TWM673241U - 3D sticker toys - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides a three-dimensional sticker toy comprising: an outer shell formed three-dimensionally from a sheet of a transparent, thermoplastic first resin; a core formed from a transparent, thermosetting second resin, filling a recessed area of the outer shell; and a flat sheet of the first resin covering the bottom surface of the core and welded to the periphery of the outer shell. Furthermore, the periphery of the outer shell and the bottom and periphery of the core are coplanar. This three-dimensional sticker toy maintains its three-dimensional shape for a long time.

Description

3D sticker toys

This creation is a three-dimensional sticker toy. More specifically, it involves a transparent three-dimensional sticker toy of animals, characters, etc.

There are known toys that are not flat animals or similar toys, but rather are created by inflating a hollow plastic bag to give them a three-dimensional shape. For example, Patent Document 1 provides a three-dimensional toy such as an animal. After air is introduced into a hollow bag made of a thermoplastic plastic sheet through an air inlet, the air inlet is sealed and then welded.

However, toys made of plastic sheets that utilize air expansion cannot maintain their three-dimensional shape for a long time due to rupture of the plastic sheet or leakage of air.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Utility Model Registration No. 3063642.

Therefore, the creators believed that the above shortcomings could be improved. After repeated and intensive research, they proposed this invention using a transparent shell formed three-dimensionally from a sheet and a core filling the recessed area of the shell.

This creation was completed by the creator through in-depth research in view of the above problems. Its purpose is to provide a transparent three-dimensional sticker toy that can maintain its three-dimensional shape for a long time.

The primary three-dimensional sticker toy used to achieve the objectives of this invention comprises: an outer shell formed three-dimensionally from a sheet of a transparent thermoplastic first resin; a core formed by filling a recessed area of the outer shell with a transparent thermosetting second resin; and a flat sheet having a base material made of the first resin, covering the bottom surface of the core and welded to the periphery of the outer shell. Furthermore, the periphery of the outer shell and the bottom surface of the core are coplanar.

Preferably, the first resin is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the second resin is epoxy resin, and patterns are printed on both the surface or back of the housing and the surface or back of the substrate of the flat sheet.

In addition, preferably, a pattern is embossed on the outer shell or the flat sheet.

Preferably, a light-reflecting material is mixed into the second resin.

Preferably, rhinestones or a laminated coating are attached to the surface of the shell, and the shell is preferably welded to the substrate of the flat sheet, and gold and silver threads are printed on the front or back of the substrate.

This 3D sticker toy has the ability to maintain its 3D shape for a long time.

The following describes the implementation of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the following examples and can be modified as desired without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Identical or equivalent elements are denoted by the same figure reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Each figure is schematically presented to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and some portions may be exaggerated in size, angles, thickness, etc. FIG1 is drawn with the X, Y, and Z axes perpendicular to each other. <First Embodiment>

FIG1(A) is a front view of a three-dimensional sticker toy 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this invention, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 is an animal character, but it could also be another animal, plant, or comic character. The housing 12 is preferably transparent. Transparency, as used herein, means that visible light from the back side 16B (see FIG1(B)) of the flat sheet 16, which serves as the back side of the three-dimensional sticker toy 10, can be seen from the front side of the three-dimensional sticker toy 10. Even if it is generally referred to as translucent, as long as visible light from the back side 16B can be seen from the front side of the three-dimensional sticker toy 10, it is defined as transparent.

Figure 1(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1(A). Housing 12 comprises a relatively thin sheet material that is heated and then vacuum-formed (vacuum-processed) to form a three-dimensional housing with a recessed back surface 12B. Housing 12 comprises a first resin, which can be a thermoplastic resin such as rigid PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) (acrylic resin).

As shown in Figure 1(B), the outer shell 12 has a front surface 12A and a back surface 12B. Furthermore, the central portion is three-dimensionally expanded by vacuum forming and has a peripheral portion 12P surrounding it. Furthermore, all peripheral portions 12P are located in the same plane in the Z-axis direction. A core 14 composed of a second resin is filled into the recessed area of the back surface 12B formed by vacuum forming. The second resin is appropriately metered and injected, and the core 14 is formed until it reaches the peripheral portion 12P. In other words, the bottom surface 14B of the core 14 and the peripheral portion 12P are located in the same plane.

