surface of the support 3 (Examples 1, 2, and Reference Example) in the folded state until the opening of the filter 2 was peelably closed. In Table 1, the occurrence of temporary adhesion is shown as the number of times that the inner surface of the support 3 and the outer surface of the filter 2 were peelably adhered to each other (i.e., the number of times temporary adhesion occurred), and the number of samples was five for each case. In Examples 1 and 2, temporary adhesion occurred in all samples, so the suitability for transportation was judged to be good ◎, and in the Reference Example, the number of occurrences of temporary adhesion was zero, so the suitability for transportation was judged to be poor ×.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Dripper 2 Filter 3 Support 3A Blank plate 4 Front plate 5 Rear plate 6 Glue strip 7 First opening 8 Second opening 9 Filter opening 7a, 8a, 9a Opening 11 Protrusion 13 Leg 14 Cut 15 Notch 15a Contour portion 16 Hole 16a Contour portion 17 Cup 18 Contents 19 Fold 20 Overlap portion 22 Adhesive area 24 Sealed area 26, 28 Temporary adhesive area 31 Ultrasonic horn (seal bar, ultrasonic sealing device)
32 Anvil (receiving jig, ultrasonic sealing device)
32a: Counterbore G: Outer contour L: Folding line M: Crease N: Recess P0: Paper layer P1, P2: Polyethylene layer

Claims (5)

A dripper having a bag-shaped filter in which a content having a component to be extracted is enclosed, and a cylindrical support formed so as to be foldable with the filter located inside,
the support having a polyethylene layer on an inner surface thereof;
an opening of the filter is releasably closed by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support, and the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter are releasably bonded to each other;
A dripper , characterized in that the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter are in a peelable adhesive state only on one side of the fold line when the support is in a folded state . The dripper according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing area for releasably closing the opening of the filter coincides with the temporary adhesion area for releasably adhering the filter and the support. The dripper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support has a polyethylene layer on the inner surface and the outer surface. The dripper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inner surfaces of the support are releasably bonded to each other at the fold when the support is in a folded state by ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support. A method for manufacturing a dripper according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The support is made of a folded blank plate,
Applying an adhesive to the overlapping portion formed by overlapping both ends of the blank plate, and forming a cylindrical support by the adhesion;
The filter is provided within the support;
Place the contents in the filter;
A manufacturing method characterized by performing ultrasonic sealing from the outer surface of the support to peelably close the opening of the filter and peelably bond the inner surface of the support and the outer surface of the filter.

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