HK1034700A1

HK1034700A1 - Container, insulating container, and devices and method used for manufacturing these containers

Info

Publication number: HK1034700A1
Application number: HK01105322A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 望月洋一; 平井裕一; 山田一树; 远藤宪一; 奥下正隆; 山下孝典
Original assignee: 大日本印刷株式会社
Priority date: 1998-09-18
Filing date: 1999-09-17
Publication date: 2001-11-02
Also published as: KR20010034898A; KR100932327B1; KR20010025517A; WO2000017058A1; KR20090095679A; HK1103288A1; KR20010034903A; KR100891582B1; KR20070087652A; KR20010034899A; CN1128744C; KR20070032831A; KR20010034901A; SG117419A1; KR20010034905A; KR100730682B1; KR100306360B1; KR20010034902A; KR20070087653A; HK1096643A1

Abstract

An insulating container (10) comprising a cylindrical shell part (11) having an opened upper part, a bottom part (12) covering the bottom part of the shell part (11), and a sleeve (10B) inserted between a cup main body (10A) having an inner surface at least on which polyolefin resin layer is formed and the outer peripheral surface of the shell part (11) of the cup main body (10A) with a clearance provided between them, wherein ribs (13, 13') are formed on the cup main body (10A) in the direction that the ribs surround the shell part (11) of the cup main body (10A), and the cup main body (10A) is formed so that the outside diameter of the opening part at the upper end of the shell part (11) is larger than the height of the cup main body (10A), whereby a paper insulating container stable in shape and insulation, easy to handle, excellent in design, high in flexibility of printing expression, sanitary, and less in load on environment can be provided while it is formed nearly in china bowls or bowls.

Description

Container, thermally insulated container and apparatus and method for the manufacture of these containers

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a paper heat-insulating container used for convenience foods prepared by pouring hot water, foods prepared by heating with a microwave oven, and the like, and an apparatus suitable for manufacturing the heat-insulating container and the like.

Background

As a paper heat-insulating container for foods such as instant noodles, a container having heat insulation properties in which a paper heat-insulating member is attached to the outer periphery of a trunk of a paper cup (カツプ) -like body is known. The heat insulating member is generally a corrugated plate-like member in which ridges and grooves extending in the longitudinal direction are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the cup-shaped body.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 8-113274 proposes a heat insulating container in which the width of the concave strips of the heat insulating member is reduced from the width of the convex strips to increase the flat surface portion of the side surface of the container. In the heat insulating container proposed in the Japanese unexamined patent publication Hei 4-45216 or Japanese unexamined patent publication Hei 8-104372, a heat insulating material is corrugated or embossed, and a facing sheet or a thin sheet is wound around the heat insulating material to remove irregularities on the surface of the heat insulating material. In Japanese unexamined patent publication Hei 4-45212, a structure is proposed in which heat insulation is provided in a space formed between double cups without using a corrugated plate-like heat insulating member.

The conventional heat insulating container is limited to a wine glass (コツプ) shape in which the diameter of the opening is smaller than the height thereof due to the physical strength of the container, and the upper limit of the capacity thereof is about 750 cc. The reason is that: when the diameter of the opening is increased to increase the internal volume without changing the cardboard which is the raw material of the heat insulating container, the entire container is easily deformed by twisting, stress from lateral compression, bending, and the like, and there is a risk that the container is taken with a hand after heating water.

In addition, the existing paper-made heat-insulating container has the advantages of easy heating water preparation and easy holding by one hand, but users cannot experience the feeling of eating utensils such as a large sea bowl, a pot and the like. The ease of consumption is also lower than in a cup-shaped food. It is also not suitable for the use of eating while enjoying a variety of tableware visually.

Further, when the heat insulating member having the uneven shape is exposed on the side surface of the container, the side surface is difficult to design with a high-grade appearance, and characters, patterns, and the like printed on the side surface are very unsightly.

The heat-insulating container for the prepared food is a heat-insulating container made of plastic, such as a bowl or a bowl, having an opening with an outer diameter larger than the height and a large opening, in addition to the heat-insulating container made of paper in a cup shape. However, when a plastic container is prepared by heating water or by heating with a microwave oven, there are sanitary and environmental problems in that harmful components are precipitated from a plastic raw material into hot water, and it is difficult to destroy or incinerate the plastic container.

Summary of the invention

A first object of the present invention is to provide a paper-made heat-insulating container having an upper opening with an outer diameter larger than a height, a shape close to a large sea bowl or a bowl, stability in terms of shape and heat insulation, easy handling, excellent appearance, high printing flexibility, sanitation, and a small environmental load.

To achieve the object, the heat insulating container of the first invention comprises: a cup body having a cylindrical body part with an open upper part and a bottom part closing the lower part of the body part, and having a polyolefin resin layer formed at least on the inner surface; an outward top curl portion formed at an upper end of the paper cup main body; and a paper sleeve having a side wall in the shape of an inverted truncated cone and an inwardly curled portion at a lower end thereof so as to be mounted on the body of the paper cup main body to form a gap between the body of the paper cup main body and the paper sleeve, wherein an upper end of the paper sleeve is fixedly bonded to an upper portion of the body of the paper cup main body so as not to slip off the sleeve from the paper cup main body.

A rib may be formed on the cup body in a direction surrounding the trunk portion. The rib may be formed continuously around the body portion or intermittently around the body portion. An inward curl portion may be provided at a lower end portion of the paper sleeve, and the inward curl portion may be in contact with a lower outer peripheral surface of the trunk portion. A thermal insulation member may be inserted into the gap. The cup body functions as a container body of the heat insulating container, and the trunk portion thereof constitutes a side wall of the container body.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a heat-insulating container which is less likely to be heated and can be safely and cleanly held by hand even in a large-sized container to be heated, and which is low in manufacturing cost.

In order to achieve the object, a heat insulating container according to a second aspect of the invention is a heat insulating container comprising a bottomed cup body and an inverted frustum-shaped paper sleeve, wherein the bottomed cup body is covered with a polyolefin resin on the inner surface thereof, an outward curled portion is formed at an upper opening edge, a space is formed between an outer surface of a body portion of the cup body and the inner surface of the paper sleeve, and at least one pair of grip pieces having a predetermined length are provided on a side wall of the paper sleeve, and the grip pieces are bendable outward from a folding line formed in a substantially circumferential direction of the side wall and a cutting line connected to both end portions of the folding line.

The fold line may be a straight line connecting two circumferential points of the side wall and having the shortest distance therebetween, or may be bent downward from the straight line. The middle part of the cutting line can form a connecting part which can be easily cut. A cutout may be formed in a part of the periphery of the grip sheet. The front end of the gripping tab may also be bendable by means of a small fold line. The two ends of the cut line may be terminated by rounded corners. The body of the paper cup serves as a body of the heat insulating container, and the body thereof constitutes a side wall of the container body.

In the above-described heat insulating container, in order to ensure predetermined heat insulating properties, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient space between the paper cup body and the sleeve. On the other hand, when the container is held by hand, it is necessary to support the entire container by grasping the sleeve or the grasping piece thereof. For this reason, the paper cup body and the sleeve must be bonded with sufficient strength. In this way, in order to secure a sufficient space between the paper cup body and the sleeve and bond them with sufficient strength, it is necessary to consider the relative shapes and dimensional relationships between the paper cup body and the sleeve. These relationships must satisfy the condition that the assembly process is performed smoothly and no defect occurs.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a heat insulating container in which a container body such as a paper cup body and a sleeve can be bonded with sufficient strength and which is excellent in assembling adaptability.

To achieve the object, the third invention includes a set of insulated containers described below.

The insulated container of the third invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, wherein an inward curled portion configured to curl the sleeve member toward a center of the container is formed on a lower end side of the sleeve member, an adhesive portion adhered to the side wall of the container main body is formed on an upper end side of the sleeve member, at least a part between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and the inward curled portion is configured to curl the sleeve member in an upward direction along a center line of the container main body until a front end of the sleeve member is oriented beyond an upward direction along the center line of the container main body with respect to a cross section of a plane including the center line of the container main body.

Another insulated container of the third invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to curl the sleeve member toward a center of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container main body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a tip end of the sleeve member, which is curled inward, is positioned outside the container more than a portion of the inward curled portion, which is closest to a center line of the container main body.

Still another insulated container of the third invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion), a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and a tail portion extending from the side wall to the lower end side thereof; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, wherein an inward curled portion formed by curling the sleeve member toward a center of the container is formed on a lower end side of the sleeve member, an adhesive portion adhered to the side wall of the container main body is formed on an upper end side of the sleeve member, at least a part between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a gap between a front end of the sleeve member, which is curled inward, and an inner wall surface of the sleeve is less than 1 mm.

According to these heat insulating containers, when the container body and the sleeve are assembled with each other, the tail end is less likely to catch the inward curled portion, and both can be smoothly assembled, and the yield can be improved.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion), a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and a tail portion extending from the side wall to the lower end side thereof; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to curl the sleeve member toward a center of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container main body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a gap between a front end of the sleeve member, into which the inward curled portion is curled, and an inner wall surface of the sleeve is smaller than a thickness of the tail wire.

According to this heat insulating container, when the container body and the sleeve are assembled with each other, the wire end does not enter the inward curled portion and the inward curled portion is spread. Therefore, the two can be smoothly assembled and the yield can be improved.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion), a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and a tail portion extending from the side wall to the lower end side thereof; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to curl the sleeve member toward a center side of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the sidewall of the container body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the sidewall, and the tail of the wire is poured so as to be positioned inside the container closer to a straight line extending along an outer surface of the sidewall with respect to a cross section of a plane including a center line of the container body.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion), a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and a tail portion extending from the side wall to the lower end side thereof; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to be curled toward a center of the container, and an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a flash of the string tail protrudes toward an inside of the container.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion), a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and a tail portion extending from the side wall to the lower end side thereof; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, wherein an inward curled portion formed by curling the sleeve member toward a container center side is formed on a lower end side, an adhesive portion adhered to the side wall of the container body is formed on an upper end side, at least a part between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and an outer peripheral position of a lower end of the string tail is closer to the container body center line than a portion of the inward curled portion which is closest to the container body center line. The amount of displacement between the outer peripheral position of the lower end of the string tail and the portion of the inward curl portion closest to the center line of the container body is set to be in the range of 0.01 to 1mm in the radial direction of the container body.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to be curled toward a center of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a gap is formed between the inward curled portion and an outer surface of the container body facing the portion.

According to this heat insulating container, since a gap is formed between the inward curled portion and the outer face of the container body toward this portion, wrinkles are not generated in the container body.

The gap can be set to be in the range of 0.01 to 1 mm. In this case, the container body is not wrinkled, and deformation of the heat insulating container can be sufficiently suppressed.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member and disposed so as to ensure a space outside the side wall, wherein a lower end of the container body protrudes downward beyond a lower end of the sleeve.

According to this heat-insulating container, the lower end of the container main body directly contacts the table surface or the like, and the heat-insulating container can be stably placed without deformation of the container that occurs when the lower end of the sleeve contacts.

An inward curled portion configured by curling the sleeve member toward the container center side may be formed on a lower end side of the sleeve, and an adhesive portion to be adhered to the side wall of the container body may be formed on an upper end side of the sleeve, and the sleeve may be disposed such that at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided to secure a space outside the side wall. According to this heat-insulating container, the lower end of the container main body directly contacts the table surface or the like, and the container is not deformed when the lower end of the sleeve contacts the lower end of the sleeve, so that the heat-insulating container can be stably placed.

A string tail may be formed on the container body so as to extend from the side wall toward a lower end side thereof, and a lower end of the string tail may constitute a lower end of the container body. According to the heat insulating container, the lower end of the wire tail, which is hard and has good planarity, is in contact with a table or the like, so that the heat insulating container can be stably placed.

The lower end of the container body may protrude by a protruding amount of 0.01 to 5mm from the lower end of the sleeve. In this case, the protrusion of the container body cannot be visually recognized, and the design of the container is not impaired.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an upper end side formed with a bonding portion bonded to the side wall of the container body, and provided to secure a space outside the side wall, wherein a portion of the side wall facing the bonding portion is inclined in a container inner direction with respect to an extension line of a portion below the portion with respect to a cross section of a plane including a center line of the container body.

According to this heat insulating container, the side wall and the sleeve are in good close contact with each other at the portion of the bonded portion, whereby the bonding strength can be improved. Since the side wall of the portion of the adhesive portion is inclined, it is not necessary to bend the sleeve in order to make close contact with the side wall, and the appearance of the container is not affected.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an adhesive portion formed on an upper end side thereof to be adhered to the side wall of the container body, and provided to secure a space outside the side wall, wherein a portion of the side wall opposite to the adhesive portion is formed by bending along the sleeve member in a cross section of a plane including a center line of the container body.

According to this heat insulating container, the side wall and the sleeve are in good close contact with each other at the portion of the bonded portion, whereby the bonding strength can be improved. Since the side wall is curved, it is not necessary to curve the sleeve in order to make close contact with the side wall, and the appearance of the container is not affected.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an adhesive portion formed on an upper end side thereof to be adhered to the side wall of the container body, and provided to secure a space outside the side wall, wherein the adhesive portion of the sleeve is formed by being bent along the side wall in a cross-section of a plane including a center line of the container body.

According to this heat insulating container, the side wall and the sleeve are in good close contact with each other at the portion of the bonded portion, whereby the bonding strength can be improved.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an adhesive portion formed on an upper end side thereof to be adhered to the side wall of the container body, and being provided to secure a space outside the side wall, wherein the container body and the sleeve are adhered to each other by the adhesive portion such that a difference between an outer diameter of the container body immediately below the outward curl portion and an inner diameter of the sleeve at a portion facing the portion immediately below the outward curl portion is in a range of-1.0 to +0.5 mm.

According to this heat insulating container, sufficient adhesion of the adhesion portion can be ensured, and wrinkles are not generated in the side wall of the container main body.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an upper end side formed with a bonding portion bonded to the side wall of the container body by an adhesive, the bonding portion being provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and having an upper end set at a position spaced downward by 1mm or more from a lower end of the outward curled portion in a direction along a center line of the container body.

According to this heat insulating container, the adhesive of the adhesive portion does not adhere to the outward curled portion.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an upper end side formed with a bonding portion bonded to the side wall of the container body by an adhesive, the bonding portion being set to have a width of 3mm or more in a direction along a center line of the container body, and being provided to secure a space outside the side wall.

According to the heat insulating container, sufficient bonding strength of the bonding portion can be ensured.

The insulated container of the third invention may also include: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall, and an outward curled portion formed by curling toward an outside of the container is formed on an upper end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an upper end side formed with a bonding portion bonded to the side wall of the container body with an adhesive, the bonding portion being provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and having an upper end located below the upper end of the sleeve.

According to this heat insulating container, the adhesive of the adhesive portion does not overflow from the upper end of the sleeve.

In the above-mentioned heat insulating container, since the sleeve requires a certain degree of strength, a relatively thick paperboard must be used as a raw material. However, the sheet having a thickness is not easy to form the inward curled portion, and there is a possibility that the sheet may be cracked or the curled shape may be deformed. The sleeve is formed into a cylindrical shape or a truncated cone shape by bonding both end portions of a blank cut into a predetermined shape. Therefore, the thickness of the adhesive portion where the both ends of the blank are overlapped is doubled, and the curl formation is particularly difficult, and there is a possibility that the curl of a good shape cannot be formed.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a heat insulating container in which an inward curled portion of a sleeve can be easily formed and a good curled shape can be obtained.

To achieve the object, an insulated container of a fourth invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and formed by curling the sleeve member toward a center of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container body, at least a part of the space between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion being securedThe outer side of the side wall is provided with a space, and the curvature radius of the sleeve part of the inward curled part is set to be in the range of 0.6-2.0 mm. The radius of curvature is more preferably in the range of 1.1 to 1.5 mm. The sleeve member may be made of paper having a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²The range of (1).

According to the heat insulating container, the possibility of cracking of the sleeve member can be reduced, and the container body is less likely to catch the inward curled portion when the container body and the sleeve are assembled with each other, so that smooth assembly can be performed.

Another insulated container of the fourth invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, having an inward curled portion formed at a lower end side thereof and configured to curl the sleeve member toward a center of the container, and having an adhesive portion formed at an upper end side thereof and adhered to the side wall of the container body, wherein at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided so as to secure a space outside the side wall, and a friction reducing layer is formed on a surface of the sleeve member in a region corresponding to the inward curled portion.

According to this heat insulating container, when the inward curled portion is formed, the sleeve member slides well, the inward curled portion can be easily formed, and the sleeve member is less likely to crack.

The friction-reducing layer may be a composition including a cellulose-based resin or a composition including an acrylic-based resin. The friction reducing layer may also be used as a varnish to protect the printing surface. In this case, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

The friction-reducing layer may be formed on the surface of the sleeve element facing the outside of the container. In this case, if the printing surface is formed on the outer side of the container of the sleeve member, the varnish can be used as the friction reducing layer.

Still another insulated container of the fourth invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, wherein an inward curled portion configured to curl the sleeve member toward a container center side is formed on a lower end side, an adhesive portion adhered to the side wall of the container main body is formed on an upper end side, at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the adhesive portion is provided to secure a space outside the side wall, the sleeve is formed by overlapping and adhering both end portions of a band-like sleeve member wound around the container main body, the sleeve member is formed with a cut portion for reducing an overlapping area thereof, and the cut portion is formed by cutting the sleeve member from a region corresponding to the inward curled portion to a region other than the region.

Still another insulated container of the fourth invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) and a bottom portion disposed on a lower end side of the side wall; and a sleeve formed of a sheet-like sleeve member, wherein an inward curled portion configured to curl the sleeve member toward a container center side is formed on a lower end side, a bonding portion bonded to the side wall of the container main body is formed on an upper end side, at least a portion between the inward curled portion and the bonding portion is provided to secure a space outside the side wall, the sleeve is formed by overlapping and bonding both end portions of a band-like sleeve member wound around the container main body, a cutout portion for reducing an overlapping area thereof is formed in the sleeve member, and the cutout portion is formed by cutting the sleeve member so that an overlapping area of a region corresponding to the inward curled portion is reduced by 50% or more.

According to these heat insulating containers, the inward curled portion can be easily formed, and the shape of the inward curled portion can be made good.

The cutout portion may be formed at an end portion of the sleeve member disposed inside the container, among the both end portions. In this case, the cut end of the cut portion is not exposed to the outside of the sleeve, and therefore the appearance of the container is not impaired.

The cut-out portion may be formed by obliquely cutting out a corner of the sleeve member for one of the end edges.

In the case of the paper container such as the heat insulating container, a film-like lid member formed by laminating metal or resin may be bonded to an outward curled portion of an opening end of the container, and the container may be sealed. However, the curled portion to which the lid member is bonded is formed by pressing a die member into the open end of the container and rounding the end, and the cross-sectional shape after molding is substantially perfect circle. Therefore, the bonding portion between the cover member and the curl portion comes into close line contact, and the bonding area of the adhesive is insufficient, so that the bonding strength may not be sufficiently ensured.

