JPH10167210A - Packaging method and packaged body of food container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically package a food container like a lunch or the like by use of an automatic packaging machine and reduce the packaging cost. SOLUTION: Film continuously provided with two lines of paste parts 3a in the breadthwise direction of the rear face thereof is wound and retained on a supply roll and drawn from the supply roll and cut to a specified length F smaller than the dimensions of a lunch A by a cutting structure. The lunch A is put under the cut packaging film 3 and raised by a lifter and the middle part of the packaging film 3 is pushed up and one side of the film is folded in the lower side of the lunch by a folding plate for the rear part of film to stick the one side paste part 3a of the film on the underface of the lunch A. After that, the lunch A is further pushed by the folding plate for the rear part of film to transfer it from the delivery roller to a sending-out conveyor. And the other side of the film 3 is folded in the lower side of the lunch by the delivery roller and the paste part 3a is stuck on one side of the packaging film 3 already stuck.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and a package for packaging a food container for packing a food container such as a lunch box sold at a convenience store. The present invention relates to a packaging method and a package suitable for packaging a reheated lunch box or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Convenience stores and the like provide a service of selling bento wrapped in a packaging film and reheating the sold bento using a microwave oven. However, such lunches are packaged in such a way that they are completely sealed using a self-adhesive stretch film or the like, so that water vapor generated from rice, side dishes, etc. upon reheating expands inside, and There was a disadvantage that the film swelled. Therefore, at a convenience store, etc., when reheating,
A sales manual, such as making a hole in the packaging film, is prepared to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience. However, a part-time clerk sometimes forgets to make a hole.

Therefore, in recent years, an annular shrink film has been used for packing a lunch box or the like, and the shrink film is wrapped around a container in a band shape and packed. Then, when packaging with shrink film, after filling the container with rice etc. and closing the lid, pass this container through the annular shrink film and pass through the shrink tunnel, heat in the shrink tunnel and shrink the shrink film Let me.

[0004]

However, in the shrink film packaging described above, it is essential to put the container in an annular shrink film, and this operation must be performed manually by an operator. However, there is a problem that the burden on the operator is large, and a shrink film that is vertically eccentric must be used, so that the shrink film is expensive and the packaging cost increases. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging method capable of automatically packaging a food content container such as a lunch box by using an automatic packaging machine or the like and also reducing packaging costs.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a packaging method for packaging a food container with a lid packed with food with a packaging film. A packaging film provided with two glue portions continuously or intermittently spaced apart in the width direction is wound around a supply roll, and the packaging film is pulled out from the supply roll, and the packaging film is dimensioned as the food content container. After cutting to the following predetermined length, the food content container is lifted from below the cut divided packaging film to push up an intermediate portion of the divided packaging film, and one side portion of the divided packaging film is After feeding one of the glue portions to the lower surface of the food content container by sending it below the content container, the food content container is moved toward the other side of the divided packaging film, and the other of the glue portions is moved. Serial stuck to the lower surface or a side portion of the divided wrapping film for food content containers.

The invention according to claim 2 is a packaging method for packaging a food content container with a lid filled with food with a packaging film, wherein the packaging film is wound around a supply roll and held. The film is pulled out from the supply roll, and two glue portions are continuously or intermittently provided on the back surface of the packaging film in the width direction and the packaging film is formed to a predetermined length equal to or less than the dimension of the food content container. Cutting, raising the food content container from below the cut divided packaging film to push up an intermediate portion of the divided packaging film, feeding one side portion of the divided packaging film below the food content container, and After sticking one of the glue portions to the lower surface of the food content container, the food content container is moved toward the other side of the divided packaging film, and the other of the glue portions is the food content container. Stuck to the lower surface or a side portion of the divided wrapping film.

The method for packaging a food content container according to the first and second aspects of the present invention is such that the glue portion of the packaging film is provided at a position separated from the edge of the packaging sheet (claim 3). Can be configured.

