PACKAGE

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a package.

[Background Art]

[0002] A surface of a package, in which a product, such as tobacco, is wrapped, may be varnished. As a technique for printing varnish whether on a package or something else, a technique for providing a matted unit and a glossy unit while improving abrasion resistance is proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-114654). A technique is also proposed for preventing water-stained markings from appearing even after a package is wrapped in a film by providing a protruded layer with varnish printed in a protruded shape (see, for example, International Publication No. WO 2013/042187). EP 1 349 798 B1
discloses a hinge-lid type pack for tobacco products, wherein an area of a surface of the lid may be formed by a layer of high friction coefficient applied to the lid. WO 2013/136425 A1 discloses a cigarette package comprising an inner case which is contained within an outer case so that the inner case can move partially out of the outer case. The inner case comprises a partition band strip exposed to the outside which comprises a slip portion made of varnish to increase a coefficient of friction. WO 2013/027275 A1 discloses to provide a varnish of high friction coefficient on a surface of a cigarette pack.

[Summary of Invention]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0003] A conventional varnished package has a surface friction coefficient as low as about 0.05 to 0.15. For example, the package may be likely to slip at the time of opening or closing a lid or a film may be likely to fall off at the time of wrapping an outer side of the package with the film.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to reduce the slipperiness of a surface of a package and improve convenience.

[Means for solving the Problems]

[0005] In order to solve the above-described problems, a package according to the present invention is a package which houses a tobacco product, wherein at least a part of a surface includes a region where a water-soluble varnish containing urethane resin and water as major constituents is applied.

[0006] Adoption of the water-soluble varnish containing urethane resin allows enhancement of a coefficient of friction of the application region. That is, the region where the varnish is applied functions as a slippage preventer when a user handles the package, which improves convenience.

[0007] As for the coefficient of friction of the region where the varnish is applied, a coefficient of friction with stainless steel is 0.2 to 0.5. If the coefficient of friction falls within the range, the region is preferable as a slippage preventer.

[0008] The coefficient of friction of the region where the varnish is applied may be 0.2 to 0.4. The coefficient of friction that falls within the range is preferable in terms of assembling the package by a wrapping machine.

[0009] The varnish may be applied to a continuous region not less than 0.5 cm². This configuration improves a slippage-preventing effect.

[0010] The package may be a hard package having an openable and closable lid unit, and the varnish may be applied to at least a part of the lid unit. With this configuration, the part functions as a slippage preventer when the user opens or closes the lid, which improves the convenience.

[0011] The package may be a soft package, and the varnish may be applied to at least a part of each of two surfaces parallel to each other. In the case of the soft package, the application of the varnish to the two surfaces parallel to each other improves the slippage-preventing effect.

[0012] A wrapping material, with which a whole of the package is wrapped, may be further provided. In this case, a remainder of the wrapping material can be inhibited from falling off the package when a part of the wrapping material is removed to open the wrapping material.

[0013] Means for solving the problems of the present invention can be adopted in combination as far as possible.

[Effects of the invention]

[0014] The present invention allows a reduction in the slipperiness of a surface of a package and improvement of convenience.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0015] 

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one example of a hard package in a lid-closed state.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating one example of the hard package in a lid-opened state.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view for explaining measurement of a coefficient of friction.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating one example of a soft package as viewed from obliquely above on a front surface side.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating one example of the soft package as viewed from obliquely above on a back surface side.

[Description of Embodiments]

[0016] An embodiment of a package according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment below is merely illustrative, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aspects below.

[0017] For example, one of a hard box-shaped package, a soft package, and various other packages can be used as a package. In the embodiment below, a case where a tobacco product is housed will be described as an example. Tobacco products include a paper-wrapped cigarette (a filter cigarette or a cigarette with no filter tip), a cigar, a cigarillo, an electronic cigarette, and smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco).

<Configuration of Package>

[0018] Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a hard box-shaped package (also simply referred to as a "package") 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 1 illustrates a lid-closed state while Fig. 2 illustrates a lid-opened state. The package 1 is composed of a main body 2 and a lid unit 3 and has almost the shape of a parallelepiped. The lid unit 3 is openable and closable about a hinge 4 at an upper unit of a back surface of the main body 2.