The second resin is, for example, a transparent epoxy resin. Epoxy resin is a two-part mixed type consisting of Liquid A and Liquid B, where Liquid A is an epoxy resin and Liquid B is a curing epoxy resin. For example, the ratio of Liquid A to Liquid B is 3:1. Of course, the epoxy resin can also be a Liquid A containing an epoxy resin and Liquid B containing a curing agent, with the ratio being 9:1. Transparent phenolic resin can also be used in place of the transparent epoxy resin. Epoxy resins and phenolic resins are thermosetting resins. Furthermore, these thermosetting resins do not contain harmful phthalic acid raw materials and have the advantages of being less prone to cracking and whitening after drying.

The second resin can also be colored to be transparent (or translucent). Alternatively, a small reflective material such as light-reflecting threads, short strips, circular plates, or rings can be mixed into the transparent epoxy resin. Specifically, short strips of gold or silver thread or rings of sequins can be mixed into the second resin. This creates a three-dimensional sticker toy 10 that shimmers with light.

A flat sheet 16 is installed in such a manner as to cover the bottom surface of the core 14. The flat sheet 16 has a base material 16p, an adhesive layer 16q, and a separator 16r. In order to facilitate welding, the base material 16p of the flat sheet 16 is preferably a thermoplastic resin that is the same as the first resin. For example, it is a thermoplastic resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PMMA (acrylic resin). The peripheral portion 12P is formed on the same plane as the bottom surface of the core 14, so the peripheral portion 16P of the flat sheet 16 is connected to the peripheral portion 12P of the outer shell 12. The peripheral portion 16P of the flat sheet 16 is welded to the peripheral portion 12P by welding machine processing (high-frequency welding). Although not necessarily required, the surface of the substrate 16p may also be provided with an adhesive layer to securely adhere to the bottom surface 14B of the core 14.

The three-dimensional sticker toy 10 is attached to other items such as tables and bags. Therefore, an adhesive layer 16q is provided on the lower side (in the -Z direction) of the base material 16p. Furthermore, a separator 16r is provided to cover the adhesive layer 16q. Separator 16r is preferably made of a different material from the base material 16p, such as paper, polyethylene, or PET.

As described above, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 has a three-dimensional shape whose entire surface is covered by the outer shell 12 and the flat sheet 16 and whose interior is filled with the core 14. Children can play with the transparent three-dimensional sticker toy 10 at a relatively low price.

Furthermore, a pattern of a character's nose or eyes, etc., may be printed or embossed on the surface 12A or back 12B of the shell 12. In particular, if a pattern is printed on the surface 12A or back 12B of the shell 12, when the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 is viewed from the front, the pattern of the character's nose or eyes, etc., can be seen in conjunction with the three-dimensional shape of the nose or eyes of the shell 12.

Instead of printing on the surface 12A or back 12B of the outer shell 12, a character's nose, eyes, or other design can be printed or embossed on the surface 16A or back 16B of the base material 16p of the flat sheet 16. Alternatively, gold or silver thread can be printed to make the character shimmer in light. Printing can also be performed on both the surface 12A or back 12B of the outer shell 12 and the surface 16A or back 16B of the base material 16p of the flat sheet 16. This creates a three-dimensional sticker toy 10 that provides a sense of distance through the core 14 (second resin). <Second Embodiment>

Figure 2(A) is a front view of a three-dimensional sticker toy 10 according to a second embodiment of this invention. This three-dimensional sticker toy 10 is similar to the first embodiment, with a shell 12 having rhinestones 31 or 33 attached to surface 12A thereof using an adhesive or the like. Figure 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 2(A), showing the rhinestones 31 attached.

Rhinestones are decorative pieces created by faceting the surface of crystal, glass, acrylic, or the like, creating a diamond-like shape. Rhinestones come in various shapes, including diamonds, domes, hearts, stars, ovals, squares, and triangles. In the second embodiment, the star-shaped rhinestones are attached to the expanded area or the flat surface of the outer shell 12. The installation of rhinestones lends the 3D sticker toy 10 a luxurious feel.

Although not shown as an example, the outer shell 12 may also have a press-coated surface 12A. The purpose of the press-coated surface is to protect the pattern printed on the outer shell 12 from water, dust, scratches, fading, etc. The press-coated surface is typically made of PP (polypropylene). <Method for Manufacturing Three-Dimensional Sticker Toys>

FIG3 is a flow chart showing the assembly process of the three-dimensional sticker toy of this invention.