In the filling line of the conventional container, the lid member is bonded by pressing the lid member against each of the plurality of containers simultaneously using a large-area pressing plate. In this case, the positional accuracy of the pressure plate with respect to each container is not good, but the pressure applied to each container is made uniform by the deformation of the container, and therefore, the lid member can be bonded in a relatively uniform state. However, when a conventional manufacturing line is used for a container having poor elasticity such as a paper container, the container is not sufficiently deformed, and the lid members are not uniformly bonded.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a container having a curl portion suitable for adhesion of a lid member.

In order to achieve the object, a container according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a side wall (trunk portion) having a curl portion formed at a peripheral edge of an opening portion, and a bottom portion opposed to the opening portion, and satisfies the following conditions, where "a" is a width of the curl portion in a container axial direction, "B" is a width of the curl portion in a container radial direction, and "t" is a thickness of the side wall:

2t < A < B.

Another container of the fifth invention comprises: a container body having a side wall (trunk portion) forming a curl portion at a peripheral edge of an opening portion and a bottom portion opposing the opening portion; and a sleeve having a bonding portion formed at one end thereof to be bonded to the side wall of the container body, and ensuring a space outside the outer wall, wherein the width of the curl portion in the container axis direction is defined as "a", the width of the curl portion in the container radius direction is defined as "B", and the thickness of the side wall is defined as "t", and the requirements are satisfied:

2t < A < B.

According to these containers, when the lid member is bonded to the curl portion, the width of the bonding with the adhesive agent can be increased, and the lid member can be reliably bonded with a predetermined strength. Further, since the curl portion is easily deformed in the axial direction of the container when the lid member is pressed, even when a material that is difficult to be elastically deformed, such as paper, is used as a container material, an existing production line for bonding the lid member to a container made of foamed styrene or the like can be used as it is, and therefore, the production line is economical.

A film-shaped cover member for closing the opening is bonded to the curl portion, and the cover member can be bonded to the curl portion with a bonding force in a range of a peeling force of 400 to 900gf/15mm wide. In this case, the joining width between the lid member and the curl portion joined by the adhesive can be increased, and the lid member can be reliably joined with a predetermined strength. The peeling force suitable for the case of injecting hot water into the cup main body in a state that the cover part is partly peeled off and removing the cover part after a certain time. Additionally the side walls may be formed from paper.

The sleeve used for the heat insulating container of the present invention is manufactured by winding, for example, a fan-shaped blank around the outer periphery of a predetermined mandrel and bonding both ends thereof. In this production, it is necessary to apply an adhesive to the bonded portion and then supply the blank directly below the mandrel, or to form a curled portion at the end of the sleeve on the mandrel. Further, since the sleeve is thin and has low strength, the curled portion needs to be carefully processed. In some cases, the sleeve is firmly and tightly joined to the mandrel by processing the crimped portion, and it is considered that the sleeve is removed from the apparatus without damaging the sleeve in this state.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of performing various processes in manufacturing a sleeve of an insulated container reasonably and efficiently.

In order to achieve the object, a sixth aspect of the present invention provides a sleeve manufacturing apparatus, a blank supply apparatus, and a sleeve discharge apparatus described below.

A sleeve manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a sleeve manufacturing apparatus for a heat insulating container, which forms a conical sleeve used as an exterior of the heat insulating container from a fan-shaped blank, the sleeve manufacturing apparatus including: a mandrel having a conical shaft-shaped trunk portion that can be fitted to the inner periphery of the sleeve; a conveying device for conveying the mandrel along a predetermined annular line; a blank feeder for applying the adhesive to one end of the blank and feeding the blank directly below the mandrel conveyed to a predetermined position on the endless line; a winding device that winds the blank supplied from the blank supply device around the mandrel such that the adhesive applied to the one end portion overlaps the other end portion; a press sealing device for pressing the seam of the sleeve formed on the mandrel; a plurality of curling devices arranged along the circular line, for pressing a processing die against the protruding portion of the sleeve from the mandrel to process a curled portion; and a sleeve ejecting device configured to remove the sleeve on which the curl portion has been formed from the mandrel, wherein at least one of the plurality of curling devices is a device configured to heat the working die and press the working die against the protruding portion of the sleeve.

According to this sleeve manufacturing apparatus, since the sleeve is softened by the heat of the processing mold, the curled portion can be processed with a smaller force than in the case where the sleeve is not heated. If the force required for machining is reduced, the load applied to the sleeve on the mandrel is reduced. When the sleeve is taken out from the mandrel after manufacture, the operation can be easily performed, and the structure of the device can be simplified.

At least two of the plurality of curling devices may be configured to heat the working mold and press the working mold against the protruding portion of the sleeve, and a temperature of the working mold on a downstream side of the heated working mold may be set lower than a temperature of the working mold on an upstream side of the conveyance line. In general, when the curl portion of the sleeve is formed in a plurality of steps, the sleeve is bent in a subsequent step, and therefore, the sleeve can be formed more easily than in a previous step. Therefore, as described above, by lowering the heating temperature of the processing mold in the subsequent step, the influence of heat on the sleeve printing or the like can be suppressed to the minimum without affecting the processability of the curled portion.

In the above-described curling device, the processing mold may be pressed against the projecting portion of the sleeve while rotating the processing mold.

In this case, by rotating the working die in the initial step of the maximum resistance to the processing of the curled portion, the heating of the working die becomes unnecessary or the heating temperature can be lowered even if the heating is performed. This can reduce the heat load on the sleeve. When a base treatment material such as a silicon liquid is applied to the sleeve as a preparation for the curling process, the base treatment material can be uniformly spread over the entire circumference of the sleeve by the rotation of the processing mold.

A blank feeding apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a blank feeding apparatus for conveying a fan-shaped blank for forming a sleeve of a heat-insulating container directly below a mandrel having a conical shaft-shaped body portion, comprising: a first conveying device for conveying the blank while keeping one end portion to be bonded parallel to a conveying direction set in a center line direction of the mandrel; an adhesive application device that applies an adhesive to a lower surface side of the one end portion of the blank conveyed by the first conveying device; a reversing device for reversing the blank coated with the adhesive vertically by rotating the blank around a rotation axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; and a second conveying device for conveying the inverted blank in a posture of being bilaterally symmetric with respect to the center line of the mandrel.

According to this blank supply device, the movement of the adhesive-coated blank is reversed in the vertical direction, and therefore it takes time for the blank to reach below the mandrel. This evaporates excess moisture of the adhesive applied to the blank, and provides the best adhesive strength. As a result, the occurrence of product defects due to insufficient adhesive strength is reduced. Since the adhesive is applied to the lower surface side of the blank, there is an advantage that a simple structure such as a roller array can be provided as compared with application from the upper surface side. Since the conveying direction of the first conveying device and the second conveying device is parallel to the center line of the mandrel, the blank supply device can be arranged straight with respect to the center line of the mandrel.

The reversing device may be provided with a pair of wheels rotatable about the rotation axis, and the pair of wheels may be provided with slits into which the blanks conveyed by the first conveying device can be inserted. The second carrying device can take out the blank from the gap and carry the blank to a position right below the mandrel.

In this case, the blank can be easily inverted by rotation of the wheel. Since the blank can move in the gap, there is also an opportunity to correct the posture of the blank by gravity.

The pair of wheels may be arranged symmetrically about the center line of the spindle, and in this case, it is preferable that distances from the rotation axis to an end portion on the inner peripheral side of the slit of each wheel are equal to each other. According to this configuration, when the blank inserted into the slit is lifted up by the rotation of the wheel, the blank is gathered in the radial direction of the wheel at the end of the inner peripheral portion of the slit. Thereby, the blank can be positioned symmetrically about the centre line of the mandrel.

The pair of wheels may be provided with a plurality of the slits at certain intervals in a circumferential direction of the wheels, respectively. In this way, the plurality of blanks coated with the adhesive can be successively taken into the wheel and appropriately dried.

The rotation direction of the wheel may be set so that the blank taken into the gap of the wheel from the first conveying device is lifted above the conveying surface of the first conveying device and conveyed to the second conveying device side. Thus, the blank taken into the slit can be rotated by approximately 180 degrees without dropping from the wheel, and can be inverted vertically.

Another blank supplying apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a blank supplying apparatus for conveying a fan-shaped blank for forming a sleeve of a heat-insulating container directly below a mandrel having a conical shaft-shaped body portion, comprising: a first conveying device for conveying the blank while keeping one end portion to be bonded parallel to a conveying direction set in a center line direction of the mandrel; an adhesive application device for applying an adhesive to the one end portion of the blank conveyed by the first conveying device; a detour device for detouring the conveying direction of the blank coated with the adhesive with respect to the first conveying device; and the second conveying device receives the blank from the roundabout device and conveys the blank to a position right below the mandrel.

According to this blank supply device, excess moisture of the adhesive is evaporated while the blank is detoured by the detour device.

In the above blank supply device, the bypass device may be provided with a pair of wheels rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the first conveying device, and the pair of wheels may be provided with slits into which the blanks conveyed by the first conveying device can be inserted. The second carrying device can take out the blank from the gap and carry the blank to a position right below the mandrel.

A socket discharging apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a socket discharging apparatus for removing a socket wound around a conical shaft body of a mandrel from the mandrel, the socket discharging apparatus including: a roller mechanism for pressing a rotating roller against the sleeve on the body and discharging the sleeve from a small-diameter-side end of the body; and a sleeve holder having a sleeve receiving portion for receiving the sleeve taken out by the roller mechanism from an inner peripheral side thereof.

According to the sleeve discharge device, the outer periphery of the sleeve discharged from the mandrel does not need to be received, so that the printing of the outer periphery of the sleeve is not damaged. Since the sleeve can be sufficiently held even in a state where the sleeve receiving portion is gradually inserted into the inner periphery of the sleeve, the rotational speed of the roller can be reduced, and the burden on the sleeve can be reduced. This also reduces the likelihood of damage to the sleeve.

The sleeve holder may be provided to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, or a plurality of the sleeve receiving portions may be provided at regular intervals about the rotation axis. In this case, the sleeve can be efficiently recovered by rotating the sleeve holder to continuously receive the sleeve.

In the production of the above heat insulating container, it is necessary to perform various treatments such as a process of forming a pitt (ピ - タ -) line indicating an appropriate position of an injection material such as hot water or a rib for reinforcing the container body, a process of forming a curl portion of the container body into a shape suitable for adhesion of a film-like lid member, and the like, and it is necessary to develop an apparatus capable of efficiently performing such a series of operations.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for efficiently manufacturing the heat insulating container and an inspection apparatus applied to the manufacturing apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a seventh aspect of the present invention includes the following apparatus for manufacturing an insulated container and an inspection apparatus.

A seventh aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing an insulated container by assembling a sleeve to an outer periphery of a container body, the apparatus comprising: a container holder having a curl receiving member for receiving a curl portion provided at an end edge of the container body and a side wall receiving member for receiving a side wall (trunk portion) of the container body from inside; a curling device for pressing and deforming the curled portion of the container body against the curl receiving member; a rib processing device for pressing and deforming the side wall of the container body against the side wall receiving member; an adhesive applying device for applying an adhesive to the outer periphery of the container main body which has been subjected to the processing by the curling device and the rib processing device; and a sleeve supplying device for covering the sleeve on the outer circumference of the container body coated with the adhesive.

According to this manufacturing apparatus, the processing of the curled portion of the container body, the processing of the rib or the like of the side wall, and the bonding of the container body and the sleeve subjected to these processes are continuously performed in the same apparatus, and therefore the heat insulating container can be efficiently manufactured.

The manufacturing apparatus may be provided with a sleeve positioning device for pushing the sleeve supplied by the sleeve supply device into the container body held by the container holder. In this case, the sleeve can be mounted on the container body by a correct means, and the two can be reliably joined.

The manufacturing apparatus may be provided with an assembly inspection apparatus for inspecting quality of assembly of the container body and the sleeve after the processing by the sleeve aligning apparatus. In this case, the assembly error of the sleeve can be checked and appropriate countermeasures can be taken.

The manufacturing apparatus may be provided with a sleeve inspection apparatus for inspecting quality of the sleeve after the processing by the sleeve aligning apparatus. In this case, the forming defect of the sleeve can be checked and appropriate countermeasures can be taken.

The manufacturing apparatus may include a conveying device that conveys the container holder along a predetermined conveying line, and the curling device, the rib processing device, the adhesive applying device, and the sleeve supplying device may be provided along the conveying line. In this case, the curling device, the rib processing device, the adhesive applying device, and the sleeve supplying device are disposed along the conveyance path so as not to interfere with each other, and thus the processes performed by the respective devices can be efficiently coordinated.

Another manufacturing apparatus of a seventh aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a heat-insulating container by assembling a sleeve to an outer periphery of a container main body, including: a container holder configured to hold the container body in a state in which the container body is inverted vertically; a sleeve supplying device for fitting the sleeve on the outer periphery of the container body held by the container holder from above the container body; a sleeve aligning device which presses the sleeve sleeved on the container main body into the container main body, the sleeve aligning device is provided with an aligning clamp opposite to the upper end part of the sleeve sleeved on the container main body and a clamp driving part for driving the aligning clamp to the container holding part, the aligning clamp is provided with a clamp main body and a centering part, the jig main body has a press-fitting portion which can come into contact with an upper end portion of the sleeve, the centering member is fitted to the sleeve before the press-fitting portion is press-fitted to the sleeve, and the sleeve is displaced in the radial direction so as to face the center of the container body, the centering member is provided coaxially with the jig body and is movable in the direction of pushing the sleeve, the outer periphery of the end portion of the centering member facing the sleeve is provided with a centering surface having a diameter that decreases toward the sleeve.

According to this manufacturing apparatus, the sleeve fitted around the outer periphery of the container body is displaced in the radial direction of the container body by the centering surface of the centering member, and is fitted to the center of the container body, and then pressed into the container body. This reduces the possibility of manufacturing defects caused by press-fitting the sleeve in a state where the centers of the sleeve and the container body are offset from each other. The centering component is coaxially arranged relative to the clamp main body of the centering clamp, so that the centering component can be smoothly guided to the clamp main body, and the reliability of centering action can be improved.

A further manufacturing apparatus of a seventh aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a heat-insulating container by assembling a sleeve to an outer periphery of a container main body, including: a container holder having a rotary body that holds the container body while being rotatable about an axis of the container body; an adhesive applying device having a nozzle member for spraying an adhesive onto an outer periphery of the container body held by the container holder, the adhesive applying device being provided with: an imaging unit that images an image of an imaging range set between the nozzle unit and the bonding range of the side wall of the container body; and a determination unit configured to determine whether the adhesive is in a sprayed state based on a ratio of an area corresponding to a degree of darkness of the adhesive in the image of the imaging range.

According to this manufacturing apparatus, the adhesive is sprayed to the outer periphery of the container body supported by the rotating body while rotating the container body, so that the adhesive can be supplied to the outer periphery of the container body along the circumferential direction thereof without any omission. When the amount of the adhesive discharged from the nozzle member is excessive or insufficient and the amount is appropriate but the discharge direction is not appropriate, the ratio of the region in which the degree of darkness corresponding to the adhesive is displayed in the image of the photographing range is abnormal by hand, so that it is possible to reliably detect the supply defect of the adhesive and take appropriate measures.

An inspection apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an inspection apparatus for inspecting a heat-insulated container in which a sleeve is assembled to an outer periphery of a container body, the inspection apparatus including: a container holder having a rotating body for rotatably holding the heat insulating container around an axis thereof in a state where the heat insulating container is inverted vertically; a rotation driving member that drives the rotating body to rotate; a height information detecting means for detecting a change in height of the upper end portion of the heat insulating container at a predetermined position around the container holder in conjunction with driving of the rotating body and outputting information corresponding to the detection result; and a determination unit configured to determine whether the assembly is good or bad based on the information output from the height information detection unit.

According to this inspection device, when the sleeve is improperly fitted to the container body, the sleeve partially contacts the container body, and the height of the container body at the contact portion deviates from a normal value. By detecting this change based on the information from the height information detecting means during rotation, it is possible to reliably detect the assembly defect between the container body and the sleeve and take appropriate measures.

The height information detecting means may: the container holder includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion which are arranged to face each other with an upper end portion of the heat insulating container held by the container holder interposed therebetween, and the light emitting portion emits inspection light having a predetermined width to the light receiving portion and the light receiving portion outputs a signal corresponding to a light receiving amount of the inspection light. In this case, when the height of the heat insulating container changes, the amount of the inspection light blocked by the upper end portion of the heat insulating container increases or decreases correspondingly, and the output signal from the light receiving portion changes.

On the inspection apparatus, there may be provided: a distance information detecting member that detects a change in distance from a predetermined position around the container holder to an outer periphery of the sleeve of the heat insulating container in conjunction with driving of the rotating body, and outputs information corresponding to a detection result; and a forming determination unit for determining whether the sleeve is formed or not based on the information output from the distance information detection unit. In this case, when the sleeve is deformed due to a defect or the like of the bonded portion thereof, the distance information detecting means detects a change in distance corresponding to the deformation. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect a molding defect of the sleeve and take appropriate measures.

As described above, when the lid member is attached to the curled portion at the open end of the heat insulating container, the treatment for crushing the whole circumference of the curled portion is performed at the same time, but this treatment is not limited to only a container having a small diameter. If the curl portion of a large-diameter container (about 140mm in diameter) used for instant noodles or the like is crushed flatly by the same method, a very large pressure is required, and it is difficult to put it into practical use. Further, when the pressure is high, the respective parts of the pressing device are also reinforced, which results in an increase in the cost of the device.

An eighth object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus and a processing method that can process a curled portion of a container into a shape suitable for bonding a lid member with a small force.

In order to achieve the object, a processing apparatus for a container according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes: a pressing member which can contact a part of the curl portion provided at the container end edge; a curling receiving member provided opposite to the pressing member with the curling portion interposed therebetween; a pressing drive member that drives the pressing member or the curled receiving member toward the curled portion so that the curled portion is sandwiched between the pressing member and the curled receiving member; and a rotation driving member that drives the pressing member or the container to rotate so that a position at which the curled portion is sandwiched by the pressing member and the curl receiving member changes in a circumferential direction of the container.

According to this processing apparatus, since only a part of the curled portion is sandwiched by the pressing member and the curl receiving member, the curled portion can be processed into a desired shape with a smaller force than a case where the whole curled portion is crushed at the same time. The curled portion is processed into a desired shape over the entire circumference by changing the processing position of the curled portion in the circumferential direction by the rotation of the pressing member or the container.

The curl receiving member may also be configured to receive a member that receives the curl portion around its entire circumference. In this case, the curled portion of the container can be stably held by the curled receiving member.

The processing apparatus may also have a container holder that holds the container, and a rotating body that holds the container while being rotatable about an axis of the container may be provided in the container holder. The curl receiving member may be provided on the rotating body, and the rotation driving member may drive the rotating body to rotate. In this case, the container holder may be used to hold the container in a fixed position, and the container may be rotated about its axis by applying rotation to the rotating body of the container holder. The rotation enables processing other than the curling portion.

The rotation driving member may also have a driving wheel contacting the outer circumference of the rotating body and a driving source driving the driving wheel to rotate. In this case, the container can be rotated only by bringing the driving wheel into contact with the rotating body. The transmission of the rotation to the container can be stopped by separating the driving wheel from the rotating body.