The invention according to claim 4 is a package in which a food content container with a lid packed with food is packaged with a packaging film, wherein the packaging film wound and held on a supply roll is pulled out. The packaging film is cut into a predetermined length equal to or smaller than the size of the food content container, and the cut packaging film thus cut is placed on the food content container from the front side, and one side of the packaging film is divided into the food content container. And the other side of the divided packaging film is adhered to the bottom surface of the in-food container or one side of the divided packaging film.

A food content container (package) is represented by a lunch box which is reheated at the time of sale at a convenience store or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to cooked noodles such as fried noodles, pilaf or fried noodles which generate a large amount of steam when reheated. Suitable for packed lunches containing curry and rice. As is well known, the container and the lid are molded using polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a resin material obtained by mixing talc with them.

The packaging film is a paper or resin film, for example, a PP or PET film having a thickness of about 20 μm, which is wound and held on a roll. This packaging film forms a glue portion in advance and is wound around a roll or the like (Claim 1), or is coated with glue when pulled out from the roll and sent to a packaging machine to form a glue portion (Claim 1). 2) In particular, in the former mode, a release layer is formed at a portion that comes into contact with the glue portion in a wound state. The glue portion is formed continuously or intermittently on both sides of the packaging film or on a portion of a predetermined width separated from the side edge by a predetermined distance (claim 3). Various types of glue can be used for the glue portion, and a typical example is a glue obtained by adding a peroxide to a rubber-based adhesive.

For packaging, an existing packaging machine or the like used for packaging lunches by the stretch film described above can be used. As is well known, this packaging machine has a film feeding mechanism for driving and driving a packaging film, a carry-in conveyor for carrying an unwrapped lunch, an elevating mechanism for lifting the lunch, a folding mechanism for folding the film below the lunch, It is composed of a carry-out conveyor for carrying out packed lunches and the like, an extruding mechanism for pushing out packed lunches toward the carry-out conveyor, and the like.

[0012]

The method of packaging a food content container according to the present invention comprises:
Cut the packaging film drawn from the supply roll etc. to a length less than the size of the food content container, lift the food content container from the bottom of the cut divided packaging film, and push up the central part of the divided packaging film from the back side, After folding one side of the divided packaging film under the food content container and sticking it to the lower surface of the food content container with the glue part, the food content container is extruded toward the other side of the divided packaging film to form the divided packaging film. Fold the other part under the food container,
The glue portion on the other side of the divided packaging film is attached to the lower surface of the food content container or to one side of the divided packaging film.

For this reason, packaging can be performed without using a shrink film or a self-adhesive film which requires heating at the time of packaging, and can be packaged by an existing automatic packaging machine for stretch films, and packaging can be performed inexpensively and automatically. . Then, the packaged food content has a packaging sheet dimension not larger than that of the container, so that steam generated when reheated in a microwave oven or the like leaks from between the container body and the lid, and stays inside. Not even. Then, the adhesive strength of the glue portion is reduced by heat when reheated, and the film can be easily removed.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 are views for explaining a method of packaging a food content container according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a lunch box in the middle of packaging, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a cut packaging sheet used for packaging the lunch box, FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing the packaging steps in alphabetical order, and FIGS. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the automatic packaging machine in FIG.

First, a packed lunch (food content container) A will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2a. 1 is a container main body having an open top, 2 is a lid for closing an upper opening of the container main body 1, 3
Is a packaging film (divided packaging film) for packaging the container body 1 covered with the lid 2 in a band shape. The container body 1 and the lid 2 are formed from PP or the like, and the container body 1 is filled with food such as cooked noodles. The container body 1 and the lid 2
Is well known, and the following description is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3a, the packaging film 3 is obtained by cutting a film S having a width F smaller than the vertical dimension R of the container body 1 and drawn from a roll described later. A glue portion 3a is provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction at a portion of a predetermined width separated from the edge by a distance w. Glue part 3a
Is applied by applying a well-known glue before winding the packaging film 3 on a roll, or when packaging (just before cutting).
To a well-known paste by a packaging machine. The wrapping film 3 is wound around the central portion of the container body 1 covered with the lid 2 in a vertical direction, and the glue portion 3a on one side is glued on the lower surface of the container body 1 and the glue portion 3a on the other side. Is attached to one side of the film 3.