In step S31, multiple patterns are printed on a thin sheet of the first resin. The same is true for the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 of the second embodiment. The three-dimensional sticker toy 10 may also have no patterns, and therefore, step S31 may not be performed.

In step S32, a thin sheet of the first resin is vacuum-formed to form the outer shells 12. Specifically, a mold (not shown) with one or more characters carved into it in three dimensions is attached to a vacuum forming apparatus, and the first resin sheet is placed on the mold. The first resin is then heated to a softening temperature, such as approximately 250°C for rigid PVC, using a heater. Vacuum suction is then applied through multiple small holes in the mold to form multiple outer shells 12. The first resin sheet is then cooled to room temperature.

In step S33, the multiple shells 12 formed on the first resin sheet are individually cut and separated. Alternatively, step S33 may be omitted and individual cutting may be performed. Depending on the size of the shells 12, only one shell may be formed on a sheet of the first resin. In this case, step S33 may not be performed.

In step S34, a second resin is injected into the recessed areas of the back surface 12B of the outer shell 12 formed by vacuum forming. Without cutting the outer shell 12 individually, the second resin is injected into multiple recessed areas. To prevent deformation of the outer shell 12 composed of the first resin due to heat, the second resin is preferably a two-component thermosetting resin. For example, the second resin is injected into the recessed areas of the outer shell at a temperature of 40°C. The injection amount of the second resin is pre-determined. By injecting this amount into the recessed areas, as depicted in FIG1(B), the bottom surface 14B of the core 14 and the peripheral portion 12P of the outer shell 12 are flush with each other.

In step S35, flat sheet 16 is assembled with housing 12. More specifically, flat sheet 16 is positioned so as to cover housing 12 and core 14. Then, a welding machine is used to weld peripheral portion 16P of flat sheet 16 to peripheral portion 12P of housing 12. Through steps S31 to S35, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 is completed.

When the rhinestones are mounted on the outer shell 12 as in the second embodiment, in step S36, the rhinestones are bonded using an adhesive, etc. By adding step S36, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

Above, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 of this invention can be used as a three-dimensional sticker toy that can maintain a three-dimensional shape for a long time for users to play with. In addition, the three-dimensional sticker toy 10 of this invention can be sold as a three-dimensional sticker toy that has reduced labor cost and manufacturing cost.

10: 3D sticker toy 12: Housing 12A: Surface 12B: Back 12P: Peripheral 14: Core 14B: Bottom 16: Flat sheet 16A: Surface 16B: Back 16p: Base material 16P: Peripheral 16q: Adhesive layer 16r: Separator 31, 33: Rhinestones S31-S36: Steps

Figure 1(A) is a front view of a three-dimensional sticker toy according to the first embodiment of this invention; Figure 1(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 1(A). Figure 2(A) is a front view of a three-dimensional sticker toy according to the second embodiment of this invention; Figure 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 2(A). Figure 3 is a flow chart of the assembly process for the three-dimensional sticker toy according to this invention.

10: 3D sticker toys

12P: Peripheral area

Claims (6)

A three-dimensional sticker toy comprises: a shell formed three-dimensionally from a sheet of a transparent thermoplastic first resin; a core filled with a transparent thermosetting second resin in a recessed area of the shell; and a flat sheet having a base material of the first resin, covering the bottom surface of the core and welded to the periphery of the shell; the periphery of the shell is coplanar, and the bottom surface of the core and the periphery are coplanar. The three-dimensional sticker toy as described in claim 1, wherein the first resin is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the second resin is epoxy resin, and patterns are printed on both the surface or back of the shell and the surface or back of the substrate of the flat sheet. The three-dimensional sticker toy as described in claim 1, wherein the first resin is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the second resin is epoxy resin, and a pattern is embossed on the outer shell or the flat sheet. The three-dimensional sticker toy as described in claim 1, wherein the second resin is mixed with a light-reflecting material. The three-dimensional sticker toy as described in claim 1, wherein the surface of the shell is affixed with rhinestones or a laminated coating. The three-dimensional sticker toy as described in claim 1, wherein the shell is welded to the base material of the flat sheet, and gold and silver threads are printed on the surface or back surface of the base material.