The pressing member may be a roller rotatable about an axis extending in a radial direction of the container. In this case, the frictional resistance between the pressing member and the curled portion of the container during relative rotation is reduced, and the curled portion can be smoothly processed.

In the machining device, when the curled portion is pressed in by the pressing member and the curling receiving member, the pressing member or the curling receiving member may be displaced in a direction away from the curled portion against the pressing force supplied by the pressing driving member. In this case, even if a step is generated in the curled portion due to adhesion of the container or the like, the step portion is not crushed excessively by displacing the pressing member or the curled receiving member according to the step.

An air cylinder may be provided as the pressing drive member. In this case, since the air sealed in the cylinder serves as a buffer, the pressing member or the curl receiving member driven by the cylinder can be displaced according to the step of the curl portion.

The rotating body may be provided with a side wall receiving member that receives the container side wall (trunk portion) from the entire inner surface side, and the container holder may be provided with a die pressing member that faces the side wall receiving member and is contactable with a part of the side wall in the circumferential direction and a die driving member that drives the die pressing member toward the side wall. In this case, the side wall of the container is sandwiched by the press-molding member and the side wall receiving member in conjunction with the processing of the curl portion, whereby the side wall of the container can be processed in the circumferential direction.

The contact position between the pressing member and the curl portion may be opposite to the contact position between the mold pressing member and the side wall in the radial direction of the container. In this case, the container does not float from the holder to cause a processing defect in accordance with the processing operation by the pressing member or the press member.

The processing apparatus may further include a retaining member for pressing the bottom side of the container against the container holder. In this case, the container does not float from the holder to cause a processing defect in accordance with the processing operation by the pressing member or the press member.

The container may be a heat-insulating container having a container body with the curled portion and a sleeve fitted around an outer periphery thereof, and the curled portion may be processed by the pressing member and the curled receiving member before the sleeve is attached to the container body. In this case, the curl portion can be processed without being disturbed by the sleeve.

A processing method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a processing method in which a part of a curl portion provided at an end edge of a container is sandwiched between a pressing member and a receiving member, and the sandwiched position is gradually changed in a circumferential direction of the curl portion, thereby processing the entire circumference of the curl portion into a predetermined shape.

According to this processing method, the entire circumference of the curled portion can be processed into a predetermined shape with a smaller force than the simultaneous crushing of the whole curled portion for the same reason as the processing apparatus described above.

Other objects, features, and effects of the present invention will be described with reference to the following examples of the invention. The brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are views showing an insulated container according to example 1 of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are views showing an insulated container according to example 2 of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are bottom views of the cup main body provided in the heat insulating container shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C and FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C;

FIGS. 4A, 4B are dimensional diagrams of samples of example 1 of the insulated container of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are views showing an insulated container with a grip sheet according to example 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an expanded blank view of a sleeve for use with the insulated container of FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged views of the gripping tab provided on the blank of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views showing the use state of the heat-insulating container with a grip piece of FIGS. 5A and 5B;

FIG. 9 is a dimensional view of a sample of the embodiment of the insulated container of FIGS. 5A and 5B with a gripping tab;

FIG. 10 is a drawing showing an insulated container of example 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a process diagram for manufacturing the insulated container of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inward curl of the sleeve of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 13A-13C are views showing various shapes of inward curled portions provided on the sleeve of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 14A-14C are diagrams showing additional various shapes of inward curled portions provided on the sleeve of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 15A and 15B are enlarged sectional views of the end portion of the line provided on the cup body of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are enlarged sectional views showing the vicinity of the bonded portion between the cup body and the sleeve;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing another example in which the lower end of the sleeve is positioned above the wire tail;

fig. 18A to 18D are sectional views showing the shape of an inward curled portion of the sleeve;

FIGS. 19A and 19B are partial plan views showing blanks for forming sleeves;

FIG. 20 is a drawing showing an insulated container of example 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a manufacturing sequence diagram of the insulated container of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged sectional view of a curled portion of a cup body constituting the insulated container of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of an apparatus for making the sleeve of FIG. 20;

fig. 24 is a side view of the manufacturing apparatus of fig. 23 viewed from the direction of arrow XXIV;

fig. 25 is an enlarged view of the XXV portion of fig. 23;

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a mandrel and a primary press seal provided on the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 23;

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the front half of the blank supply apparatus provided on the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 23;

fig. 28 is a plan view of the front half of the blank supply apparatus;

fig. 29 is a sectional view taken along line XXIX-XXIX of fig. 27;

FIG. 30 is a side view of the rear half of the blank supply;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of the rear half of the blank supply apparatus;

fig. 32 is a view showing details of a winding device provided on the manufacturing device of fig. 23;

fig. 33A and 33B are views showing a main part of the auxiliary press-sealing apparatus provided in the manufacturing apparatus of fig. 23;

fig. 34 is a view showing details of a crimping device provided in the manufacturing device of fig. 23;

fig. 35 is a view showing a modification of fig. 34;

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing details of a sleeve ejector provided on the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 23;

FIG. 37 is a plan view of the sleeve ejector;

fig. 38A to 38D are views showing examples of the curl portion of the sleeve;

FIG. 39 is a plan view of a manufacturing apparatus for the paper cup of FIG. 20;

FIG. 40 is a side view of the device of FIG. 39, looking in the direction of arrow XXXX;

FIG. 41 is a side view of the device of FIG. 40 looking in the direction of arrow XXXXI;

FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view of a cup feeding device provided on the device of FIG. 39;

FIG. 43 is a plan view of the cup feeding device of FIG. 42;

fig. 44 is a view showing a main part of a processing apparatus provided on the apparatus of fig. 39;

fig. 45 is a rear view of fig. 44 viewed from the direction of arrow XXXXV;

FIGS. 46A and 46B are views showing a state where ribs are machined on the side wall of the cup main body by the apparatus of FIG. 44;

FIG. 47 is a view showing a state where a curled portion of a cup main body is processed by the apparatus of FIG. 44;

fig. 48 is a view showing an example of processing a curl portion of a cup main body using a plurality of press rollers;

FIG. 49 is a view showing a main part of a pasting device provided in the apparatus of FIG. 39;

FIG. 50 is a view showing a main part of a cartridge supplying apparatus provided in the apparatus of FIG. 39;

FIG. 51 is a view showing the entirety of the sleeve alignment device provided in the device of FIG. 39;

fig. 52 is a diagram showing a main part of the apparatus of fig. 51;

FIG. 53 is a view showing the structure of an inspection apparatus provided in the apparatus of FIG. 39;

FIG. 54 is a view showing the structure of a discharge device provided in the device of FIG. 39;

fig. 55 is a side view of the discharge device of fig. 54 viewed from the direction of arrow xxxxv.

Best Mode for Carrying Out The Invention

Fig. 1A, 1B, and 1C show an insulated container according to example 1 of the present invention, and fig. 1A, 1B, and 1C show a side surface on the right side and a cross section on the left side of the center line, respectively. The same applies to fig. 2A to 2C.

The heat insulating container 10 shown in fig. 1A, 1B, and 1C is configured by combining a paper cup body 10A shown in fig. 1A and a paper sleeve (paper tube) shown in fig. 1B. The cup body 10A has a cylindrical body portion (side wall) 11 having an open upper portion and a bottom portion (bottom plate) 12 closing a lower portion of the body portion 11. A polyolefin resin layer is formed on at least the inner surface of the cup body 10A. The sleeve 10B is attached to the cup body 10A with a gap formed between the sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the barrel portion 11. As shown in fig. 1C, the heat insulating container 10 has a shape close to a large sea bowl, a pot, or the like, with the outer diameter of the upper end opening of the trunk 11 being larger than the height.

In order to increase the rigidity of the cup body 10A, as shown in fig. 1A, at least one horizontal rib 13 protruding outward or one horizontal rib 13' protruding inward is formed on the trunk portion 11 of the cup body 10A. A plurality of horizontal ribs 13 or horizontal ribs 13' may also be formed. It is also possible to have both the horizontal rib 13 and the horizontal rib 13' on the same cup main body 10A.

An outward top curl 14 is formed at the upper end of the cup body 10A. The bottom portion 12 and the body portion 11 are wound around and joined to each other at the lower end of the cup body 10A.

The top curl 14, in addition to strengthening the cup body 10A, also provides a hot seal surface when engaging a lid (not shown). The cross-sectional shape of the top curl portion 14 is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a shape crushed in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 1B, the sleeve 10B has a side wall 15 in the shape of an inverted truncated cone. The lower end of the sleeve 10B is formed with an inward curled portion 16.

By attaching the sleeve 10B to the cup body 10A as described above, the insulating space a is formed between the sleeve 10B and the cup body 10A, and the inner periphery of the inward curled portion 16 of the sleeve 10B is in contact with the lower end portion of the trunk portion 11 of the cup body 10A. The upper end of the sleeve 10B is in direct contact with the upper end of the trunk 11 of the cup body 10A, or as shown in fig. 2A, 2B, and 2C, is in contact with the heat insulating member 17. Details of fig. 2A, 2B, and 2C will be described later. The cup body 10A and the sleeve 10B are fixed to each other by adhesion at some point of the contact portions of the upper and lower ends thereof so as not to cause the sleeve 10B to fall off.

In the above heat insulating container 10, the outwardly projecting horizontal rib 13 or the inwardly projecting horizontal rib 13' plays an important role in reinforcing the strength of the cup main body 10A together with the outwardly curled portion 14 of the trunk portion 11 and the wound portion of the periphery of the bottom portion 12.

The number, position, height, depth, width, cross-sectional shape, and the like of the ribs 13 may be determined according to the size of the cup body 10A, the rigidity of the cardboard blank, and the like. One rib 13 or 13' may be provided at a position of a hot water injection mark line (a pitt line) which is a line indicating an appropriate level of the amount of hot water injected into the cup body 10A.

In the insulated container 10 of fig. 1A, 1B, 1C, the horizontal ribs 13 protruding outward play an important role in the formation of the insulated space a. When the side wall (body portion 11) of the container 10 is held by hand, the horizontal rib 13 supports the side wall 15 of the sleeve 10B, and the inward bending of the side wall 15 is restricted.

In a state where the sleeve 10B is assembled to the cup main body 10A, the sleeve 10B and the horizontal rib 13 protruding outward may be in contact with or separated from each other. Under the condition of non-contact, the heat insulation space A is large, air in the heat insulation space A is convected up and down, and heat is easy to diffuse. Therefore, when the barrel portion 11 is held by hand after hot water is poured, the side wall 15 of the sleeve 10B is slightly bent inward, but the side wall 15 has a lower surface temperature than when the sleeve 10B is in contact with the rib 13 before the container 10 is held by hand, and is easy to take.

Fig. 2A, 2B, and 2C show an insulated container to which embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied.

When a user holds a bowl-shaped container in the sea after pouring hot water or heating in a microwave oven with his or her hands, the user usually supports the upper half of the container body from both sides with his or her fingers. In the insulated container of fig. 2A, 2B, 2C, the insulation effect and stability of the portion contacted by the user's finger are achieved. That is, in the heat insulating container 10 of fig. 2A, 2B, and 2C, the heat insulating member 17 is wound around and bonded to the upper portion of the trunk portion 11 of the cup body 10A in advance, and the sleeve 10B is attached thereto.

The heat insulating member 17 may be a corrugated cardboard sheet in which ridges and grooves are alternately arranged in a longitudinal direction by corrugating, such as a corrugated cardboard sheet, or a corrugated cardboard sheet having a predetermined width and having a concave-convex shape formed by embossing.

When the heat insulating member 17 is provided between the cup body 10A and the sleeve 10B, the heat insulating property of the upper portion of the trunk portion where the heat insulating space a is narrowed can be improved and stabilized. Therefore, after hot water is injected or heating and preparation is performed by a microwave oven, the heat insulating container 10 can be held by hand with ease. The insulated container 10 of fig. 2A, 2B, 2C is particularly effective in the case where hot water is injected into the top of the insulated container.

In order to prevent the sleeve 10B attached to the cup body 10A from coming off, the inner periphery of the inward curled portion 16 and the cup body 10A are bonded, or the inner and outer surfaces of the heat insulating member 17 are bonded to the cup body 10A and the sleeve 10B, respectively.

Fig. 3A and 3B are bottom views of the cup body 10A used for the heat insulating container of fig. 1A, 1B and 1C, or fig. 2A, 2B and 2C.

As described above, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the cup body 10A is provided with the horizontal rib 13 or 13' surrounding the circumferential periphery of the body 11 at a predetermined position of the body 11. As shown in fig. 3A, the horizontal ribs 13, 13' may be continuously provided around the body portion 11. As shown in fig. 3B, the horizontal ribs 13 and 13' may be provided intermittently around the body 11 by the slit 19.

In the case of the heat insulating container 10 of fig. 1A, 1B, and 1C, if the number of horizontal ribs 13 is constant, the prevention of the bending of the side wall 15 of the sleeve 10B is slightly inferior in the case of intermittently surrounding the ribs 13, compared with the case of providing continuous ribs 13. However, the heat insulating space is enlarged and the heat insulating space is vertically communicated, and the movement of the heated air in the entire heat insulating space is facilitated. Therefore, the temperature rise is uniform, and as a result, the effect of improving the heat insulating property can be obtained. When the rib 13 is interrupted, one rib 13 is preferably divided into 4 to 8 parts over the entire circumference of the body 11. The ratio of the cut portion 19 to the whole circumference of the body portion 11 is preferably 30% or less.

The wire tail 18 is shown in fig. 3A, 3B. The inward curled portion 16 is a space for embedding the wire tail portion 18 (an opening on the lower end side of the heat insulating space a). Thus, there is no fear of entry of refuse from the string tail 18 or intrusion of water from the string tail 18, and a sanitary heat-insulated container can be provided.

According to the above structure of the heat insulating container 10, a large-sea bowl-shaped paper heat insulating container having an outer diameter of an opening portion in a range of 120 to 200mm can be provided by using the same paperboard blank as a conventional paper heat insulating container. When the container is filled with the liquid, the internal volume can be set in the range of 600 to 1500 cc.

The formed paperboard blank for the insulated container 10, while having an increased internal volume, may still be used with approximately the same tarmac weight as currently used. That is, the cup body 10A can be formed with a plateau weight of 190 to 450g/m²The cup base paper of (1). The sleeve 10B can be formed with a plateau weight of 230 to 450g/m²And paperboard such as cards (カ - ド) and coated paper (コ - トボ - ル). When the plateau weight of the base paper of the sleeve 10B is less than this limit, the rigidity of the sleeve 10B is lowered, and the deflection may be too large at high heat to obtain the desired thermal insulation. If the basis weight of the base paper of the sleeve 10B exceeds the above limit, the stiffness is high, but the ease of processing the inward curled portion 16 is deteriorated, and the material cost is also increased, which is not preferable.

The sleeve 10B may be subjected to resin coating or resin impregnation treatment. In this case, the rigidity, the compression resistance, the crush resistance, and the like of the entire heat insulating container 10 can be improved, and the heat insulating container 10 can protect the contents against an external force applied during physical distribution.

Generally, a polyolefin resin layer such as a low-density polyethylene resin, a medium-density polyethylene resin, a high-density polyethylene resin, or a linear low-density polyethylene resin is extruded and coated on the inner surface of the cup base paper in a range of 20 to 80 μm. The polyolefin resin layer is advantageous in preventing penetration of the contents into the cardboard (the material of the cup body 10A) and improving the degree of protection of the contents, and is also advantageous in improving the cup formability of the bottom portion, the curl portion, and the trunk attachment portion and in improving the sealing property by heat sealing of the top curl portion of the lid member (not shown).

In the above heat insulating container 10, since the side wall (outer peripheral wall) is free from irregularities and the inward curled portion 16 of the sleeve 10B is formed with an appropriate round at the bottom of the container, the appearance can be made beautiful.

The surface of the side wall of the heat insulating container 10 is flat, and the printing freedom for the sleeve 10B is high. Not only known printing such as offset printing, gravure printing, and flexographic printing, but also various post-printing processes such as glossing, bronzing, and embossing can be freely performed on the sleeve 10B. Therefore, a good decorative effect can be exhibited in combination with the excellent appearance.

By providing a finish layer such as OP varnish on the side wall surface of the sleeve 10B or the surface of the inward curled portion 16, these surfaces are less likely to be wet and soiled.

In general, when hot water contacts a plastic surface or a plastic layer on the inner surface of a container, it is necessary to take into consideration the problem that a monomer remaining in the plastic, heavy metals used for a polymerization catalyst, other additives, and the like are likely to precipitate, and thus food contamination occurs. It is needless to say that the container is constituted on the premise that the amount of deposition does not exceed the standard value defined by the food hygiene law, but even a trace amount of the above-mentioned material or less is preferable from the viewpoint of prevention, for example, the use of resins such as dihydric phenol a deposited from polycarbonate resin used for feeding bottles or tableware used in schools, and hormones (exogenous endocrine disrupting chemicals) which are criticized as being likely to disturb the biological endocrine system, such as styrene oligomer deposited from expanded polystyrene containers.

In the above-described heat insulating container 10, since a natural resin is further selected from the polyolefin-based resins having a low risk and used for the coating of the inner surface, a sense of reassurance is provided.

Next, a method for manufacturing the heat-insulated container 10 shown in fig. 1A, 1B, and 1C or fig. 2A, 2B, and 2C will be described.

First, a truncated cone-shaped body 11 is formed from a fan-shaped blank by a cupola forming machine, and the bottom of the body 11 is closed by winding a bottom plate to form a bottom 12. An outward top curl portion 14 is formed at the upper end portion of the body portion 11. Then, horizontal ribs 13, 13' projecting outward or inward are formed at predetermined positions of the trunk 11 to produce the cup body 10A.

The method of machining the outwardly projecting ribs 13 can be done on-line or off-line with respect to the forming machine. That is, the cup body 10A after molding is fitted into a cavity of a metal mold in which portions corresponding to the horizontal ribs 13 are cut into a groove shape in advance, and the cup body 10A is rotated. In this state, the rotary roller is strongly pressed against the groove portion from the inside of the cup body 10A by an expander (expander). Thereby forming a rib 13 protruding to the outside.

In this case, the continuous circumferential rib 13 shown in fig. 3A can be obtained by pressing the rotary roller along the entire circumference of the cup body 10A. If the rotating roller is intermittently pressed against the cup body 10A, the intermittently circumferential ribs 13 as shown in FIG. 3B are formed.

In the above molding method, it is necessary to extract the cup body 10A from the cavity of the metal mold after the rib 13 is machined. In fig. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, when the upper slope of the apex of the horizontal rib 13 is formed to be gentler than the lower slope, the cup body 10A can be easily pulled out from the cavity. The ribs 13 may be formed by drawing using a male die and a female die.