[0019] Note that, as directions are illustrated in Fig. 1, a surface provided with the hinge 4, to which the main body 2 and the lid unit 3 are connected, is assumed to be a back surface of the package 1, and a direction which the back surface faces is assumed as rearward. An opposite surface is assumed to be a front surface (frontal surface), and a direction which the front surface faces is assumed as forward. The lid unit 3 is provided, a surface lying in a direction, in which an object to be housed is taken through an opening unit of the main body 2 appearing while the lid unit 3 is opened, is assumed to be an upper surface (top surface), and an opposite surface thereof is assumed to be a bottom surface. Directions the upper and bottom surfaces face are assumed as upward and downward, respectively. Left and right surfaces when the package 1 is viewed from the front surface are assumed to be a left side surface and a right side surface, respectively.

[0020] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the package 1 is entirely covered with a film 5 in an unopened state. Tear tape 6 is attached to the film 5 so as to run around the package 1 along the frontal surface, the left side surface, the back surface, and the right side surface. The tear tape defines a position where the tear tape 6 is to be torn when the film 5 is opened and is intended to improve the openability of the film 5. A user can pinch one end of the tear tape 6 and tear the film 5 along the tear tape 6. Fig. 2 represents the opened package 1. An upper film is removed to expose the lid unit 3 and a portion around the lid unit 3 of the main body 2. As illustrated in Fig. 2, an object 7 to be housed which is tobacco products wrapped in aluminized paper is housed in the package 1.

[0021] A varnish according to the present embodiment is applied to the front surface of the package 1. In Figs. 1 and 2, a varnished region 8 where the varnish is applied is shaded (hatched). The varnish can be applied to an arbitrary portion by, for example, printing. Note that a piece of predetermined information, such as a brand name or a company name, markings, and the like may be printed below or above the varnish in ink or the like. The varnish may be printed in layers. By changing a pattern of printing as described above, not merely a film can be prevented from falling off, but also an outer appearance or a touch can be changed. For example, the range of expression of a brand image enlarges.

[0022] The varnish according to the present embodiment is, for example, a water-soluble varnish containing urethane resin (polyurethane) and water as major constituents. In a state where the varnish is dried and cured after printing, a coefficient of friction with stainless steel is 0.2 to 0.5. Since the coefficient of friction can be increased by increasing the content of urethane resin, a urethane resin content at which a coefficient of friction after curing is about a predetermined value is settled. As described above, if the varnish is a varnish containing urethane resin and water as major constituents, a coefficient of friction in an application region can be changed without printing of special markings or a special pattern. The varnish may be colorless or may be colored by adding a pigment.

[0023] According to the above-described package 1, a finger of the user is inhibited from slipping when the user opens or closes the lid unit 3, and usability improves. With the above-described varnish, the package 1 is preferable from the standpoint of universal design. Note that the varnish is preferably applied to a continuous area generally not less than 0.5 cm² in order to inhibit a finger from slipping from the lid unit 3. In a case as well where the varnish is applied to a portion other than the lid unit 3, such as the front surface, the back surface, the left side surface, or the right side surface, the varnish functions as a slippage preventer when the user handles the package.

[0024] Note that a coefficient of friction is a value obtained by measuring a coefficient of friction with stainless steel of a package paper material with the above-described varnish applied to a whole surface, a load on which weighs 200 g. A method for measuring a coefficient of friction will be described. Fig. 3 is a schematic view for explaining the method for measuring a coefficient of friction. In the present embodiment, a coefficient of kinetic friction or a coefficient of static friction is obtained using a so-called tension type coefficient-of-friction testing machine. In Fig. 3, a load cell 101, a stainless table 102, a test piece 103 which is a paper material, to which the varnish according to the present embodiment is applied, a sled 104, and a wire 105 are illustrated. The load cell 101 is coupled to the sled 104 by the wire 105, and the sled 104 is pulled in a direction of an arrow at a rate of 150 mm/min. Note that the maximum load of the load cell 101 is 20 N. In contrast, the test piece 103 is placed on the stainless table 102, and the sled 104 is further placed on the test piece 103. The stainless table 102 is made of austenitic SUS304 (JIS G 4304 or JIS G 4305) containing nickel and chrome as major constituents, and a surface is smoothly machined. In the test piece 103, the size of a surface in contact with the stainless table 102 is 63.5 mm × 63.5 mm, and the varnish is applied to the surface in contact with the stainless table 102. The sled 104 weighs 200 g. Under the above-described measurement conditions, a coefficient µ_D of kinetic friction is calculated using a kinetic frictional force F_D(N) when the sled 104 is drawn by a predetermined length after occurrence of a displacement of a plane of contact of the stainless table 102 with the test piece 103 and a normal force F_P(N) generated by the mass of the sled 104 by the following expression:

