JPH01210395A - Ballot paper - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contrive a reduction in labor for ballot counting and enhancement of preservability of a ballot paper, by composing the ballot paper of a shape- recovering sheet formed from a norbornene polymer. CONSTITUTION:A ballot paper 1 is composed of a shape-recovering sheet formed from a norbornene polymer. The ballot paper 1 has, stored as a base phase shape, a flat plate-like shape required at the time of practical use thereof, namely, voting. After a required item, such as a name, is written on the ballot paper, a deformation such as folding in two is applied to the ballot paper, and the deformed condition is maintained. Subsequently, the ballot paper is heated again to a specified temperature (e.g., 40-60 deg.C) at the time of ballot counting, whereby the deformation is spontaneously removed, and the ballot paper recovers the initial stored shape, namely, the flat plate-like shape or a shape similar thereto. When the ballot paper is then returned to normal temperature, it is solidified in the flat plate-like shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industry> Second Field of Application The present invention relates to a voting paper that utilizes the shape recovery properties of norbornene-based polymers.

<Prior art> A shape-recoverable molded article composed of a norbornene-based polymer having a glass transition temperature of 10° C. or higher and a number average molecular weight of 1 million or higher has been known (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-1991).
(Refer to Publication No.-53528, etc.).

Once this molded object has been memory-molded into the shape required for actual use, it can be deformed into another shape at a certain temperature, for example at room temperature, and retain that deformation, and it can also be heated again to a certain temperature or higher. By heating, the deformation is automatically removed and the shape can be restored to the originally memorized shape or a shape close to it.
It is formed into a sheet, and can be used to make objects such as bonding materials, crafts, construction fixing materials, medical equipment materials such as casts, tableware, stationery such as strawberries, and decorative items, etc., using the properties of norbornene-based polymers. It was used to transform it into a specific shape or size.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> Conventionally, general paper materials have been used as voting papers used in elections, etc., and there have been the following problems.

That is, in general, when voting, after writing necessary information such as the name on a ballot paper, the ballot paper is folded in half and placed in a ballot box.

When counting votes, the folded ballot paper is opened and the information written on it is read.

However, conventionally, as described above, it is necessary to open the folded ballot paper in half at the time of vote counting, and this work requires a great deal of labor and there is a problem that it takes a lot of time to count the votes. To solve this problem, it would be possible to mechanize the process of opening the ballot paper, but this is difficult in practice due to paper thickness, paper quality, and the wide variety of folding shapes, resulting in increased labor costs. is unavoidable.

In addition, voting paper made of paper material is easily deformed and damaged due to wrinkles, folds, etc., so it is necessary to smooth out these wrinkles and creases during vote counting to ensure proper reading. Not only does it take time to prepare, but care must also be taken when handling it to avoid damage.

Furthermore, voting papers need to be stored for a certain period of time, but those made from conventional paper materials are prone to deformation and damage such as wrinkles and creases as described above, so there is also the problem of poor storage stability.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, the present invention provides a voting paper that utilizes the shape recovery properties of the norbornene-based polymer described above, thereby saving labor in vote-counting work and improving the shelf life of the ballot paper. The purpose is to

<Means for Solving the Problem> For this reason, the voting paper of the present invention is formed from a shape-recoverable thin plate made of norbornene polymer.

(Function) In a ballot paper having such a configuration, for example, the flat plate shape necessary for writing during voting is stored as a matrix shape, and after being folded in half or the like after writing, this deformed shape is maintained. The deformation is then automatically removed by heating the sheet to a certain temperature or higher during ticket counting, and the sheet is restored to its original flat shape or a shape close to it.

Therefore, the work of folding back the ballot paper which has been deformed into two or the like can be carried out by a simple and batch processing operation of heating the ballot paper, which can be easily mechanized and the vote counting work can be carried out quickly. In addition, this ballot paper does not easily undergo deformation such as wrinkles or creases, allowing smooth and proper reading during vote counting, and can be folded as easily as regular paper, so be especially careful when handling it. It does not require any water and has a good shelf life.