The ribs 13' of the insulated container 10 in fig. 2A, 2B, 2C are formed in the following order. The cup body 10A after molding is fitted into the outer periphery of a mandrel whose portion corresponding to the horizontal rib 13' is cut into a groove shape in advance. Then, the cup body 10A is rotated together with the spindle and is strongly pressed against the groove portion from the outside of the cup. So that the inwardly protruding ribs 13' can be formed. The sleeve 10B having a truncated cone shape is formed from a fan-shaped blank, and an inward curled portion 16 is formed at the lower portion thereof. The sleeve 10B and the cup body 10A after molding are bonded and assembled at a position where they are in contact with each other, thereby obtaining the heat-insulating container 10. The completed insulated container 10 of the present invention may be provided to a user in a stacked configuration.

Two types of samples a and B shown in fig. 4A and 4B were produced according to the following specifications as examples of the heat insulating container 10 of fig. 1A, 1B and 1C. Comparative examples a ' and B ' (not shown) were prepared which had the same specifications as example A, B except that the horizontal ribs 13 and 13 ' were omitted.

Sample A

Specification of cup body 10A

Content amount: 804.2cc (when full)

499.7cc (when filled to 22.5mm from the top)

Opening outer diameter: 143.5mm phi

Opening inner diameter: 135.0mm phi

Diameter of the bottom plate: 115.2mm phi

Height: 72.1mm

Number of horizontal ribs: 2

Upper section width of horizontal rib: 2mm

The lower section is wide: 6mm

The blank comprises the following components: polyethylene 25 μm/cup base paper 280g/m²

Specification of the sleeve 10B

Inner curl portion outer diameter: 119.4mm

Inward curl thickness: 2.6mm

Outer diameter of the upper end part: 135.0mm

The blank comprises the following components: OP varnish layer/printing layer/coating paper 310g/m²

Sample B

Specification of cup body 10A

Content amount: 1045.1cc (when full)

659.5cc (when filled to 30.9mm from the top)

Opening outer diameter: 139.5mm phi

Opening inner diameter: 131.0mm phi

Diameter of the bottom plate: 101.2mm phi

Height: 105.0mm

Number of horizontal ribs: 2

Upper section width of horizontal rib: 2mm

The lower section is wide: 6mm

Specification of the sleeve 10B

Inner curl portion outer diameter: 105.6mm

Inward curl thickness: 2.6mm

Outer diameter of the upper end part: 131.0mm

The above sleeve 10B was attached to the outer periphery of the above cup body 10A, and the contact portion of the bottom portion 12 was bonded with an acrylic latex adhesive, thereby producing example samples a and B having the side surfaces and the cross sections shown in fig. 4A and 4B. Comparative example A, B in which horizontal ribs 13 and 13 were omitted was prepared, and the following comparisons were made for example sample a and comparative example sample a, and example sample B and comparative example sample B, respectively.

500cc of hot water at 95 ℃ was poured into each of the samples A, A and B, B, and after 3 minutes, the upper part of the body of each sample was held by both hands to sensuously compare the outside surface temperatures. As a result, the example A, B has smaller deformation than the comparative examples a 'and B', has better heat insulation properties, and is easier to handle. The comparative example sample felt heat as strongly as if it held the carcass tightly.

According to the above heat insulating container 10, the shape is a shape of a large sea bowl having an outer diameter of an opening portion larger than a height, which is formed by using a paperboard blank having substantially the same specification as that of the conventional art, and the inner volume is larger than that of the conventional cup-shaped container, but deformation of the container can be reduced even when hot water is filled, and excellent heat insulating properties can be obtained.

Therefore, hot water cooking or microwave oven cooking is performed for each container, and various foods can be provided to dining places as wide-mouth tableware replacing large sea bowls or bowls, so that the dining places are enjoyable and easy to eat, and barrier-free commodities can be provided for general consumers, especially elderly people or physically handicapped people and children.

The heat insulating container 10 has no unevenness on the outer wall of the trunk portion, has good appearance and printing freedom, and can realize a good sales promotion effect at a store in combination with the printing effect on a wide-mouth lid member.

No suspicious substances such as environmental hormones, etc., which are found in expanded polystyrene used in the conventional heat insulating container, are precipitated from the polyolefin-based resin layer on the inner surface of the heat insulating container 10. The gap between the cup body 10A and the sleeve 10B is buried in the end portion 8 of the bottom surface of the inward curl portion 16, so that it is possible to prevent garbage or foreign matter from entering the trunk portion or absorbing liquid from the end surface of the sheet, and to prevent dirt from the bottom. Thus, safety and reliability with respect to hygiene can be improved.

Since a cardboard blank having substantially the same specifications as those of the prior art can be used even when the internal capacity is increased, the increase in cost can be suppressed in terms of material cost and production, and the heat insulating container can be provided at a reasonable economical cost.

The heat-insulating container 10 is discarded as a paper product after use and is easily reduced in volume, so that the waste disposal property is good and the heat-insulating container can be recycled, thereby contributing to reduction of environmental load.

Fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C show an insulated container according to example 3 of the present invention, and fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C show a side view on the right side and a cross-section on the left side of the center line, respectively.

The heat insulating container 20 shown in fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C is formed by combining a paper sleeve 20A having an inverted truncated cone shape and a cup main body 20B. The cup body 20B has a cylindrical trunk portion 31 and a bottom portion 32 wound and fixed to a lower portion of the trunk portion 31. An outward curl portion 33 is formed at an upper opening edge of the trunk portion 31, and a horizontal rib 34 protruding outward and a horizontal rib 35 protruding inward are formed on the trunk portion 31. An insulating space is formed between the inner surface of the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A and the outer surface of the trunk 31 of the cup body 20B. The inner surface of the cup body 20A is coated with a polyolefin resin. A pair of grip pieces 23, 23 facing each other are provided on the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A. In fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C, only one side grip piece 23 is shown. The outer diameter of the upper end opening of the cup body 20B is set to be larger than the height of the container 20.

As shown in fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the heat insulation space of the heat insulation container 20 is formed by the outwardly protruding horizontal rib 34 provided at the trunk portion 31 of the cup body 20B and the inward curl 22 formed at the lower portion of the sleeve 20A. However, in the set state (state where the container is not held by hand but placed on a table), there is no need for the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A to contact the horizontal rib 34 projecting outward.

The horizontal rib 34 mainly serves to reinforce the trunk portion 31 of the cup body 20. The horizontal rib 35 serves as a mark line for indicating an appropriate amount of hot water to be poured into the cup body 20 while reinforcing the trunk portion 31.

Fig. 6 is an expanded view of a blank for manufacturing the sleeve 20A.

As shown in fig. 6, the blank 20A' of the sleeve 20A is a blank obtained by punching a cardboard sheet into a fan shape. The blank 20A' has a body portion attaching portion N formed at both left and right end portions thereof, and a curl forming portion C formed at a lower end portion thereof and having an inward curl portion 22. The portion other than the curl formed portion C is a portion forming the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A.

The trunk portion attaching portions N of the blank 20A' are bonded to each other to form a sleeve 20A having an inverted truncated cone shape. A pair of grip pieces 23, 23 partitioned by a fold line 25 and a slit line 24 are cut out from the blank 20A' and positioned to face each other when formed on the sleeve 20A. Also, fold lines 25 are provided along the arc of the blank 20A'.

Fig. 7A and 7B are enlarged views of the grip piece 23 on the blank member 20A'.

Fig. 7A is a diagram showing one mode of the grip piece 23. The gripping piece 23 is defined by a straight line-shaped folding line 25 connecting two points p1 and p2 on an arc parallel to the outer periphery of the blank 20A ', that is, an arc extending at a predetermined distance from the outer periphery of the blank 20A', or a curved line bent downward from the straight line, and a slit line 24 connecting both ends (p1 and p2) of the folding line 25 and bent downward from the folding line 25. Also, the grip tab 23 may be bent outward by a fold line 25.

A coupling portion 26 is formed midway on the slit line 24.

The connection portion 26 is for tying the grip sheet 23 to the side wall 21 until the blank 20A' is formed into the sleeve 20A and assembled to the cup body 20B, and then the grip sheet is used. The connecting portion 26 preferably has a width of about 0.3 to 1.0mm (in the case of a paper sheet having a thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 mm) so as to be breakable only by the force of the finger tip when the grip sheet is used. In general, when the sheet is slit and cut, cutting in the direction of the paper grain requires more force than cutting in the direction orthogonal to the paper grain. Therefore, when a plurality of coupling portions 26 are provided on one side of the slit line 24, it is preferable that the width of each coupling portion 26 is increased as the width direction of each coupling portion 26 is closer to the direction parallel to the paper grain direction indicated by the arrow in the figure. This makes it possible to make the cutting force of each connecting portion uniform.

The lower periphery of the grip piece 23 is formed with a notch 27. The cutout 27 is used to pull up the grip piece 23 when forming the grip piece 23. The size of the incision 27 is such that a user's fingertip or fingernail can enter. The notch 27 is preferably located at the lowermost portion of the grasping piece 23.

Fig. 7B shows another way of grasping the sheet. In this embodiment, instead of the slit 27, a small fold line 25 is provided on the lower periphery of the grip piece 23. With this configuration, the lower portion of the grip piece 23 can be easily bent along the small folding line, and the entire grip piece 23 can be pulled out by using the bent portion as a grip piece.

As shown in fig. 7B, a rounded corner 24a that draws an arc as returning to the lower portion of the grip piece 23 is preferably provided at the end of the slit line 24. Since the direction in which the end portion of the cut line 24 extends is close to the direction parallel to the paper pattern, the blank 20A' may be torn upward from the final ends p1, p2 of the cut line 24 when the grasping piece 23 is pulled out, and this possibility can be eliminated by adding the rounded portion 24 a.

The above fold lines 25, small fold lines 25 ', cut lines 24, links 26, and cuts 27 may all be formed simultaneously with the blanking of the blank 20A'. Therefore, the processing of these elements does not become a factor of increasing the manufacturing cost of the heat insulating container 20.

Most of the area of the blank 20A 'is printed before the processing of the blank 20A' and functions as an information medium, but the processing of the above gripping piece 23 does not greatly hinder the printing effect or the appearance effect.

Fig. 8A and 8B show the use state of the above-described heat-insulating container 20 with a grip sheet.

FIG. 8A is a side view showing a state where the grip piece 23 of the heat-insulated container 20 with a grip piece of the present invention is lifted;

as shown in fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the grip piece 23 is provided on the inverted conical curved surface with the fold line 25 positioned on the upper side. Here, if a double container is assumed in which there is no space between the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A and the trunk portion 31 of the cup body 20B, it takes much effort to pull up the grip piece 23 from the lowermost portion, and wrinkles may be generated in the pulled-up grip piece 23. When a sheet having a low tear strength is used for the sleeve 20A, the sheet is easily torn at both ends of the fold line 25.

However, in the case of the heat insulating container 20 with a gripping piece shown in fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C, since there is a space between the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A and the trunk portion 31 of the cup body 20B, when the gripping piece 23 is pulled out, the side wall 21 in the center portion of the folding line 25 can be deformed in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 8A, and the gripping piece 23 can be easily pulled up with a small force. The folding line 25 is preferably bent slightly below a line connecting two horizontal points p1 and p2 of the inverted conical surface by the shortest distance, in terms of ease of opening. For example, in the case of a folding line having a length of 50mm, it is preferable that the central portion of the folding line is bent downward by about 0.5 to 2.0 mm.

When the grip piece 23 is pulled up along the fold line 25, the side wall 21 is deformed as described above, and the grip piece 23 is slightly lifted up in the right and left directions to be folded and deformed, and as a result, the grip piece 23 is held at a position substantially perpendicular to the side wall 21 as shown in fig. 8A. When the grip piece 23 is pressed, the original state (the state substantially flush with the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A) can be returned.

Fig. 8B is a perspective view showing a state just before heat modulation of the heat-insulated container 20 with a grip sheet.

The insulated container 20 may be conveniently used for both hot water brewing and microwave heating. In the case of the grip piece 23 shown in fig. 7A, before the heating preparation, the finger tip or the nail is inserted into the incision 27 and the grip piece 23 is lifted upward. In the case of the grip piece 23 shown in fig. 7B, before the heating preparation, the tip end portion of the grip piece 23 is folded back by the small folding line 25' to form a grip piece, and the grip piece 23 is lifted upward by being pinched by fingers. Thus, as shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the raised grip piece 23 may be held substantially horizontally and heated and conditioned in this state.

In addition, in the case of hot water brewing heating, after the cover member L is opened once and hot water is injected, the cover member L is closed again and left for 3-4 minutes. In the case of microwave oven cooking, the lid L may be slightly opened and heated for cooking.

After the preparation, the holding piece 23 is held by both hands, whereby the heated and prepared food can be safely carried to a predetermined position for each container without feeling heat.

In the case of a general sea bowl-shaped container, it is necessary to carry the container by putting fingers on the edge thereof, and in this case, there is a hygienic problem that the fingers touch food. This problem is also solved in the case of carrying with the grip piece 23.

Further, the grip sheet 23 may be embossed in advance or may be partially coated with an anti-slip agent to prevent slippage of the grip sheet 23.

In the above heat insulating container 20, a seagoing bowl-shaped paper heat insulating container having an outer diameter of an opening of 120 to 200mm phi can be provided by using the same material as that used for the conventional paper heat insulating container. The inner volume is suitable for a heat-insulating container with a filling volume of 600-1500 cc.

The paperboard blank used for forming the heat insulating container 20 can be a blank having a flat weight almost equal to that of the conventional one even when the internal volume is increased.

Generally, a polyolefin resin layer such as a low-density polyethylene resin, a medium-density polyethylene resin, a high-density polyethylene resin, or a linear low-density polyethylene resin is extrusion-coated and formed on the inner surface of the cup base paper in the range of 20 to 80 μm.

The polyolefin resin layer can prevent penetration of contents into the cardboard, and improve the content protection property, and also has effects of improving the cup formability of the bottom part, the curl part, and the trunk part attachment part, and improving the sealing property by the hot-press seam of the lid member (not shown) at the top curl part.

The base paper of the cup body 20B has a plateau weight of 190-450 g/m²Left and right.

On the other hand, in the molding of the sleeve 20A, the plateau weight of 230 to 450g/m can be used²Cardboard such as card and coated paper. If the plateau weight is less than this limit, the rigidity of the sleeve 20A is insufficient, and the sleeve may be bent too much when the heat is high, and the required heat insulation properties may not be obtained. When the plateau weight exceeds the above limit, although the rigidity is increased, the workability of the inward curl portion 22 is deteriorated, and the material cost is undesirably increased.

The surface finish of the sleeve 20A is sufficient for the conventional heat insulating container, but in the case of the heat insulating container 20 with a grip sheet, it is preferable to make it tear-resistant by surface finish because the grip sheet 23 is attached. Further, the food contained in the heat-insulating container with a grip piece of the present invention is preferably water-resistant when it is circulated in a cooled or frozen state.

Therefore, the following laminate structure can be provided in order from the surface.

PE30 mu m/paper 270g/m²

PE20 mu m/paper 270g/m²/PE20μm

OPP30 μm/PE15 μm/paper 270g/m²

PET12 μm/PE15 μm/paper 270g/m²

OPP30 μm/PE15 μm/paper 270g/m²/PE15μm

PET12 μm/PE15 μm/paper 270g/m²/PE15μm

In addition, water-resistant double coated paper having water resistance imparted thereto at the paper making stage may also be used. The sheet paper before punching the blank 20A' can be preprinted, the printing freedom of the surface of the sleeve 20A is high, and not only the known printing such as the offset printing, the gravure printing, the flexographic printing, etc. can be freely performed, but also various post-printing processes such as the glossing, the bronzing, the embossing, etc. can be freely performed. In addition, although the processing of the gripping piece 23 is performed after printing, the processing does not affect the flatness, and the printed decorative effect and the information medium function can be maintained as they are.

In the heat insulating container 20 of fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C, since a natural resin is further selected from the polyolefin-based resins for the inner surface coating, the feeling of reassurance is provided as in the heat insulating container 10 of example 1 or 2.

The insulated container 20 with the grip sheet of fig. 5A, 5B, and 5C can be manufactured in the same procedure as the insulated container 10 of example 1 or 2. However, when the paperboard, which is the material of the sleeve 20A, is punched out in a fan shape, the blank 20A' needs to be produced by processing the grip piece 23 at the same time.

Fig. 9 shows dimensions of a sample of the embodiment of the insulated container 20 with gripping tab of fig. 5A, 5B, 5C. The detailed specifications are as follows. In addition, a comparative example having the same specifications except that the grip piece 23 was not formed was prepared.

Examples samples

Specification of cup body 20B

Content amount: 804.2cc (when full)

500.0cc (when filled to 22.5mm from the top)

Opening outer diameter: 143.5mm phi

Opening inner diameter: 135.0mm phi

Outer diameter of the base plate: 113.8mm phi

Height: 72.1mm

Number of horizontal ribs: 2

Upper section width of horizontal rib: 2mm

The lower section is wide: 6mm

The blank comprises the following components: PE (polyethylene) 25 mu m/cup base paper 280g/m²

Specification of the sleeve 20A

Inner curl portion outer diameter: 119.4mm

Inward curl thickness: 2.6mm

Inner diameter of upper end part: 135.0mm

The blank comprises the following components: PE20 mu m/coated paper 270g/m²/PE20μm

Specification of grasping sheet

Length of the fold line: 50mm

Bending degree of the fold line: the distance between the shortest straight line connecting both ends of the fold line and the center of the fold line is 1mm

The example sample and the comparative example sample, in which the grip sheet 23 was pulled up in advance, were injected with 500cc of hot water of 95 deg.C, respectively. As a result of sensuously comparing the case where the grip piece 23 of the example sample was held with both hands from both sides after 3 minutes with the case where the upper part of the trunk of the comparative sample was held with both hands, the example sample was very easy to hold and was handled safely as compared with the comparative sample.

The heat-insulating container with a gripping sheet according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, the insulating space between the cup body 20B and the sleeve 20A is not limited to being defined by the inward curl 22 of the sleeve 20A and the horizontal ribs 34 of the cup body 20B. A heat insulating member may be attached between the trunk portion 31 of the cup body 20B and the side wall 21 of the liner 20A. However, it is preferable that the grip piece 23 has a free space in the upper portion.

According to the heat insulating container 20 with a grip piece of the present invention, since the two grip pieces 23 are provided at the positions facing the side wall 21 of the sleeve 20A as the outer package of the container, even if the inner volume is large and the shape is, for example, a sea bowl shape or a pot shape, the heat is not so felt after hot water preparation or microwave oven heating preparation, and therefore the container can be easily handled. Therefore, various prepared foods can be safely and hygienically provided to dining places, and can be easily enjoyed. This effect can provide barrier-free commodities to, inter alia, elderly persons, physically handicapped persons, children, and the like.

The heat insulating container 20 of the present invention has no unevenness on the outer wall of the trunk portion, has high printing freedom, can perform beautiful and fine printing, can be used as a good printing medium, can combine with the printing effect of the lid member in the case of a wide-mouth container, and can exert a good sales promotion effect in a shop.

The polyolefin resin layer on the inner surface of the heat insulating container 20 with a grip sheet of the present invention can provide a feeling of reassurance in terms of hygiene without causing precipitation of a suspicious substance such as an environmental hormone which is visible in expanded polystyrene used in the conventional heat insulating container.

The cost increase due to the provision of the gripping sheet 23 is almost insignificant and the insulated container can be provided at a reasonable economic cost.