[0025] A coefficient µ_s of static friction is calculated using a maximum static frictional force F₀(N) upon occurrence of a displacement of the plane of contact of the stainless table 102 with the test piece 103 and the normal force F_P(N) generated by the mass of the sled 104 by the following expression:

[0026] Slipperiness between the package 1 and the film 5 is reduced. That is, in the state as in Fig. 2 where a part of the package 1 is wrapped with the film 5, the film 5 is inhibited from falling off the package 1. Especially if tobacco products as contents decrease to make a package likely to bend, if shrinkage in film wrapping (close contact due to contraction of the film) is not sufficient, or at the time of carrying the package in a bag or a pocket, the film is likely to fall off. If the film 5 falls off, the capability of protecting an object to be housed in a case where the package 1 gets wet decreases. The effect of inhibiting a flavor of the object 7 to be housed from volatilizing and the effect of inhibiting powder of shredded tobacco from falling from the inside decrease. Thus, inhibition of fall-off the film 5 by the varnish leads to improvement of the capability of maintaining the quality of the object 7 to be housed.

[0027] The above-described varnish has a low-gloss, so-called lusterless (matte) appearance and has a moist touch. The design of the package 1 may be improved by applying such a varnish to the package 1 as a part of a figure or markings. For example, design unification can be achieved by applying the varnish to the upper surface or the bottom surface. It is also possible to give a different touch by changing a shape for application or a pattern of application. Note that the varnish is desirably set to have a touch which does not bring a feeling of strangeness to a finger after contact from a hygiene standpoint or so as not to give a sense of discomfort to the user. Although an increase in urethane resin content gives such a touch, no problem is posed as long as the coefficient of friction falls within the above-described range.

[0028] In a case where a package is assembled by a wrapping machine, failures may occur in processes, such as feeding in package blank formation and passing of a package being formed, if a coefficient of friction is too high. Although a coefficient of friction is affected by the model of a wrapping machine, the structure of a package, a rate of assembly, and the like, the coefficient of friction is more preferably about 0.2 to 0.4 for a box-making process.

[0029] To inhibit the film 5 from falling off, since an area of contact between a film and a package surface is easily secured in the case of a hard package having relatively high rigidity, varnish is preferably applied to at least a part of each of one or more surfaces of a frontal surface, a back surface, and the like. In contrast, in the case of a soft package having lower rigidity than a hard package, since the shape is easily deformed by external force or the like, an area of contact between a film and a package surface may fail to be secured. For this reason, in the soft package, varnish is more preferably applied to at least a part of each of two parallel surfaces, such as a frontal surface and a back surface, of a parallelepiped in order to inhibit the film 5 from falling off. To obtain the sufficient slippage-preventing effect, varnish is preferably applied to a continuous region about 0.5 cm².

[0030] Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an example where varnish is applied to a part of each of a front surface and a back surface of a soft package 1A. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the soft package 1A as viewed from one side (referred to as a front surface side for convenience). Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the soft package 1A as viewed from the opposite side (referred to as a back surface side for convenience). The soft package 1A has the varnished region 8 that extends from top to bottom in the middle in a lateral direction of each of the front surface and the back surface. A soft package with this configuration may be adopted. This allows securement of a sufficient area of contact between a film and a package surface and allows more reliable inhibition of fall-off of a film.

<Other Modification>

[0031] For a package, various paper materials or resin materials, or the like can be used. For example, in the case of a hard package, a paper material, such as cardboard or manila board, is suitably used. The present invention, however, is not limited to this. For example, not merely a resin material, such as plastic, but also any other material, such as a metal material, may be used as the material for a package.

[0032] Besides printing in ink or the like, a surface of a package may be subjected to embossing, flocking using pile (short fiber), or the like. An underlayer of the varnish or a region separate from a region with the varnish may be subjected to the above-described processes.