<Example> Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a voting paper 1 according to the present invention is formed of a shape-recoverable thin plate made of norbornene-based polymer.

Here, as is conventionally known, the norbornene-based polymer has a glass transition temperature of 10°C or higher, preferably 20°C or higher, more preferably 30°C to 60°C.
C range, and the number average molecular weight of the polymer is 1 million or more.

This ballot paper 1 is a matrix shape that is stored in the shape of a flat plate that is required for actual use, that is, when voting (see Figure 1). Deformation such as folding is applied and the deformed state is maintained (see Fig. 2). Next, by heating it again to a specific temperature (e.g. 40 to 60°C) during ticket counting, the deformation is automatically removed (see Figure 3), and the shape is restored to the original memorized shape of a flat plate or a shape close to it. After this, when the temperature returns to room temperature, it becomes a flat device.

In addition, a heating device for heating the voting paper 1 to a specific temperature again is provided at the vote counting station.

In this heating device, a large number of ballot papers 1 are placed in a necessary heating state, such as passing through a heating section at once, and are mass-produced into the original flat shape or a shape close to it. It is preferable to have a configuration that allows shape recovery.

For example, the water is passed through a hot water tank or hot air chamber at a temperature of 40°C or higher.

Therefore, according to this configuration, the voter can easily fold the ballot paper 1 as it is like ordinary paper, and when opening the ballot paper 1 that has been folded in half, the voter can fold the ballot paper 1 easily.
Since it can be carried out by heating a large quantity of paper, it is suitable for mechanization and greatly improves the efficiency and speed of ticket counting work.

As a result, the labor savings achieved by mechanical processing can be surpassed and labor costs can be reduced.

In addition, this voting paper 1 is less likely to undergo deformation such as wrinkles or creases, and can be read smoothly and properly during vote counting. In addition, it is not easily damaged and does not require special care when handling.

Furthermore, Ballot 1 must be stored for a certain period of time.
Unlike conventional paper materials, it does not easily undergo deformation or damage such as wrinkles or creases as described above, so it has good storage stability.

By providing the following shape memory section in the voting paper 1, the voting paper can be aligned in a certain direction for convenient vote counting processing.

That is, the predetermined corners of the voting paper 1 are formed into a slightly bent shape and stored in the matrix shape.

Then, the corner portions are unbent at a specific temperature and cooled into a flat plate-like deformed state to maintain that shape.

As a result, there is no problem with the double-folding operation during voting, and the corner portion recovers its original folded shape by being heated again during vote counting.

That is, at the time of vote counting, it is possible to obtain a ballot paper 1 in which the predetermined printed portions and written portions are restored to a flat shape, and folded portions such as triangular folds are formed at predetermined corners.

As a result of forming the folded portions at the corners of the ballot paper 1 in this way, the direction of the ballot paper can be automatically aligned in a fixed direction during the mechanical processing process, making it easier to read the ballots during vote counting. There are advantages.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, the voting paper of the present invention is formed from a thin plate made of norbornene-based polymer and has shape recovery properties. When used at room temperature, it is folded in half to maintain its deformed shape, and when the sheet is counted, the deformation is automatically removed by heating it to a certain temperature or higher again, and the original flat plate is It can be configured to recover to the original shape or a shape close to it. Therefore, opening the folded ballot paper can be performed simply by heating the ballot paper. Therefore, it becomes easy to mechanize this process, and it is possible to speed up the vote counting work. In addition, this voting paper is less likely to undergo deformation such as wrinkles or creases, can be read smoothly and properly during vote counting, does not require special care in handling, and has good storage stability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures are diagrams showing the shape of an embodiment of the voting paper according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the shape when voting, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape when the ballot is inserted into the ballot box, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape at the time of vote counting. 1... Ballot paper

Claims (1)

[Claims] A voting paper characterized by being formed from a shape-recoverable thin plate made of norbornene-based polymer.