The heat-insulating container of the present invention is excellent in disposability because it is easily reduced in volume when discarded as a paper product after use, and is recyclable, thereby contributing to reduction in environmental load.

Fig. 10 shows a paper cup as a heat-insulated container according to example 4 of the present invention, and fig. 11 schematically shows a manufacturing process of the paper cup.

As shown in fig. 10, the paper cup 41 is assembled by a paper cup body 42 as a container body and a sleeve 43 covering the outer periphery thereof. The cup main body 42 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape, and has a trunk portion (side wall) 42a and a bottom portion 42 b. The bottom portion 42b is formed by drawing and bending the outer peripheral end thereof downward in fig. 10, so that the cross-sectional shape of the bottom portion 42b in fig. 10 is substantially open downwardA font. The trunk portion 42a is wrapped around the bent portion of the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion 42b from the outside and bonded. Thus, a string tail 42f of the cup main body 42 is formed.

A curled portion 42c curled outward is provided at the mouth of the cup body 42. Ribs 42d and 42e are provided around the body 42a of the cup body 42. The rib 42d projects inward of the body portion 42a, and the rib 42e projects outward of the body portion 42 a. The cup main body 42 is reinforced by these ribs 42d, 42 e. The upper rib 42d also serves as a mark line for indicating the proper amount of the injectate (e.g., hot water) in the cup body 42. The lower rib 42e is larger than the rib 42 d. The projecting amounts of the ribs 42d and 42e are preferably set so as not to contact the inner surface of the sleeve 43.

The rib 42d may protrude outward of the cup main body 42, and the rib 42e may protrude inward of the cup main body 42.

The cup body 42 is made of a material having a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²The paper (e.g., paper having a thickness of 0.3 to 0.34 mm). At least the inner face of the cup main body 42 is covered with a coating layer (e.g., a polyethylene layer) for improving heat resistance or water resistance. Further, as in the above-described examples, it is preferable to further select a natural resin from the polyolefin-based resins for the coating layer of the cup main body 42.

The sleeve 43 is provided to improve the heat insulation of the cup body. As shown in fig. 10, a curled portion 43a curled inward is formed at the lower end of the sleeve 43. The upper end portion 43b of the sleeve 43 is bonded to the trunk portion 42a of the cup body 42, and the curl portion 43a faces the side surface of the string tail 42f of the cup body 42. The curled portion 43a functions as a spacer for separating the sleeve 43 from the cup main body 42, so that a space functioning as a heat insulating layer can be secured between the trunk portion 42a of the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43. The sleeve 43 is made of a material having a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²The paper of (1). Since the sleeve 43 does not come into contact with hot water or water, a coating layer such as the cup body 42 may be omitted.

As shown in fig. 11, after the trunk portion 42a and the bottom portion 42b are bonded, a rib 42d and a rib 42e are formed to form the cup main body 42. The opposite end portions 43c, 43c of the fan-shaped blank 43' are bonded, and an inward curled portion 43a is formed at the lower end to form the sleeve 43. Next, an adhesive is sprayed onto a predetermined adhesion range (hatched area in fig. 11) BD set below the curl portion 42c of the cup main body 42, the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled, and the upper end portion 43B of the sleeve 43 and the trunk portion 42a of the cup main body 42 are adhered to each other to form the paper cup 41 (the adhesion range BD is shown in fig. 16A and 16B).

When the rib 42d bulges outward in the radial direction of the cup main body 42, the adhesion range BD is set so as not to involve the rib 42 d.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing the periphery of the curled portion 43A of the sleeve 43, and fig. 13A, 13B, 13C and 14A, 14B, 14C are sectional views illustrating the shape of the curled portion 43A. Fig. 12 to 14C show vertical cross sections of the cup main body 42 with the center line CL set to the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 12, the lower end of the string tail 42f, i.e., the lower end of the cup main body 42, protrudes below the lower end of the curled portion 43a, i.e., the lower end of the sleeve 43. Therefore, when the paper cup 41 is placed on a table or the like, the cup main body 42 containing the contents is in direct contact with the table or the like. The end 42f of the cup main body 42 is strong, and the flatness (height uniformity) of the lower end thereof is good. The paper cup 41 is thus very stable. In addition, "a" in fig. 12 shows the amount of projection of the cup main body 42 from the curled portion 43 a.

On the other hand, if the lower end of the curl portion 43a is brought into contact with a desk or the like, the flatness of the lower end of the curl portion 43a is inferior to the line tail 42f, and the sleeve 43 supports the cup body 42, so that the sleeve 43 is deformed, and the stability of the paper cup 41 is deteriorated.

The lower end of the tail 42f preferably protrudes by 0.01 to 0.05mm from the lower end of the curl portion 43 a. Within this range, the protrusion of the cup body 42 is not visually noticeable, and the string tail 42f reliably contacts a table or the like, so that the paper cup 41 can be stabilized.

Further, the structure in which the lower end of the container body is projected below the lower end of the sleeve can be applied to a heat insulating container in which an inward curled portion is not formed on the sleeve or a tail is not formed on the cup body.

As shown in fig. 12, the outer peripheral position of the lower end of the string tail 42f is closer to the center line CL of the cup body 42 than the portion of the curled portion 43a closest to the center line CL of the cup body 42 (the end portion on the inner peripheral side of the curled portion 43 a). "B" in fig. 12 indicates the amount of displacement in the radial direction of the cup main body 42 between the lower end of the outer periphery of the string tail 42f and the curled portion 43 a. By setting the displacement amount within the range of 0.01 to 1mm, the deformation of the paper cup 41 can be suppressed while ensuring the smooth assembly. Further, a gap is formed between a portion of the curl portion 43a closest to the center line CL of the cup main body 42 and a side surface of the line tail 42f facing the portion. By setting the gap (D in fig. 12) to a range of 0.01 to 1mm, the deformation of the paper cup 41 can be suppressed while ensuring the smooth assembly.

In fig. 12 and 13A, 13B, and 13C, "X" represents a direction of a vertical axis (a direction equal to a center line of the cup main body 42), and "Y" represents a direction indicated by a tip of the paper wound around the curl portion 43A (a direction in which the tip of the curl portion 43A extends). As shown in fig. 12, in the curl portion 43a, the leading end of the paper is wound until the leading end of the wound paper faces upward beyond the vertical direction, and a state of turning clockwise is formed. Therefore, when the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled, the thread tail 42f is less likely to be caught by the leading end of the paper of the curled portion 43a, and the both can be assembled smoothly.

In contrast, in fig. 13A, the direction in which the leading end of the paper is not wound up reaches the vertically upward direction. In this way, when the curled portion 43a is opened upward without the leading end of the paper reaching the vertically upward direction, the thread tail 42f is caught by the curled portion 43a when the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled, and the curled portion 43a is easily pushed open, which is not preferable.

Fig. 13B shows an example of a state where the paper is wound such that the leading end thereof turns clockwise beyond the vertical direction, and the tail 42f is less likely to be caught by the curl portion 43 a. Fig. 12 shows a state in which the leading end of the paper in the curl portion 43a is further wound clockwise from the state in fig. 13B, and the tail 42f is less likely to be caught in the curl portion 43 a.

In fig. 13C, the paper edge of the curl portion 43a is not oriented in the vertically upward direction, but is positioned further outward in the container than the portion of the curl portion 43a closest to the center line CL of the cup main body 42. In fig. 13C, "P" represents a vertical line of the curled portion 43a contacting the inner peripheral surface, that is, a position in the horizontal direction where the curled portion 43a is closest to the center line CL of the cup main body 42.

As described above, the tail 42f is less likely to be caught by the curled portion 43a as long as the condition that the tip of the paper is positioned in the outer direction of the container than the portion of the curled portion 43a closest to the center line CL of the cup body 42 is satisfied. Fig. 12 and 13B both show the case where the above conditions are satisfied. On the other hand, in fig. 13A, the leading end of the paper is closest to the center line CL of the cup main body 42, and therefore the above condition is not satisfied. In this case, the tail 42f is easily caught by the curled portion 43 a.

Further, by setting the gap between the leading end of the paper wound around the curled portion 43a and the inner wall surface of the sleeve 43 to be less than 1mm, the tail 42f is less likely to be caught by the curled portion 43a when the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled. Further, by making the gap smaller than the thickness of the wire tail 42f, the possibility that the wire tail 42f enters the inside of the curled portion 43a from the gap and presses the curled portion 43a open at the time of assembly is significantly reduced. Fig. 14A, 14B, and 14C show the cases where the gaps are C1, C2, and C3(C1 > C2 > C3), respectively, and C2 in fig. 14B matches the thickness of the tail 42 f. Fig. 14C corresponds to the curled portion 43a of fig. 12.

Fig. 15A is a sectional view showing the vicinity of the wire tail 42 f. As shown in fig. 15A, the string tail 42f is poured into the container so as to be closer to the inside of the container than an extension line R of the outer wall surface of the trunk portion 42a above the string tail 42 f. By inclining the wire tail 42f to the inside of the container in this way, the wire tail 42f is less likely to be caught by the curled portion 43a when the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled.

As shown in fig. 15A, a front end burr 42g at the tail end 42f protrudes toward the inside of the container. In the manufacturing process of the cup body 42, the curled portion 42c is formed after the wire tail 42f is formed, but in the forming process of the curled portion 42c, the wire tail 42f is strongly pressed against the mold abutment member in order to fix the cup body 42, and therefore, burrs are inevitably generated at the tip end portion of the wire tail 42 f. However, as shown in fig. 15A, the burr is formed so as to protrude toward the inside of the container, and the burr protruding toward the outside of the container is not generated, whereby the tail 42f is further less likely to be caught by the curled portion 43 a.

In fig. 15B, the tail extends along the extension line R of the trunk portion (side wall), and the burr 42h protrudes outside the container. This shape corresponds to a normal paper cup, but when the cup body 42 is formed into such a shape, the burr 42h protrudes outside the extension line R, and therefore the tail of the line is likely to be caught by the curled portion 43 a.

In order to form the string tail 42f to be poured into the container, the bottom portion 42b and the trunk portion 42a may be bonded to each other while applying a pressure to press the string tail 42f to the container inner side when the bottom portion 42b and the trunk portion 42a are overlapped to form the string tail 42 f. For example, in the case of bonding with an emboss roller, the receiving surface of the receiving member for receiving the wire tail 42f from the outside may be inclined toward the inside of the container, and the side surface of the rotating body for pressing the wire tail 42f from the inside may be tapered to fit the receiving member. When the tail 42f is inclined inward in advance, the burr generated at the tip of the tail 42f protrudes inward in the subsequent step, for example, in the step of forming the curl portion 42c, and therefore the tail 42f having the shape shown in fig. 15A can be finally formed.

After the wire tail is formed, the wire tail may be processed into the shape shown in fig. 15A by applying pressure to the wire tail before the curled portion 42c is formed, or the cup main body 42 may be fixed by using a mold member having a shape in which the tip end of the wire tail is drawn inward when the curled portion 42c is formed. In the latter case, the entire tail or the leading end portion of the tail may be poured inward while forming the curled portion 42 c.

Fig. 16A is a vertical sectional view showing a bonded portion of the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 in a case where the center line CL of the cup main body 42 is placed in the vertical direction. As shown in fig. 16A, the trunk portion 42a is formed by bending, and a portion facing the adhesion range BD is inclined toward the inside of the container with respect to an extended line (straight line "S" in fig. 16A) of a portion below the portion. Thus, the direction of the trunk portion 42a in the adhesion range BD coincides with the direction of the sleeve 43, and both are in good close contact with each other, so that sufficient adhesion strength can be obtained. In addition, a straight line "T" in fig. 16A indicates the direction of the trunk portion 42a in the adhesion range BD. Instead of bending the body portion 42a, the sleeve 43 may be bent to be in close contact with the body portion 42a as shown in the vertical sectional view of fig. 16B.

In fig. 16A, a straight line "U" indicates a horizontal plane passing through the lower end of the curled portion 42c, a straight line "V" indicates a horizontal plane passing through the upper end of the bonding range BD, and a straight line "W" indicates a horizontal plane passing through the lower end of the bonding range BD. Here, sufficient bonding strength is obtained by setting the width of the bonding range BD in the vertical direction, i.e., the distance between the straight line "V" and the straight line "W" in fig. 16A, to 3mm or more. Further, the distance between the upper end of the adhesion range BD and the lower end of the curled portion 42c, i.e., the distance between the straight line "V" and the straight line "U" in fig. 16A is 1mm or more, so that the adhesive does not adhere to the curled portion 42c, which is a portion that the user contacts with the mouth. The upper end of the adhesion range BD indicated by the straight line "V" is located below the upper end 43c of the sleeve. Thus, the adhesive does not flow out from the upper end 43c side of the sleeve 43.

When the paper cup 41 is manufactured in the process shown in fig. 11, the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are formed in advance, and the two are bonded to each other through the bonding range BD, so that the difference between the outer diameter (the portion indicated by "E" in fig. 10) of the cup main body 42 immediately below the curl portion 42c and the inner diameter of the sleeve 43 at the portion is in the range of-0.1 to +0.5 mm. By adopting such a dimensional relationship, a sufficient adhesive force can be secured in the adhesion range BD, and wrinkles are not generated in the trunk portion 42a of the cup main body 42.

As shown in fig. 17, the curled portion 43a of the sleeve 43 may be opposed to the trunk portion 42a above the tail 42 f. In this case, the gap (D') between the curl portion 43a and the body portion 42a is set to be in the range of 0.01 to 1mm, so that the deformation of the paper cup 41 can be suppressed and the body portion 42a is not wrinkled.

In the paper cup 41 of the present embodiment, the radius of curvature of the paper forming the curl portion 43a (the radius of curvature of the cross section in fig. 12) is preferably in the range of 0.6 to 2.0 mm. By setting the range, the paper is not torn, and the tail 42f of the cup main body 42 is prevented from being caught by the curl portion 43a when the cup main body 42 and the sleeve 43 are assembled, and the assembly can be performed smoothly. The radius of curvature is more preferably 1.1 to 1.5 mm. Fig. 18A to 18D each show an example of the shape of the curled portion 43a in which the curvature radius is gradually reduced. Namely, R1 > R2 > R3 > R4. The shape of the curled portion 43a shown in fig. 12 corresponds to fig. 18D.

Fig. 19A and 19B are partially enlarged views of the fan-shaped blank 43'. Reference numeral 51 of fig. 19A denotes an overlapping area which is overlapped and bonded with the other end of the blank member 43', and reference numeral 52 denotes an area where the curl portion 43a is formed (see fig. 11). As shown in fig. 19A, the regions 51 and 52 overlap each other at the corners of the blank 43'. A cutout 53 is formed by cutting out a corner of the blank 43' in a straight line at the overlapping portion. The notch 53 is provided at the end portion disposed on the inner side of the container, out of the both ends of the bonded blank 43', so as to be inconspicuous in appearance.

As shown in fig. 19A, the region cut out by the cutout portion extends upward beyond the region 52 corresponding to the curl portion 43 a. As shown in fig. 19B, the overlapping area in the region 52 corresponding to the curl portion 43a is reduced by 50% or more by the notch portion 53. That is, in fig. 19B, reference numeral 54 denotes a region cut out by forming the cut-out portion 53 in the overlapping region where the region 52 before cutting and the region 51 overlap, and the region 54 occupies 50% or more of the entire overlapping region.

By providing such a cutout portion 53, a portion where the blank 43' overlaps can also be formed into a continuous curled shape, and the whole curled portion 43a can be formed into a good shape.

In the region 52 corresponding to the curl portion 43a, OP varnish (varnish) is applied on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 43. The OP varnish is applied by printing or the like on the printing surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 43 as a protective layer for the printing surface. For example, in the case of gravure printing, OP varnish or the like containing a cellulose resin as a main component is used, and in the case of offset printing, OP varnish or the like containing an acrylic resin as a main component is used. The thickness is about 2 to 3 μm in the case of gravure printing and about 1 μm in the case of offset printing.

The protective layer made of the OP varnish functions as a friction reducing layer for improving the sliding of the blank 43' when the curled portion 43a is formed, and therefore, the curled portion 43a can be easily formed by providing the protective layer.

In the above embodiment, the OP varnish for protecting the printing surface is used as the friction reducing layer, but a friction reducing layer different from the protective layer of the printing layer may be separately provided in the region 52. In the case where a protective layer of a printed layer is not formed, a friction reducing layer may be formed in the region 52. The friction reducing layer may be provided on the inner surface (surface facing the center of the container) of the sleeve 43, or may be formed on both the inner surface and the outer surface.

In fig. 10, the paper cup 41 is shown as a cup shape in which the outer diameter of the opening is smaller than the height, but the paper cup 41 may be formed into a large bowl or a bowl shape in which the outer diameter of the opening is larger than the height, as in the above-described embodiments 1 to 3. Gripping tabs may also be provided on the sleeve 43.

Fig. 20 shows a paper cup as a heat-insulated container according to example 5 of the present invention, and fig. 21 shows a schematic procedure for producing the paper cup.

As shown in these figures, the paper cup 61 is composed of a paper cup body 62 as a container body and a sleeve 63 covering the outer periphery thereof. The cup main body 62 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape, and has a trunk portion (side wall) 62a and a bottom portion 62 b. A curled portion 62c is formed outwardly of the mouth of the cup body 62. After the curled portion 62c is formed, ribs 62d and 62e are formed on the trunk portion 62a so as to bulge inward or outward in the radial direction of the cup body 62. The rib 62d is provided as a mark line indicating an appropriate amount of the injectate (e.g., hot water) in the cup main body 62. And the rib 62e serves to reinforce the cup main body 62. The rib 62e is larger than the rib 62 d. The ribs 62d and 62e preferably do not contact the inner surface of the sleeve 63. The cup body 62 is made of a material having a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²At least the inner surface of the paper (2) is covered with a coating layer (e.g., a polyethylene layer) for improving heat resistance and water resistance. The rib 62d may protrude outward of the cup body 62, and the rib 62e may protrude inward of the cup body 62.

The sleeve 63 is provided to improve the heat insulation of the cup body. As shown in fig. 21, the sleeve 63 is formed by bonding both end portions 63c, 63c of a fan-shaped blank 63' and forming an inward curled portion 63a at the lower end. Then, the adhesive 64 is applied to a predetermined adhesion range (hatched area in fig. 21) BD set just below the curl portion 62c of the cup main body 62, the cup main body 62 and the sleeve 63 are assembled, and the upper end portion 63b of the sleeve 63 and the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62 are adhered to each other to form the paper cup 61. In addition, the rib 62d faces the cupWhen the main body 62 bulges outward in the radial direction, the adhesion range BD is set so as not to include the rib 62 d. The sleeve 63 is made of a material having a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²The paper of (1). When the sleeve 63 does not come into contact with hot water or water, it is not necessary to provide the sleeve 63 with a coating layer such as the cup main body 62.

As shown in fig. 22, the cross-sectional shape of the curled portion 62c is a shape obtained by crushing a perfect circle in the axial direction of the cup main body 62 (vertical direction in fig. 22), in other words, a flat shape in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the cup main body 62, and a thin curve 62f is generated at the outer peripheral end thereof. When the thickness of the cup main body 62 is t, the height a of the curled portion 62c in the axial direction and the width B in the direction perpendicular thereto have the relationship of the following equation (1).