The adhesive used for the glue portion 3a includes natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, isobutylene rubber, isobrene rubber, acrylic, silicone, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and styrene-isoprene block copolymer. And styrene-butadiene block copolymers and styrene-ethylene-butylene block copolymers, and these may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more. The adhesive of the present invention is prepared by adding 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of a peroxide such as hydroperoxide, dialkyl peroxide, diacyl peroxide, peroxyester, or ketone peroxide to 100 parts by weight of the main agent. Can be
Since this adhesive contains a peroxide, the lunch is wrapped in a film and then microwaved at 60 ° C to 120 ° C.
When reheated to ° C, the adhesive strength is reduced and can be easily removed.

Next, an outline of the automatic packaging machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. This automatic packaging machine 10 has a lifting mechanism 11 at the end of a carry-in conveyor 15,
A pair of left and right film folding plates 12 are disposed above the film folding plate 12, and a film rear folding plate 13 and a discharge transfer roller 14 are provided on the film folding plates 12 so as to face each other in the extending direction of the plate 12. The carry-in conveyor 15 is composed of a belt conveyor in which a plurality of belts 15b are wrapped around rollers 15a. Conveyed toward.

The elevating mechanism 11 is provided with the above-described carry-in conveyor 1.
It has a plurality of push-up rods 11a arranged between the five belts 15b so as to be able to move up and down, and these are connected to an elevator drive actuator (not shown) to be driven up and down. The elevating mechanism 11 places the lunch A carried in by the carry-in conveyor 15 on the push-up rod 11a, and raises the push-up rod 11a when packing the packaging film 3 in the lunch A, thereby packing the lunch A. Press against film 3. Each of the film folding plates 12 is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) and moves in a direction approaching / separating from each other. As will be described later, these film folding plates 12 stand by in a separated state, and move in the approaching direction when the lunch box A rises to function as a guide plate.

Note that the film folding plate 12 is used when wrapping a lunch box with the above-mentioned stretch film, and is not always indispensable for implementing the wrapping method according to the present invention. That is, the packaging method according to the present invention can be carried out using a known packaging machine using the above-described stretch film, and does not require a special packaging machine.

The rear folding plate 13 is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown), and slides on the lower surface of the container body 1 of the lunch box A after moving in the direction in which the above-mentioned folding plate 12 approaches. Move toward. As described later, this film folding plate 13
Sends one side portion of the packaging film 3 to the lower portion of the container body 1 and affixes the glue portion 3a to the lower surface of the container body 1;
The lunch A is pushed out onto the discharge transfer roller 14 by the pushing section.

Although not explicitly shown in FIG.
Is rotatably or fixedly attached to the apparatus frame, and is located between the base end of a carry-out conveyor (not shown). The discharge transfer roller 14 sends out the lunch box A pushed out by the film folding plate 13 to a carry-out conveyor, and presses the other side of the packaging film 3 against the lower surface of the container body 1 at the time of sending out the lunch box A, thereby forming the glue portion 3a. It is attached to the lower surface of the container body 1 or to the packaging film 3 already attached.

The packaging machine 10 includes a supply roll 21, a cutting mechanism 22 for the film S, a feeding mechanism 23 for the film S,
It is provided with three positioning mechanisms 24 for the packaging film. The supply roll 21 is rotatably supported and winds and holds the film S. As shown in FIG. 3A, the film S has two continuous glue portions 3a formed on both sides of the back surface apart from the edge, and a release layer is formed by coating or the like on a portion of the front surface that comes into contact with the glue portion 3a. Is done. In addition, the film S can also form the glue portion 3a along the edge as shown in FIG. 3B, and the glue portion 3a is intermittently formed to a length corresponding to the width dimension F of the packaging film 3. It is also possible to form.

The cutting mechanism 22 has a cutter blade 22a.
The film S pulled out from the supply roll 21 is cut. The feed mechanism 23 includes an upper belt 23a and a lower belt 23b.
Are provided in the width direction of the film S, and the upper belt 23a and the lower belt 23b are
The two sides are pinched so that they can run. In the feeding mechanism 23, the upper belt 23a and the lower belt 23b are respectively connected to a motor (not shown) or the like, and the film S intermittently runs by a predetermined length (width F of the packaging film 3).