[0033] The film 5 is an example of a material, in which the package 1 is wrapped. For example, a polymer film, a laminated material, such as a laminate of paper and a film or a laminate of aluminized paper and a film, or the like may be used as the coating material. Specific examples of a polymer film include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and cellophane.

[Description of the Reference Numerals and Symbols]

[0034] 

1

package

2

main body

3

lid unit

4

hinge

5

film

6

tear tape

7

object to be housed

8

varnished region

Claims

1. A package (1; 1A) which houses a tobacco product, characterized in that at least a part of a surface includes a region (8) where a water-soluble varnish containing urethane resin and water as major constituents is applied, and
a coefficient of friction with stainless steel of the region (8) where the varnish is applied is 0.2 to 0.5.

2. The package (1; 1A) according to Claim 1, wherein
the coefficient of friction of the region where the varnish is applied is 0.2 to 0.4.

3. The package (1; 1A) according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein
the varnish is applied to a continuous region (8) not less than 0.5 cm².

4.  The package (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein
the package (1) is a hard package having an openable and closable lid unit (3), and
the varnish is applied to at least a part of the lid unit (3).

5. The package (1A) according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein
the package (1A) is a soft package, and
the varnish is applied to at least a part of each of two surfaces parallel to each other.

6. The package (1; 1A) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, further comprising
a coating material, with which a whole of the package (1; 1A) is coated.

Ansprüche

1. Verpackung (1; 1A), die ein Tabakprodukt aufnimmt, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
mindestens ein Teil einer Fläche einen Bereich (8) aufweist, wo ein wasserlöslicher Lack, der Urethanharz und Wasser als Hauptbestandteile enthält, aufgebracht ist, und
ein Reibungskoeffizient mit rostfreiem Stahl des Bereichs (8), wo der Lack aufgebracht ist, 0,2 bis 0,5 beträgt.

2. Verpackung (1; 1A) nach Anspruch 1, wobei
der Reibungskoeffizient des Bereichs, wo der Lack aufgebracht ist, 0,2 bis 0,4 beträgt.

3. Verpackung (1; 1A) nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, wobei
der Lack auf einen kontinuierlichen Bereich (8) von nicht weniger als 0,5 cm² aufgebracht ist.

4. Verpackung (1) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei
die Verpackung (1) eine harte Verpackung mit einer öffenbaren und schließbaren Deckeleinheit (3) ist und
der Lack auf mindestens einen Teil der Deckeleinheit (3) aufgebracht ist.

5. Verpackung (1A) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei
die Verpackung (1A) eine weiche Verpackung ist und
der Lack auf mindestens einen Teil von jeder von zwei Flächen parallel zueinander aufgebracht ist.

6. Verpackung (1; 1A) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, ferner umfassend
ein Beschichtungsmaterial, mit dem eine Gesamtheit der Verpackung (1; 1A) beschichtet ist.

Revendications

1. Emballage (1 ; 1A) qui loge un produit de tabac,
caractérisé en ce qu'au moins une partie d'une surface comporte une région (8) où est appliqué un vernis soluble dans l'eau contenant une résine d'uréthane et de l'eau comme principaux constituants, et
un coefficient de frottement avec l'acier inoxydable de la région (8) où le vernis est appliqué est de 0,2 à 0,5.

2. Emballage (1 ; 1A) selon la revendication 1, dans lequel :
le coefficient de frottement de la région où le vernis est appliqué est de 0,2 à 0,4.

3. Emballage (1 ; 1A) selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans lequel :
le vernis est appliqué sur une région continue (8) d'au moins 0,5 cm².

4. Emballage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, dans lequel :

l'emballage (1) est un emballage dur comportant une unité formant couvercle pouvant être ouverte et fermée (3), et

le vernis est appliqué au moins sur une partie de l'unité formant couvercle (3).

5. Emballage (1A) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, dans lequel :

l'emballage (1A) est un emballage souple, et

le vernis est appliqué au moins sur une partie de chacune de deux surfaces parallèles entre elles.

6. Emballage (1 ; 1A) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, comprenant en outre :
un matériau de revêtement dont est revêtu l'ensemble de l'emballage (1 ; 1A).

Drawing