2t＜A＜B …(1)

That is, the height a of the curled portion 62c is greater than 2 times the thickness t of the cup main body 62 and smaller than the width B of the curled portion 62 c. In this way, if the curl portion 62C is formed in a flat shape, when the film-like cover member 66 is attached to the curl portion 62C, the width C of the joint between the curl portion 62C and the cover member 66 by the adhesive 65 can be increased, and the cover member 66 can be reliably joined with a predetermined strength. The appropriate range of the joining strength differs depending on the type of article contained in the cup main body 62. For example, when the lid member 66 is removed after a certain time by injecting hot water into the cup main body 62 in a state where the lid member 66 is partially peeled off as in the case of the instant noodles, the bonding strength can be set so that the force for peeling off the lid member 66 is 400 to 900gf/15 mm.

In fig. 20, the paper cup 61 is illustrated as a sea bowl shape having an opening with an outer diameter larger than its height, but the paper cup may be configured as a cup-shaped heat-insulating container having an opening with an outer diameter smaller than its height. A trademark or the like is printed on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 63, and the printing may be performed at the stage of the blank 63'. The side on which printing is performed will be referred to as the front side of the blank 63' and the side opposite thereto will be referred to as the back side.

Fig. 23 to 25 show apparatus diagrams for manufacturing the sleeve 63, fig. 23 is a plan view, fig. 24 is a side view seen from the direction XXIV of fig. 23, and fig. 25 is an enlarged view of the portion XXV of fig. 23. As shown in these figures, the manufacturing apparatus 1010 includes a frame 1011 and a driving apparatus 1012 provided on the floor of a factory. The driving unit 1012 distributes the rotation of the motor 1120 as a driving source to each part of the manufacturing apparatus 1010 by a known transmission element such as a chain or a gear. A turntable 1013 is provided on an upper portion of the frame 1011, and the turntable 1013 is rotatable about a rotation axis 1130 in a vertical direction. Around the outer periphery of the turret 1013, 8 mandrels 1014 … 1014 for winding the blank 63' are mounted at equal intervals (45 °) in the rotation direction of the turret 1013.

As shown in fig. 26, the mandrel 1014 has a trunk portion 1140, and the trunk portion 1140 has a conical outer peripheral surface with a diameter decreasing toward the tip. The center line of the trunk 1140 is directed in the radial direction of the turntable 1013. The trunk 1140 is changed depending on the size of the sleeve 63, but its total length is shorter than the height of the sleeve 63 in the axial direction. The center axis 1130 of the turntable 1013 is connected to a driving device 1012 by an intermittent driving mechanism 1015. The intermittent drive mechanism 1015 converts the continuous rotational motion introduced from the drive unit 1012 into an intermittent rotational motion of the turntable 1013. As such an intermittent drive mechanism 1015, a known mechanism such as a martensitic intermittent mechanism can be used.

The turntable 1013 is driven by the intermittent drive mechanism 1015 to intermittently rotate in the direction of arrow F in fig. 25 at a rate of 45 °. In this way, the same number of stations ST … ST as the number of spindles 1014 are defined around the turntable 1013 as the stop positions of the spindles 1014. Around the rotary table 1013, a winding device 1030, a supplementary pressure sealing device 1050, a curl preparation device 1060, curl processing devices 1070A, 1070B, 1070C, and a liner discharge device 1080 are provided in each station ST as devices necessary for manufacturing the liner 63. A blank supply device 1020 is provided on a side of the winding device 1030 (see fig. 23 and 24). A main press-sealing device 1040 is provided above the turntable 1013. The outline of each apparatus is as follows.

The blank supply device 1020 applies an adhesive to the one end portion 63c of the blank 63' and supplies the adhesive to the winding device 1030 one by one. The winding device 1030 winds the supply of blank 63' onto the mandrel 1014. The main press 1040 restricts the seam 63d (see fig. 21) of the sleeve 63 wound around the mandrel 1014 to promote bonding thereof. The auxiliary pressure sealing unit 1050 promotes adhesion by pressing a portion of the seam portion 63d protruding from the tip of the mandrel 1014. Curl preparation device 1060 is used to process curled portion 63a and applies a curling-promoting material (e.g., a silicon fluid) to an end of sleeve 63. The crimping devices 1070A, 1070B, and 1070C crimp the end of the sleeve 63 at the end of the shaft with the crimp portion 63 a. The sleeve ejector 1080 takes the completed sleeve 63 out of the carrier 1010 from the mandrel 1014.

Fig. 27 to 31 show details of the blank supply apparatus 1020. As shown in fig. 27 and 28, a blank holder 1021, a blank taking-out device 1022, a conveyor (first conveying device) 1023, and an adhesive application device 1024 are provided in the front half of the blank supply device 1020. As shown in fig. 30 and 31, a wheel device (reversing device, detouring device) 1025 and a blank feeding device (second conveying device) 1026 are provided in the rear half of the blank supply device 1020.

As shown in fig. 27 to 29, the blank holder 1021 has a base 1210 supported by the frame 1011 and a plurality of rods 1211 attached around the take-out port 1210a of the base 1210. The lower end of the rod 1211 is provided with an enlarged portion 1211a over which a plurality of blanks 63' are stacked with their surfaces (faces on which printing is performed) facing upward.

The blank takeout apparatus 1022 includes a suction mechanism 1220 disposed below the takeout port 1210a of the blank holder 1021, and an air cylinder 1221 for driving the suction mechanism 1220 up and down. The upper end of the suction mechanism 1220 has a plurality of suction cups 1222 … 1222. In operation of the device 1010, the air cylinder 1221 reciprocates up and down to drive the suction mechanism 1220 at a predetermined cycle. When the suction mechanism 1220 is raised, the suction pad 1222 is pressed against the lower surface of the blank 63 'at the lower end of the blank holder 1021, and in synchronization with this, the blank 63' is sucked by suction from the suction surface of the suction pad 1222 by a suction member not shown in the drawing through the suction pad 1222 by air suction. The attracted blank 63' moves over the enlarged portion 1211a of the rod 1211 as the attraction mechanism 1220 descends and onto the guide rails 1230, 1231 of the conveyor 1023. When the blank 63 'is taken out onto the guide rails 1230, 1231, the suction of the gas by the suction cup 1222 is stopped, and the suction cup 1222 is moved downward the blank 63'. By repeating this action, the blanks 63' are taken out one by one toward the conveyor 1023. In addition, since the suction cup 1222 is sucked to the back surface of the blank 63', the printing is not damaged.

The conveyor 1023 includes the guide rails 1230 and 1231 described above and a pair of chains 1233 and 1233 wound between the sprockets 1232a and 1232b and running parallel to the guide rail 1230. A plurality of claws 1234 … 1234 that engage the blank 63' are attached to each chain 1233 at predetermined intervals. The chains 1233 are continuously driven at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow F in fig. 27 by the rotational motion transmitted to the driving unit 1235 by the chains 1121 and the like of the driving device 1012. The blanks 63' thus removed onto the guide rails 1230, 1231 are conveyed at a certain speed towards the wheel unit 1025. As is clear from fig. 28, the blank 63' is conveyed with one end 63c thereof parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor 1023. As can be seen from fig. 23, the conveying direction of the conveyor 1023 is parallel to the center line CL of the mandrel 1014 conveyed to the winding device 1030 directly above.

As shown in fig. 27 and 28, the adhesive application device 1024 includes: a paste pan 1240 for storing an adhesive, an application roller 1241 for applying the adhesive with its lower portion immersed in the paste pan 1240, a pressing roller 1242 disposed to face the upper portion of the application roller 1241, and an air cylinder 1243 for driving the roller 1242 up and down. The application roller 1241 is driven by power transmitted from a driving portion 1235 of the conveyor 1023 via a chain 1244, a shaft 1245, a chain 1246, and the like, and rotates at a constant speed in synchronization with the conveyance of the blank 63' by the conveyor 1023.

When the one end portion 63c of the blank 63 conveyed by the chain 1233 moves from the conveying surface 1230a of the guide rail 1230 to the upper end of the roller 1241, the roller 1242 is pushed toward the roller 1241 by the air cylinder 1243, and the one end portion 63c of the blank 63' is nipped between the rollers 1241 and 1242. In this way, the adhesive stored in the paste pan 1240 is applied to the back side of the one end portion 63c of the blank 63' by the outer periphery of the application roller 1241. The adhesive coated blank 63' is transported by conveyor 1023 to wheel unit 1025.

As shown in fig. 30 and 31, the wheel unit 1025 includes: a wheel shaft 1250 supported by the frame 1011 and rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 1023; a pair of wheels 1251, 1251 are parallel to each other, are mounted on the wheel shaft 1250, and are rotatable integrally with the wheel shaft 1250. The wheel shaft 1250 is supported at substantially the same height as the conveyance surface 1230a of the blank 63' of the conveyor 1023. Slits 1252 … 1252 are formed circumferentially at a pitch in each wheel 1251 to receive the blanks 63'. The wheels 1251 are equal in diameter to each other, and the number of slits 1252 and the radial depth are also equal to each other. In other words, the distances from the center of the hub 1250 to the end of the inner peripheral side of each slit 1252 are all the same. The wheels 1251, 1251 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line CL of the mandrel 1014 fed to the winding device 1030 directly above, when the device 1010 is viewed from above.

As can be seen from fig. 31, the intermittent rotary motion taken out from the intermittent drive mechanism 1015 is input to one end of the hub 1250 via the chains 1253, 1254 and the worm mechanism 1255. The relationship between the rotation of the turntable 1013 and the rotation of the wheel 1252 is set such that when the turntable 1013 rotates by 45 °, the drive wheel 1252 rotates by a pitch angle of the slit 1252 in the arrow R direction of fig. 30 in synchronization with this.

Thus, at the end (right end in fig. 30) of the conveyor belt 1023, it is indexed: the empty slit 1252 becomes substantially horizontal every time the turntable 1013 rotates by a predetermined angle. The adhesive-coated blank 63' is carried into the indexed slit 1252. The blank 63' carried into the slit 1252 is gradually conveyed to the rear end side of the blank feeder 1023 by further rotation of the wheel 1251.

The blank 63 'having been carried by the wheel 1251 through approximately 180 ° about the wheel axis 1250 is pulled out of the slit 1252 by the blank feeder 1026 and fed to the winder 1030, at which stage the blank 63' is inverted so that its surface (printed surface) faces downward. The relationship between the blank member 63 'and the center line CL of the mandrel 1014 of the winding device 1030 is changed to the left-right symmetry of the blank member 63' with respect to the center line CL, compared to the position before the take-in wheel 1251. The reason is that: in the process in which the blank 63 ' rises as the wheel 1251 rotates, the blank 63 ' slides down the slit 1252, and the small-diameter-side end edge 63f (see fig. 21) of the blank 63 ' is supported by the inner circumferential-side end portions of the wheels 1251 and 1252. During the 180 ° conveyance by wheel 1251, the adhesive applied to end 63c of blank 63' is allowed to dry to a suitable degree. Therefore, the bonding strength of the seam portion 63d of the blank member 63' wound around the mandrel 1014 by the winding device 1030 is improved.

The winding device 1026 has: a pair of guide rails 1260, which receive the blank 63' conveyed by the wheel 1251; a pair of handle frames 1261, 1261 extending in parallel with the guide rails 1260; an air cylinder 1262 for driving the brackets 1261 up and down; a slider 1263 supporting the cylinder 1262; a linear guide 1264 for supporting the slider 1263 to be movable in parallel with the guide rail 1260. A cam groove 1263a extending vertically is formed in the slider 1263, and the cam groove 1263a is fitted to a cam follower 1265a attached to the cam 1265.

The cam 1265 is driven by a rotational motion transmitted from the driving unit 1012 through the chain 1122 or the like, and rotates in a constant direction at a constant speed. The rotation of the cam 1265 is converted into linear motion of the slider 1263 by the cam follower 1265a and the cam groove 1263a, and the handle 1261 reciprocates in a direction parallel to the guide rail 1260.

When the carriage 1261 advances toward the winding device 1030, the carriage 1261 is lifted by the air cylinder 1262, and the claw 1261a at the rear end (left end in fig. 30) of the carriage 1261 engages with the blank 63' caught by the guide rail 1260. Thus, as the carriage 1261 advances, the blank 63' is fed out of the wheel 1251. When the rack 1261 is returned to the wheel 1251 side, the carriage 1261 descends. In this way, pawl 1261a returns to the inner peripheral side of the next blank 63 'falling onto guide rail 1260 with the next rotation of wheel 1251 without interfering with that blank 63'.

When the rack 1261 is advanced again, the blank 63' taken out from the wheel 1251 by the claw 1261a is engaged with the claw 1261b at the front end thereof and is fed to a position right above the winding device 1030. At this time, the blank 63' comes into contact with a predetermined positioning reference surface (not shown), and is accurately positioned in the direction of the center line CL. In addition, the cycle of the reciprocating motion of the handle 1261 is equal to the cycle of the intermittent rotary motion of the turn table 1013. When the turret 1013 is rotated to feed the mandrel 1014 of the unwound sleeve 63 directly above the winding device 1030, the carriage 1261 advances to feed the blank 63' to the winding device 1030.

Fig. 32 shows details of the winding device 1030. The winding device 1030 includes: a base 1031 fixed to the frame 1011; a pair of arms 1032, 1032 rotatably mounted to the base 1031 by a shaft 1310; a drive mechanism 1033 for driving the arms 1032, 1032 around an axis 1310; a center press 1034 is mounted on the base 1031 coincident with the axis 1310. A winder 1320 is attached to the arm 1032, and the winder 1320 has an inner peripheral surface 1320a curved along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 1140 of the spindle 1014.

The drive mechanism 1033 has a horizontal drive shaft 1330. At the axial end of the drive shaft 1330a sprocket 1330a is provided, to which sprocket 1330a the continuous rotational movement of the drive 1012 is input by means of a chain 1126 (see fig. 24). The rotation of the introduction drive shaft 1330 is converted into reciprocating up-and-down motion of the push rods 1332, 1332 by the crank mechanisms 1331, 1331. Each push rod 1332 is guided only in the up-down direction by the guide 1311 of the base 1031.

The upper end of the push rod 1332 is coupled to the arm 1032 by a pin 1333, a link 1334, and a pin 1335. Thus, the arm 1032 swings in a certain cycle around the shaft 1310 as the push rod 1332 moves up and down. The period of the swinging motion of the arm 1032 is equal to the period of the intermittent rotating motion of the turntable 1013. The center pressing device 1034 has a pressing piece 1340 disposed opposite to the lower end of the mandrel 1014 and a cylinder 1341 which presses the pressing piece 1340 to the lower end of the mandrel 1014.

When the blank 63 'and mandrel 1014 are fed above the winding device 1030, the arm 1032 recedes below the blank 63', as shown in phantom. When the blank 63 'is fed, the pressing piece 1340 is pushed up by the air cylinder 1341, and the center of the blank 63' is pressed against the lower end of the spindle 1014. The arm 1032 then pivots toward the mandrel 1014, and the blank 63' is gently wound around the shank 1140 of the mandrel 1014. When the push rod 1332 is moved to the upper end of its range of movement, as shown in solid lines in fig. 32, the wrap 1320 of the arm 1032 substantially completely surrounds the outer periphery of the mandrel 1014 except for its upper end. Thus, the blank member 63' is substantially completely wound around the outer periphery of the body portion 1140. At this time, the end portions 63c, 63c of the blank member 63' are overlapped at the upper end of the mandrel 1014, forming a seam portion 63d (see fig. 21). The operation timings of the arms 1032, 1032 are slightly shifted, and the end 63c having the adhesive applied to the back surface is positioned outside the joint 63d than the opposite end 63 c.

Thereafter, the push rod 1332 is rotated and lowered to move the arm 1032 away from the spindle 1014, and at the same time, the pressing piece 1340 is pulled downward by the air cylinder 1341. In conjunction with this, the turret 1013 rotates to carry the next mandrel 1014 and blank 63' into the coiler 1030. Then, the push rod 1332 starts to rise again, and the blank 63' is wound up in the same manner as described above.

The seam 63d of the sleeve 63 formed on the mandrel 1014 by the winding device 1030 is pressed against the mandrel 1014 by the main press-seal device 1040.

As shown in fig. 26, the main press-sealing apparatus 1040 includes a cylinder 1041 disposed above the spindle 1014, and a trowel 1042 suspended from a movable portion 1410 of the cylinder 1041. The air cylinders 1041 and the trowels 1042 are provided one for one with respect to the spindles 1014, and the air cylinders 1041 are attached to the turret 1013 via support rods 1043. Accordingly, the air cylinder 1041 and the trowel 1042 suspended therefrom rotate integrally with the spindle 1014 in accordance with the driving of the turret 1013.

The movable portion 1410 of the cylinder 1041 is movable in the vertical direction. Trowel 1042 is inclined along the outer peripheral surface of mandrel 1014 for a length substantially equal to the full length of mandrel 1014. The trowel 1042 is heated by a built-in heater (not shown) to a temperature (for example, 100 °) suitable for promoting the adhesion of the seam portion 63 d.

When the blank member 63' is wound onto the mandrel 1014 by the winding device 1030, the trowel 1042 is held in a position spaced upward from the mandrel 1014 by the cylinder 1041. When the blank member 63' is wound onto the mandrel 1014 by the winding members 1320 of the winding device 1030, the trowel 1042 is pressed against the seam 63d by the air cylinder 1041 before these winding members 1320 leave the mandrel 1014. In this way, the joint 63d is heated and pressed, and adhesion with the adhesive is promoted. Heating and pressing of the seam 63d by the trowel 1042 continues until the mandrel 1014 reaches the sleeve ejector 1080 (see FIG. 25). When the mandrel 1014 is carried into the sleeve discharging device 1080, the trowel 1042 is pulled upward of the mandrel 1014 by the cylinder 1041.

A direction switching valve 1044 for switching the direction of supply of compressed air to the cylinders 1041 is provided on the upper portion of the strut 1043 in a one-to-one manner for each cylinder 1041. The directional switch valve 1044 houses a latching spool valve (not shown). The position of the spool valve is switched by selectively pressing in the press buttons 1440, 1441 protruding from both ends of the direction switching valve 1044. When the push button 1440 is pushed, the position of the direction switching valve 1044 is changed so that the cylinder 1041 is driven downward. When the push button 1441 is pushed in, the position of the direction switching valve 1044 is changed so that the cylinder 1041 is driven upward. A cylinder 1045 (see fig. 25) is provided near the winding device 1030, and the cylinder 1045 has a movable portion 1450 for pushing in the direction switching valve 1044. The cylinder 1045 is driven at the timing when the winding device 1030 winds the blank member 63' around the mandrel 1014, and the movable portion 1450 is pushed into the operating button 1440. Accordingly, the cylinder 1041 is driven downward, and the trowel 1042 is pressed against the joint 63d of the sleeve 63. As shown by the phantom lines in fig. 26, a lever 1046 for press-fitting the press button 1441 is provided near the ejector 1080. The front end of the rod 1046 has a slide 1460. When the spindle 1014 is carried into the discharging device 1080, the press button 1441 is pressed into contact with the slider 1460, and the trowel 1042 is pulled away from the spindle 1014 before the discharging operation of the sleeve 63 by the discharging device 1080.