The positioning mechanism 24 includes the feed mechanism 2 described above.
As in the case of 3, an upper belt 24a and a lower belt 24b, which are in close contact with each other, are separately provided in the longitudinal direction of the film folding plate 12, and these belts 24a and 24b are respectively connected to a motor or the like. This positioning mechanism 24
Both sides of the packaging film 3 cut by the cutting mechanism 22 are pinched and moved to a predetermined position just above the elevating mechanism 11,
The packaging film 3 is held at the position directly above.

Next, a method of packing a lunch box according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, for convenience, the carry-in conveyor 15 is represented by a table on which a lunch box A is placed and moved. In this embodiment, first, the film S travels while being driven by the feed mechanism 23 by a predetermined length, and the cutting mechanism 22 cuts the film S into a predetermined length, and the film S is cut by the cutting mechanism 22. The positioning mechanism 24 moves the packaging film 3 to position the packaging film 3 at a position directly above the push-up rod 11 a of the elevating mechanism 11. Note that the packaging film 3 can be moved directly above the lunch box A by the positioning mechanism 24 after the lunch box A is placed on the elevating mechanism 11.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 6,
A lunch box A in which a lid 2 is put on a container body 1 filled with cooking noodles or the like is carried in by a carry-in conveyor 15, and is placed on a push-up rod 11a of an elevating mechanism 11. Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 4b, the elevating mechanism 11 is in a state in which the push-up rod 11a is lowered, the film folding plates 12 are in a state of being separated from each other, and the film folding plate 13 is in a state of being separated from the delivery roller 14. It is in.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Moves the push-up rod 11a upward, and presses the lunch box A on the rod 11a against the intermediate portion of the packaging film 3 held by the positioning mechanism 24 to push it up. And
As shown in FIG. 8, when the lunch box A rises to a predetermined position, the left and right film folding plates 12 move in the approaching direction. Here, these film folding plates 12
Is located so that both sides of the lower surface of the container main body 1 can be placed on the plate 12, and the lower part of the lunch box A is placed on the plate 12. You.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 9,
After the film, the folding plate 13 moves toward the discharge transfer roller 14, and one side portion of the packaging film 3 is moved to the container body 1.
And glue portion 3a is adhered to the lower surface of container body 1. Subsequently, the post-film folding plate 13 further moves to the delivery roller 14 side, and pushes the lunch box A from the delivery roller 14 onto the carry-out conveyor. For this reason, the other side of the packaging film 3 is folded under the container body 1 by the discharge transfer roller 14, and the glue portion 3 a on the other side of the packaging film 3 is adhered to the bottom surface of the container body 1, and the lunch A Is completed. Thereafter, the packed lunch A is conveyed to a shipping location by a carry-out conveyor and shipped to a convenience store or the like.

Then, the packed lunch A packed as described above
Is reheated in a microwave oven or the like when sold at a convenience store or the like, but is not completely sealed by the packaging film 3. That is, the packaging film 3 is merely hung in a band shape on the intermediate portion of the container body 1 as shown in FIG. For this reason, when the lunch box A is reheated, water vapor or the like generated inside the lunch box A is released from the gap between the container body 1 and the lid 2, and the inconvenience such as the film swelling does not occur.

As described above, in this embodiment, the packaging film S wound and held on the supply roll 21 is pulled out and the lunch A is automatically packaged. That is, the film S drawn from the supply roll 21 is cut, the packaging film 3 is wrapped around the lunch box A in a belt shape using an existing automatic packaging machine, and the glue portion 3a is attached to the bottom surface of the container body 1. Therefore, it is possible to perform packaging without using an expensive shrink film, reducing the packaging burden on the operator, and preventing swelling during reheating.