Fig. 33A and 33B show the main part of the auxiliary pressure sealing device 1050. The auxiliary press-sealing device 1050 includes a pair of clamps 1051 and 1051 arranged vertically, and a reciprocating cylinder 1052 such as a cylinder for driving the clamps 1051 and 1051 to engage with and disengage from each other. The reciprocating cylinder 1052 and the chuck 1051 supported by the cylinder are driven by power supplied from the driving unit 1012 as follows.

First, when the turntable 1013 is stopped, the reciprocating cylinder 1052 is stopped at the position of fig. 33B, and at this time, the jigs 1051, 1051 are driven in the direction to approach each other by the reciprocating cylinder 1052. Thus, the portions of the joint 63d of the sleeve 63 including the protruding portions 63e from the mandrel 1014 are sandwiched by the jigs 1051, 1051. The jig 1051 is heated to an appropriate temperature (a high temperature higher than the heating temperature of the main press 1040) by a built-in heater (not shown). The bonding of the protruding portion of the joint 63d from the mandrel 1014 is promoted by the heating and pressing of the jig 1051.

When the turntable 1013 rotates, as shown in fig. 33A, the jigs 1051 are held in a direction away from each other by the reciprocating cylinder 1052. Then, the reciprocating cylinder 1052 is temporarily retracted outward in the radial direction of the turret 1013 by the power from the driving device 1012, and the next spindle 1014 is allowed to be carried in. When the rotation of the turntable 1013 is over half, the operation direction of the reciprocating cylinder 1052 is reversed, and the chuck 1051 advances toward the spindle 1014. When the rotation of the turntable 1013 is stopped, the reciprocating cylinder 1052 returns to the position of fig. 33B, and in synchronization with this, the reciprocating cylinder 1052 is driven to start sandwiching the seam 63d by the clamp 1051.

As shown in fig. 25, the curl preparation device 1060 has a stand 1061 opposite the mandrel 1014. The base 1061 is impregnated with a silicon liquid as a material for promoting the above-described curling. The base 1061 is driven in the radial direction of the turntable 1013 by power supplied from the driving device 1012. As the turret 1013 rotates, the table 1061 is separated from the sleeve 63 on the mandrel 1014. When the turret 1013 is stopped, the base 1061 is pressed against the projection 63e of the sleeve 63 to apply the silicon liquid.

As shown in fig. 34, the curling device 1070A includes a slider 1071 movable in the radial direction of the turntable 1013, and a processing mold 1073 attached to the slider 1071 on the side opposite to the turntable 1013 by a plurality of springs 1072 … 1072. The processing mold 1073 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 170 to 190 °) by a built-in heater (not shown). The slider 1071 is repeatedly driven in the radial direction by the power supplied from the driving device 1012 with the rotation of the turntable 1013. As the turret 1013 rotates, the tooling die 1073 exits the sleeve 63 on the mandrel 1014. When the turntable 1013 is stopped, the processing mold 1073 is pressed against the protruding portion 63e of the sleeve 63. The protruding portion 63e of the pressing sleeve 63 is gradually curled inward by the heating of the processing die 1073. Further, a groove 1730 for setting the curling direction of the protruding portion 63e is provided on the surface of the processing die 1073 facing the mandrel 1014.

Crimping devices 1070B and 1070C also have the same structure as crimping device 1070A. However, as the sleeve 63 is sequentially conveyed to the crimping devices 1070A, 1070B, and 1070C, the grooves 1730 of the devices 1070A, 1070B, and 1070C are different from each other in order to gradually form the curled portion 67 a. The temperature of the processing mold 1073 of the first processing device 1070A may be set higher than the temperature of the processing mold 1073 of the other processing devices 1070B and 1070C. In the processing apparatus 1070A, since the projecting portion 63e of the sleeve 63 is not yet curled, the processing resistance is large as compared with the other processing apparatuses 1070B and 1070C, and therefore, it is necessary to increase the heating amount to facilitate the processing, and in the processing apparatuses 1070B and 1070C having relatively small processing resistance, it is preferable to decrease the heating temperature to suppress the influence on the printing or the like of the sleeve 63.

At least one of the processing devices 1070A, 1070B, and 1070C may be configured such that the processing die 1073 is attached to an output shaft 1740 of the motor 1074 and rotated about the axis of the spindle 1014, as shown in fig. 35. In this case, heating of the processing mold 1073 may be omitted. When the processing mold 1073 of the processing device 1070A is configured as shown in fig. 35, there is an advantage that the curled portion 63a can be generated by bending without heating the protruding portion 63e of the sleeve 63. Then, if the processing die 1073 is rotated in the first processing device 1070A, the silicon liquid applied to the projecting portion 63e of the sleeve 63 by the preliminary device 1060 is uniformly distributed over the entire circumference of the projecting portion 63e by the rotation of the processing die 1073.

The sleeve 63 is completed by the treatment with the crimping device 1070C. The completed sleeve 63 is carried out by the manufacturing apparatus 1010 by the sleeve discharge apparatus 1080. As shown in fig. 36 and 37, the sleeve discharge device 1080 includes a roller mechanism 1081 and a transfer mechanism 1083, in which the roller mechanism 1081 presses the roller 1810 against the sleeve 63 on the spindle 1014 from below, the sleeve 63 is taken out to the side of the spindle 1014, and the transfer mechanism 1083 transfers the sleeve 63 taken out by the roller mechanism 1081 to the discharge conveyor 1082 in a state where the sleeve is inverted vertically.

The roller 1810 is driven by a motor 1811 to rotate counterclockwise (arrow CCW direction) in fig. 36 at a constant speed. Motor 1811 is mounted on lift 1812. The elevating platform 1812 is repeatedly driven in the vertical direction by the power supplied from the driving device 1012 along with the rotation of the rotary table 1013. As the turntable 1013 rotates, the lift table 1812 descends as shown by solid lines in fig. 36, and the rollers 1810 move away below the mandrel 1014. When the turret 1013 is stopped, the rollers 1810 are crimped onto the sleeve 63 on the mandrel 1014 (see phantom lines in fig. 36), whereby the sleeve 63 is scraped off the mandrel 1014 to the take-over mechanism 1083.

The relay mechanism 1083 has a drive shaft 1084 extending in a horizontal direction and a sleeve holder 1085 mounted on a shaft end 1840 of the drive shaft 1084. The structure of the sleeve holder 1085 is as follows: 4 sheets of plate material 1850 … 1850 are cross-shaped 2 by 2 to form two sets of crosses 1851, and the crosses 1851 are overlapped at appropriate intervals in the axial direction of the driving shaft 1084 by hollow stays 1852 3518584 1852 and fixed to the driving shaft 1084 by bolts 1853 passing through the insides of the stays 1852.

4 socket receiving portions 1086 … 1086 are formed on the socket holder 1085 at 90 ° intervals in the circumferential direction of the drive shaft 1084 by a pair of crosses 1851, 1851. The drive shaft 1084 is driven by the intermittent rotation motion taken out by the intermittent drive mechanism 1015, and intermittently rotates every 90 ° in the arrow R direction of fig. 36 in synchronization with the rotation of the turntable 1013. When the turret 1013 is stopped, one sleeve receiver 1086 is conveyed to a position facing the mandrel 1014, and the sleeve 63 taken out by the roller mechanism 1081 is inserted into the outer periphery of the sleeve receiver 1086. The inserted sleeve 63 is supported from the inner peripheral side by the sleeve receiver 1086, and at the same time, rotates around the drive shaft 1084 in accordance with the rotation of the sleeve holder 1085.

A guide piece 1087 for preventing the bush 63 held by the bush receiving portion 1086 from dropping is provided in a part of the periphery of the bush holding piece 1085. When the sleeve receiver 1086 moves to the position facing directly downward, the sleeve 63 is disengaged from the guide 1087 and falls onto the belt 1082. The dropped sleeve 63 is carried out of the manufacturing apparatus 1010 by the conveyor 1082.

In the sleeve manufacturing apparatus described above, the driving device 1012 functions as a conveying device of the sleeve manufacturing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the conveyor 1023 functions as a first conveying device, the wheel device 1025 functions as a reversing device and a detour device, and the blank-carrying device 1026 functions as a second conveying device.

The sleeve manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented in various forms. For example, the sleeve manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the sleeve 63 of the paper cup 61 shown in fig. 20, and can be used for manufacturing outer packages of various containers. The processing of the curled portion by the heated processing die can be applied to any of the examples shown in fig. 38A, 38B, 38C, and 38D. Fig. 38A shows an example of machining an inward curled portion 63a at the end portion on the small diameter side of the sleeve 63, fig. 38B shows an example of machining an outward curled portion 63g at the end portion on the small diameter side of the sleeve 63, fig. 38C shows an example of machining an inward curled portion 63h at the end portion on the large diameter side of the sleeve 63, and fig. 38D shows an example of machining an outward curled portion 63i at the end portion on the large diameter side of the sleeve 63. Similarly, the curled portion of the cup main body 62 may be processed by pressing a heated processing die.

According to the above sleeve manufacturing apparatus, the sleeve can be softened by the heated processing die, and the curled portion can be processed with a small force, so that the load on the sleeve on the mandrel can be reduced. Thus, the manufacturing defects of the sleeve can be reduced, and the yield can be improved. The operation of removing the sleeve from the mandrel after manufacture can be easily performed, and the structure of the apparatus can be simplified.

According to the sleeve manufacturing apparatus described above, excess moisture of the adhesive applied to the blank is evaporated in the blank supplying device, and an optimum adhesive strength can be obtained. As a result, the occurrence of product defects due to insufficient adhesive strength is reduced. Since the adhesive is applied to the lower surface side of the blank, the structure of the roller array and the like can be further simplified as compared with the case of applying from the upper surface side. The blank supply may be arranged straight with respect to the mandrel centre line.

Further, according to the above sleeve manufacturing apparatus, since it is not necessary to catch the outer periphery of the sleeve discharged from the mandrel, the printing of the outer periphery of the sleeve is not damaged, and the yield of the sleeve can be improved. The rotational speed of the roller can be reduced to reduce the burden on the sleeve, thereby further reducing the possibility of damaging the sleeve.

Fig. 39 to 41 show an apparatus for forming the ribs 62d and 62e of the cup body 62 and assembling the sleeve 63 of the cup body 62 in the manufacturing process of the paper cup 61 shown in fig. 21, in which fig. 39 is a plan view, fig. 40 is a side view of fig. 39 viewed from the XXXX direction, and fig. 41 is a side view of fig. 40 viewed from the xxxxxi direction.

The apparatus 2010 has a frame 2011 provided on a factory floor, a turn table 2012 supported by the frame 2011, and a drive mechanism 2013 for horizontally rotating the turn table 2012 around its center line. The driving mechanism 2013 decelerates and transmits the rotational movement of, for example, the prime mover 2014 up to the turn table 2012 by a transmission member such as a chain or a gear. 12 cup holders 2100 … 2100 are attached to the outer periphery of the turntable 2012 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction as container holders. The cup holder 2100 holds the cup main body 62 from its inside in a state of being inverted vertically. Details will be described later.

The driving mechanism 2013 intermittently drives the turn table 2012 in the direction of arrow F of fig. 39 at a rate of 30 ° at a time. Thereby, the same number of stations (stop positions of the holder 2100) ST … ST as the cup holder 2100 are defined around the turntable 2012. In addition, as apparatuses required for manufacturing the cup 61, a cup supply apparatus 2020, processing apparatuses 2030A and 2030B, a pasting apparatus 2040, a sleeve supply apparatus 2050, a sleeve positioning apparatus 2060, an inspection apparatus 2070 and a discharge apparatus 2080 are provided at several stations ST, and the respective apparatuses 2020 to 2080 perform operations assigned to the respective apparatuses in synchronization with the rotational driving of the turntable 2012. The outline of each apparatus is as follows.

The cup feeder 2020 takes out one cup body 62 from the lower end of the magazine 2021 (see fig. 41) and feeds it to the cup holder 2100 in synchronization with the conveyance of the empty cup holder 2100 by stopping the turntable 2012. The cup main body 62 mounted in the magazine 2021 has no ribs 62d and 62e, and the curled portion 62c has a substantially perfect circular cross-sectional shape.

The processing devices 2030A and 2030B form the rib 62d or 62e on the cup main body 62 supplied to the holder 2100 in front thereof when the turn table 2012 is stopped. Further, the processing device 2030A also performs processing of the curled portion 62 c. The pasting device 2040 sprays an adhesive 64 (see fig. 21) for bonding the cup main body 62 and the sleeve 63 at a prescribed position on the outer periphery of the cup main body 62. The sleeve supply device 2050 supplies the sleeve 63 to the outer periphery of the pasted cup main body 62. The sleeve positioning device 2060 causes the sleeve 63 fitted over the cup main body 62 to face the center of the cup main body 62 and to be pressed into the open end side of the cup main body 62. The inspection device 2070 inspects whether the assembly of the cup body 62 and the sleeve 63 is correct and whether the sleeve 63 is formed correctly. The discharge device 2080 then takes out the paper cup 61 from the cup holder 2100, and discharges it outside the device.

Fig. 42 and 43 show details of the cup supply device 2020. The cup supplying device 2020 includes the magazine 2021 storing the cup main body 62, 3 take-out rollers 2022.. 2022 arranged at the lower end of the magazine 2021, and a driving mechanism 2023 for driving the rollers 2022 to rotate around their respective axes. The magazine 2021 is configured by attaching 6 rods 2211.. 2211 around the through holes 2210a of the base 2210, and the cup main bodies 62 are stacked and accommodated therein in a state of being turned upside down (see fig. 41). The roller 2022 is mounted on the base 2210 in a state of partially protruding from the through hole 2210a (see fig. 43). The curled portion 62c of the cup main body 62 accommodated at the lower end of the magazine 2021 reaches the upper surface of the roller 2022, and the cup main body 62 in the magazine 2021 is supported in the vertical direction.

The drive mechanism 2023 includes a motor 2230 as a drive source, a primary pulley 2231 attached to an output shaft 2230a of the motor 2230, and a secondary pulley 2232 and an idler pulley 2233 attached to a base 2210 so as to be freely rotatable. A belt 2234 is wound between the pulleys 2231, 2232 and the idler pulley 2233, and the secondary pulley 2232 is coaxially coupled to the roller 2022 via a coupling shaft 2235 rotatably supported by the base 2210.

When the turntable 2012 rotates to deliver the empty cup holder 2100 below the cup feeder 2020, the output shaft 2230a of the motor 2230 is driven to rotate by a prescribed amount. In conjunction with this rotation, each of the rollers 2022 is rotated in the same direction at the same speed by a predetermined amount. When the rollers 2022 rotate, the curl portions 62c of the cup main bodies 62 supported by the rollers 2022 engage with the spiral grooves 2220 formed on the outer peripheries of the rollers 2022, whereby the cup main bodies 62 are pulled out from the magazine 2021 and supplied to the cup holder 2100 therebelow from the through-holes 2210 a.

Fig. 44 shows details of the processing device 2030A and the cup holder 2100. The cup holder 2100 includes a support shaft 2101 attached to the outer periphery of the turntable 2012 and extending in the vertical direction, a rotary cylinder (rotary body) 2102 attached to the outer periphery of the support shaft 2101, and a stay 2103 and collar 2104, 2105 attached to the outer periphery of the rotary cylinder 2102. The rotary cylinder 2102 is attached to the support shaft 2101 by a bearing, not shown, and is rotatable around the support shaft 2101. Collars 2104, 2105 are rotatable integrally with rotary drum 2102. A disk-shaped wheel 2106 functioning as a curling receiving member is integrally provided at the lower end of the rotary cylinder 2102. The curled portion 62c of the cup main body 62 contacts the upper surface of the contact wheel 2106, and the cup main body 62 is supported in the vertical direction. Flanges 2104a and 2105a are integrally provided on the outer peripheries of the collars 2104 and 2105. The outer peripheries of the flanges 2104a and 2105a are substantially in contact with the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62 at positions where the ribs 62d and 62e are formed, thereby radially supporting the cup main body 62. That is, the flanges 2104a and 2105a function as side wall receiving members, respectively. Further, the upper end of the support shaft 2101 protrudes above the rotary cylinder 2102. An air flow path (not shown) passing through the support shaft 2101 in the axial direction is formed at the center of the support shaft 2101.

As shown in fig. 44 and 45, the processing apparatus 2030A includes: a rotation driving mechanism 2031 for rotating the cup body 62 mounted on the cup holder 2100; a rib processing mechanism 2032 for pressing the rotating cup body 62 against the flange 2105a to process a rib 62 e; a retaining mechanism 2033 for preventing the cup body 62 during processing from falling off; the curled portion processing means 2034 presses the curled portion 62c against the wheel 2106 to deform it as shown in fig. 22.

The rotation driving mechanism 2031 has a motor 2310 as a driving source and a driving wheel 2311 driven to rotate by the motor. When the turntable 2012 rotates the cup holder 2100 to be discharged to the front of the processing apparatus 2030A, the driving wheel 2311 comes into contact with the wheel 2106 of the cup holder 2100, driving the rotary cylinder 2102 of the cup holder 2100 to rotate about the support shaft 2101.

The rib processing mechanism 2032 includes an air cylinder 2320 as a mold driving member, and a mold pressing roller (pressing member) 2321 driven in the radial direction of the cup holder 2100 by the air cylinder 2320. The mold pressing roller 2321 is supported by a jig 2322 attached to a piston rod 2320a of the air cylinder 2320 so as to be rotatable about a vertical shaft 2322. As shown in fig. 46A, a groove 2321a is provided on the outer periphery of the mold pressing roller 2321, and the groove 2321a has a cross-sectional shape complementary to the outer periphery of the flange 2105 a.

When the rotary cylinder 2102 of the cup holder 2100 is driven to rotate by the rotation driving mechanism 2031, the mold pressing roller 2321 is driven by the air cylinder 2320 to be pressed against the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62 in synchronization therewith. As a result, as shown in fig. 46A, a part of the trunk portion 62a is sandwiched between the flange 2105a and the mold pressing roller 2321, and the trunk portion 62a is formed with a rib 62e gradually. After the mold pressing roller 2321 is wound around the body 62a for at least one turn, the mold pressing roller 2321 is separated from the cup main body 62, and the processing of the rib 62e is completed.

The retaining mechanism 2033 includes a cylinder 2330 and a retaining plate 2331 driven in the vertical direction by the cylinder 2330. The anti-drop plate 2331 is attached to a piston rod 2330a of the cylinder 2330 via a bearing 2332 and is rotatable about the center line of the piston rod 2330 a. When the mold pressing roller 2321 of the rib processing mechanism 2032 is driven toward the cup main body 62, the coming-off prevention plate 2331 is driven downward in synchronization with this and comes into contact with the string tail 62g (see fig. 20) of the cup main body 62. Thus, in the process of forming the ribs 62e by the rib processing mechanism 2032, the cup main body 62 is prevented from floating up with respect to the cup holder 2100. After the formation of the rib 62e is completed, the escape plate 2331 is driven upward.