In the above-described embodiment, the glue portion 3a is attached to the packaging film 3 in consideration of convenience in peeling.
Is provided at a position separated from the edge, but the glue portion 3a can be provided along the edge, and the distances from the edges of the glue portions 3a on both sides can be different from each other.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, after the glue portion 3a on one side of the packaging film 3 is adhered to the lower surface of the container body 1, the glue portion 3a on the other side of the packaging film 3 is already adhered. It is stuck on one side, but as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to attach both a to the lower surface of the container body 1.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, a film having a glue portion formed on both sides is wound around a supply roll, and the film drawn from the supply roll is reduced to a predetermined length. Cut or form a glue portion by coating or the like on the packaging film drawn from the supply roll and cut it to a predetermined length, and then cut the cut packaging film into a substantially horizontal position where the glue portion is located on both sides. After holding the food container up from the bottom side of the packaging film and pushing up the middle part of the packaging film, one side of the packaging film is folded under the food content container and placed on the bottom of the container body. The glue portion is adhered, and then the container body is moved toward the other side of the packaging film, the other side portion is folded under the container body, and the other glue portion is attached to the lower surface of the container body or the packaging film. On one side Chakusuru. For this reason, the packaging film can be packaged in the food content container in a strip shape, the packaging film does not swell even when reheated, and an expensive film such as a shrink film is unnecessary, and using an automatic packaging machine. Packaging is possible, and packaging costs can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a food content container being packaged by a packaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a packaging film used in the packaging method, wherein a shows one embodiment and b shows another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a food content container packaged by the packaging method, wherein a shows one embodiment and b shows another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a packaging process by the packaging method in alphabetical order.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a packaging process following FIG. 4 according to the packaging method in alphabetical order.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an outline of a packaging machine that performs packaging using the packaging method.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an outline of a packaging process of the packaging machine continued from FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an outline of a packaging process of the packaging machine following FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an outline of a packaging process of the packaging machine continued from FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 2 Lid 3 Packaging film (separated packaging film) 3a Glue part 10 Automatic packaging machine 11 Elevating mechanism 12 Film folding plate 13 Film rear folding plate 14 Discharge transfer roller 15 Carry in conveyor 21 Supply roll 22 Cutting mechanism 23 Feeding mechanism 24 Position Matching mechanism A Lunch box (food contents container) S film

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A packaging method for packaging a food container with a lid filled with food with a packaging film, wherein two glue portions are continuously or intermittently provided on a back surface in a width direction. The packaging film is wound around a supply roll, the packaging film is pulled out from the supply roll, and the packaging film is cut into a predetermined length equal to or smaller than the size of the food content container, and then below the cut divided packaging film. The food content container is lifted up to push up the middle portion of the divided packaging film, and one side portion of the divided packaging film is sent below the food content container, and one of the glue portions is attached to the lower surface of the food content container. After sticking, the food content container is moved toward the other side of the divided packaging film, and the other of the glue portions is attached to the lower surface of the food content container or one side portion of the divided packaging film. The method of packaging the food contents of the container which is characterized in that. 2. A packaging method for packaging a food container with a lid filled with food with a packaging film, wherein the packaging film is wound and held on a supply roll, and the packaging film is pulled out from the supply roll and packaged. On the back surface of the film, two glue portions are continuously or intermittently provided in the width direction, and the packaging film is cut into a predetermined length equal to or smaller than the size of the food content container, and the cut and divided package is cut. The food content container is raised from below the film to push up the middle portion of the divided packaging film, and one side portion of the divided packaging film is sent below the food content container, and the glue portion is formed on the lower surface of the food content container. After sticking one of the
The food content, wherein the food content container is moved toward the other side of the divided packaging film, and the other of the glue portions is attached to the lower surface of the food content container or one side portion of the divided packaging film. Container packaging method. 3. The method for packaging a food content container according to claim 1, wherein the glue portion is provided in parallel with the edge of the packaging film. 4. A package in which a food content container with a lid filled with food is packaged with a packaging film, wherein the packaging film wound and held on a supply roll is pulled out and the packaging film is removed from the food content container. Cut to a predetermined length less than or equal to the dimension, cover the cut content packaging film from the front side to the food content container, adhere one side of the split packaging film to the bottom surface of the food content container, A package for a food content container, wherein the other side of the film is bonded to the bottom surface of the container for food or to one side of the divided packaging film.