The curling portion processing mechanism 2034 includes an air cylinder 2340 serving as a pressing drive member and a pressing roller 2341 serving as a pressing member driven up and down by the air cylinder 2340. A piston rod 2340a of the cylinder 2340 is provided with a roller holder 2342. The pressing roller 2341 is supported by the holder 2342 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the radial direction of the cup main body 62 of the holder 2100. The contact position of the pressing roller 2341 and the curled portion 62c is offset by substantially 180 ° in the circumferential direction of the cup main body 62 with respect to the contact position of the model pressing roller 2321 and the trunk portion 62 a. In other words, the contact position of the pressing roller 2341 and the curled portion 62c is set on the opposite side in the radial direction of the cup main body 62 with respect to the contact position of the mold pressing roller 2321 and the trunk portion 62 a.

When the mold pressing roller 2321 of the rib processing mechanism 2032 is pressed against the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62, in synchronization therewith, as shown in fig. 47, the pressing roller 2341 is driven downward by the air cylinder 2340 and pressed against the curl portion 62 c. Thus, the curled portion 62c is sandwiched between the pressing roller 2341 and the wheel 2106. In this state, by rotating the cup main body 62, the curled portion 62c is gradually deformed into the cross-sectional shape shown in fig. 22. After the pressing roller 2341 rotates for one or more revolutions on the curl portion 62c, the pressing roller 2341 is driven upward by the air cylinder 2340, and the processing of the curl portion 62c is completed.

The pressing roller 2341 may also be provided in plurality as shown in fig. 48. The pressing roller 2341 may be driven to rotate by a driving means such as a motor. The pressing roller 2341 may be driven by a mold driving unit other than the air cylinder 2340. In the case where the air cylinder 2340 is used as the pressing driving means, when the pressing roller 2341 moves over the step of the curl portion 62c that is continuous with the adhesion portion of the trunk portion 62a of the cup body 62, the air stored in the air cylinder 2340 acts as a buffer on the piston rod 2340a, and the pressing roller 2341 can be slightly displaced in the direction away from the curl portion 62c, so that excessive pressing force does not act on the step portion of the curl portion 62c, and the curl portion 62c is not excessively crushed. Therefore, when the pressing roller 2341 is driven by a member other than the air cylinder 2340, it is preferable to allow displacement of the pressing roller 2341 when it moves over the step of the curl portion 62c by providing a spring or the like on the transmission line of the driving force.

Processing apparatus 2030B is the same as processing apparatus 2030A except for the following two points: the mold pressing roller 2321 of the rib processing mechanism 2032 is adjusted to press the cup main body 62 against the flange 2104a at the point where the rib 62d is formed and the point where the curl processing mechanism 2034 is omitted. Further, since the ribs 62d are bulged inward of the cup main body 62, as shown in fig. 46B, ridges 2321B for forming the ribs 62d are provided on the outer periphery of the mold pressing roller 2321 of the processing device 2030B, and grooves 2104B having a cross-sectional shape complementary to the ridges 2321B are formed on the outer periphery of the flange 2104 a.

Fig. 49 shows details of the pasting device 2040. The pasting device 2040 includes a gunite 2041 for spraying the adhesive 64 (see fig. 21) to the adhesion range BD of the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62, and an inspection device 2042 for inspecting whether the adhesive 64 is normally sprayed from the nozzle 2410 of the gunite 2041. In fig. 49, the curled portion 62c of the cup main body 62 is drawn in a simplified circular shape.

The inspection device 2042 includes: a camera 2421 that photographs a shot pattern of a photographing range 2420 set between the nozzle 2410 and the trunk portion 62a of the cup main body 62; an AD converter 2422 that converts an analog signal output from the camera 2421 into a digital signal under a predetermined condition; an arithmetic circuit 2423 that performs a predetermined operation based on the signal output from the AD converter 2422; a determination circuit 2424 for determining the quality of the ejection pattern based on the operation result of the operation circuit 2423; the monitor 2425 displays the determination result of the determination circuit 2424.

Since the adhesive 64 discharged from the paste gun 2041 is white, a black background plate (not shown) is provided behind the photographing range 2420. The AD converter 2422 binarizes the image data of the imaging range 2420 output from the camera 2421 by an appropriate threshold value, thereby distinguishing the image of the background plate as black and the image of the adhesive 64 as white, and inputs the images to the arithmetic circuit 2423. The arithmetic circuit 2423 calculates the proportion of the white portion in the image of the photographing range 2420 photographed by the camera 2421.

Here, since the discharge of the adhesive 64 from the nozzle 2410 in an inappropriate direction is detected as a failure, the imaging range 2420 is set to be slightly larger than the ejection width, and the area of the white portion decreases when the adhesive 6420 is shifted up and down with respect to the appropriate discharge direction. Therefore, when the proper amount of the adhesive 64 is discharged from the nozzle 2410 in the correct direction, the proportion of the white portion calculated by the calculation circuit 2423 falls within the correct range, and otherwise the proportion of the white portion becomes insufficient or excessive. The determination circuit 2424 determines that the ejection pattern is good when the proportion of the white portion is within a predetermined allowable range, and determines that the ejection pattern is defective if not. If it is determined that the spray pattern is defective, the cup main body 62 supplied to the pasting device 2040 at that time is excluded from the production line of the cup 61 by the NG article excluding device located behind.

Further, since a detection error occurs when the adhesive 64 attached to the nozzle 2410 or the cup main body 62 is included in the photographing range 2420, the photographing range 2420 is preferably set apart from both. The pasting device 2040 is not provided with a mechanism for rotating the rotary cylinder 2102 of the cup holder 2100. This is because the rotary cylinder 2102 is rotated by inertia in a short time after the cup holder 2100 is conveyed from the processing apparatus 2030B to the pasting apparatus 2040, and the adhesive 64 can be uniformly sprayed over the entire circumference of the adhesion range BD by the inertial rotation.

As shown in fig. 50A and 50B, the sleeve supply device 2050 includes a conveyor 2051 for conveying the sleeve 63 in a state of being turned upside down, a pair of shutter mechanisms 2052 and 2052 provided at the end of the conveyor 2051, and a pushing mechanism 2053. The shutter mechanism 2052 opens and closes the discharge port 2510 by operating a pair of shutters 2520 and 2520, which are held in a state of protruding from the discharge port 2510 at the end of the conveyor belt 2051, in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the conveyor belt 2051 by cylinders 2521 and 2521. The extruding mechanism 2053 includes a cylinder 2530 and a disk-shaped extruding member 2531 attached to the piston rod 2530 a. Fig. 50A is a sectional view, and fig. 50B is a plan view of the vicinity of the end of the belt 2051.

After the cup main body 62 having the adhesive 64 applied thereto by the pasting device 2040 is conveyed to a position directly below the discharge port 2510 by the rotation of the turntable 2012, the stoppers 2520 and 2520 are opened by the cylinders 2521 and 2521, and the pushing member 2531 is driven downward by the actuating cylinder 2530. Thereby, the sleeve 63 conveyed to the end of the conveyor 2051 is pushed out downward, falls, and is fitted over the outer periphery of the cup main body 62 supported by the cup holder 2100. After the sleeve 63 is supplied, the shutters 2520, 2520 are instantaneously closed. The pressing-out part 2531 does not move below the stopper 2520. The pressing member 2531 and the blocking plate 2520 do not interfere with each other.

Fig. 51 shows details of the sleeve alignment device 2060. The sleeve aligning apparatus 2060 includes an aligning jig 2061 and a cylinder 2062, wherein the aligning jig 2061 is disposed to face the wire end 62g of the cup body 62 held by the cup holder 2100, and the cylinder 2062 drives the aligning jig 2061 in the vertical direction. As shown in fig. 52, the alignment jig 2061 includes: a cylindrical jig main body 2610 having an open lower end; a guide shaft 2611 installed at the center of the jig main body 2610; a disk-shaped centering member 2612 which is received in the hollow portion 2610a of the jig main body 2610 and is slidable along the guide shaft 2611; a coil spring 2613 is attached to the outer periphery of the guide shaft 2611, and presses the centering member 2612 against a stopper 2611a at the lower end of the guide shaft 2611. A flange 2610b is provided at the lower end of the clamp body 2610. A conical centering surface 2612a and a stepped portion 2612b provided around the base end (upper end in the figure) of the centering surface 2612a are provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the centering member 2612. An enlarged portion 2611b is provided at the upper end of the guide shaft 2611, and the enlarged portion 2611b and the jig main body 2610 are fixed to a movable portion 2620 of the cylinder 2062 (see fig. 51).

When the cup main body 62 and the liner 63 are conveyed to the lower side of the liner aligning apparatus 2060 by the rotation of the turntable 2012, the alignment jig 2061 is driven downward by the actuating cylinder 2062. At this stage, the centering member 2612 is pressed against the stopper 2611a as shown on the right side of the center line CL, and the centering surface 2612a and the stepped portion 2612b on the outer periphery thereof protrude below the flange 2610b of the jig main body 2610. Therefore, as shown by the imaginary line in fig. 52, even if the sleeve 63 is fitted over the cup main body 62 in a state of being eccentric from the cup main body 62 and the curled portion 63a reaches the tail 62g of the cup main body 62, the centering surface 2612a of the centering member 2612 is first brought into contact with the curled portion 63a, and the sleeve 63 and the cup main body 62 are centered.

Thereafter, the alignment jig 2061 is further lowered to bring the stepped portion 2612b into contact with the string tail 62g of the cup main body 62, thereby pressing the centering member 2612 into the jig main body 2610. Then, the flange 2610b of the jig main body 2610 is brought into contact with the curled portion 63a of the sleeve 63, and the sleeve 63 is pushed toward the curled portion 62c of the cup main body 62 by an appropriate amount. Thus, the cup main body 62 and the sleeve 63 are reliably brought into contact with each other in the adhesion range BD, and the two are properly joined. When the centering and aligning jig 2061 is lowered to a predetermined position, the centering and aligning jig 2061 is pulled up to the initial position in order to assemble the next cup main body 62 and the sleeve 63. Further, since the curled portion 63a of the sleeve 63 is positioned above the string tail 62g of the cup main body 62 (on the curled portion 62c side), when the centering member 2612 is maximally pressed into the jig main body 2610, the stepped portion 2612b is retreated above the flange 2610 b.

Fig. 53 shows details of the inspection device 2070. The inspection apparatus 2070 includes: a rotation drive mechanism 2071; a transmissive photosensor 2072 for checking whether the sleeve 63 is correctly mounted on the cup body 62; a laser range sensor 2073 for checking whether the sleeve 63 is assembled correctly. The rotation driving mechanism 2071 rotates the rotary cylinder 2102 of the cup holder 2100 by bringing the driving wheel 2711 driven to rotate by the motor 2710 into contact with the wheel 2106 of the cup holder 2100, similarly to the processing apparatus 2030A described above.

The photosensor 2072 includes a pair of light emitting portions 2720 and light receiving portions 2721 which are arranged to face each other in the radial direction of the cup body 62. The light emitting portion 2720 emits a band-like inspection light (hatched portion in the figure) having a predetermined width toward the end 62g of the cup main body 62. The light receiving unit 2721 outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of received inspection light to the determination device 2074. When the centering of the sleeve 63 by the alignment device fails, the sleeve 63 protrudes beyond the end 62g, and the inspection light from the light emitting unit 2720 is blocked more than normal. Therefore, the determination device 2074 monitors the change in the light receiving amount of the inspection light based on the signal from the light receiving unit 2721, determines that the sleeve 63 is not assembled when the change is larger than a predetermined allowable range, and displays the result on the monitor 2075.

The laser distance measuring sensor 2073 irradiates a narrow beam of laser light to the outer periphery of the sleeve 63 and outputs a signal corresponding to a delay until the reflected light thereof is detected. When the sleeve 63 is not formed in a predetermined conical shape due to, for example, a failure in bonding of the blank 3', the outer periphery thereof is deformed, and thus the time required until the laser beam bounces greatly varies with the rotation of the sleeve 63. Therefore, the determination device 2074 monitors the change over time until the reflection of the laser beam is detected, and if the change is larger than a predetermined allowable range, it determines that the molding of the sleeve 63 is defective, and displays the result on the monitor 2075.

When the inspection device 2070 judges that the assembly or the molding of the liner 63 is defective, the cup 61 supplied to the inspection device 2070 at that time is excluded from the production line of the cup 61 by the NG article exclusion device at the rear.

Fig. 54 and 55 show details of the discharge device 2080. The discharge device 2080 has a gear box 2081 and a magazine 2082 that can rotate about an output shaft 2810 of the gear box 2081. The barrel 2820 having the conical hole 2820a engageable with the cup 61 is mounted on the bank 2082 every 90 ° in the rotation direction of the bank 2082. A sprocket 2812 is attached to an input shaft 2811 of the gear box 2081. The sprocket 2812 is connected to a drive mechanism 2013 of the turntable 2012 via a transmission structure 2084 incorporating a chain 2840 and the like (see fig. 40 and 41). The rotation of the turntable 2012 is linked to the rotation of the magazine 2082, and when the turntable 2012 is driven to rotate by 30 °, the magazine 2082 rotates by 90 ° in the direction of the arrow R of fig. 54, and the empty cartridge 2820 is conveyed to just above the cup holder 2100.

An air supply device (not shown) is provided directly below the cylinder 2820, and is connected to a lower end opening of an air flow path provided on the center line of the support shaft 2101 of the cup holder 2100, and supplies compressed air to the air flow path. The compressed air supplied into the support shaft 2101 is blown out from the upper end of the support shaft 2101, and the cup 61 is sent into the conical hole 2820a of the cartridge 2820 conveyed thereabove. Thereby, the cup 61 is moved from the cup holder 2100 to the barrel 2820.

The cups 61 held in the cartridge 2820 are sent to the cup accumulating apparatus 2085 by rotating the magazine 2082 3 times every 90 °. The cup accumulating device 2085 pulls out the cup 61 from the barrel 2820 and accumulates the cup in the magazine 2853 by horizontally moving the claw 2850 engaged with the curl portion 62c of the cup 61 by the reciprocating cylinder 2851.

As shown in fig. 54, an inner surface inspection device 2090 of the cup 61 is provided on the opposite side of the magazine 2082 to the cup accumulating device 2085 of the magazine 2082. The inner surface inspection device 2090 irradiates the inner surface of the cup 61 held in the barrel 2820 with an annular illumination lamp 2091, and images the image by the camera 2092, and performs predetermined processing on the image data output from the camera 2092 by the image processing device 2093 to inspect the inner surface of the cup 61 for the presence of dirt or a defective shape.

In the manufacturing apparatus for the heat insulating container, the turntable 2012 and the driving mechanism 2013 function as a conveying device of the manufacturing apparatus of the seventh invention, the rotary driving mechanism 2031 functions as a rotary driving member, the rib processing mechanism 2032 functions as a rib processing device, the curl processing mechanism 2034 functions as a curl processing device, the air cylinder 2062 functions as a jig driving member, the inspection device 2070 functions as an assembly inspection device and a sleeve inspection device, the photoelectric sensor 2072 functions as a height information detecting member, the laser distance measuring sensor 2073 functions as a distance information detecting member, the judging device 2074 functions as a judging member and a molding judging member, the cup holder 2100 functions as a container holder, the rotary cylinder 2102 functions as a rotary body, and the flange 2610b functions as a press-in portion. In contrast to the eighth invention, the rotation driving mechanism 2031 functions as a rotation driving member, the cup holder 2100 functions as a container holder, the rotary cylinder 2102 functions as a rotary body, the flange 2105a functions as a side wall receiving member, the wheel 2106 functions as a curl receiving member, the air cylinder 2320 functions as a die driving member, the mold pressing roller 2321 functions as a mold pressing member, the air cylinder 2340 functions as a pressing driving member, and the pressing roller 2341 functions as a pressing member.

The manufacturing apparatus of the container of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented in various forms. For example, the rib processing means 2032 and the curl portion processing means 2034 may be provided at different stations. The inspection device 2040 or 70 may also be omitted.

According to the above manufacturing apparatus, the processing of the curled portion of the container body, the processing of the rib or the like of the side wall, and the bonding of the container body and the sleeve subjected to the processing are continuously performed in the same apparatus, and therefore, the heat insulating container can be efficiently manufactured. In addition, when the sleeve aligning device is provided, the assembly failure caused by the eccentricity of the sleeve and the container body can be eliminated, and the yield in manufacturing the heat-insulating container can be improved. Further, by providing a member for inspecting the quality of the assembly of the sleeve and the container body, the quality of the sleeve molding, and the quality of the adhesive-sprayed state, the reliability of the manufacturing apparatus can be improved.

Claims

1. An insulated container, comprising:

a cup body having a cylindrical body part with an open upper part and a bottom part closing the lower part of the body part, and having a polyolefin resin layer formed at least on the inner surface;

an outward top curl portion formed at an upper end of the paper cup main body;

and a paper sleeve having a side wall in the shape of an inverted truncated cone and an inwardly curled portion at a lower end thereof so as to be mounted on the body of the paper cup main body to form a gap between the body of the paper cup main body and the paper sleeve, wherein an upper end of the paper sleeve is fixedly bonded to an upper portion of the body of the paper cup main body so as not to slip off the sleeve from the paper cup main body.

2. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a rib is formed on the paper cup body in a direction surrounding the trunk portion.

3. The insulated container of claim 2, wherein the rib is formed continuously around the body portion.

4. The insulated container of claim 2, wherein the rib discontinuity is formed around the body portion.

5. The insulated container of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inward curled portion abuts against a lower outer peripheral surface of the trunk portion.

6. The heat-insulated container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an outer diameter of an opening portion at an upper end of the trunk portion of the cup body is larger than a height of the cup body.

7. The heat-insulating container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one pair of grip pieces each having a predetermined length is provided, and the grip pieces are formed so as to extend along a substantially circumferential folding line formed in the side wall and along a cutting line connected to both ends of the folding line and are foldable outward from the folding line.

8. The insulated container with a grip tab of claim 7, wherein the folding line is a straight line connecting two circumferential points of the side wall at the shortest distance.

9. The insulated container with a grip tab of claim 7, wherein the fold line is bent downward.

10. The heat-insulated container with a grip piece according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a connecting portion which can be easily cut is formed in the middle of the cut line.

11. The insulated container with a grip tab according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein a cutout is formed in a part of a periphery of the grip tab.

12. The insulated container with a grip tab according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein a front end portion of the grip tab is bendable by a small fold line.

13. The insulated container with a grip tab of any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein both ends of the cut line are terminated by rounded corners.

14. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein in the inward curl, the sleeve member is rolled in for a plane including a centerline of the cup body until a leading end of the sleeve member is oriented beyond an upward direction along the centerline of the cup body.

15. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein the forward end of the sleeve member into which the inward curl is rolled is located further outside the container than a portion of the inward curl closest to the center line of the cup body.

16. The heat-insulating container according to claim 1, wherein a gap between a front end of the sleeve member, into which the inward curl portion is rolled, and an inner wall surface of the sleeve is less than 1mm or less.

17. The heat-insulating container as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wire tail is formed to extend from the side wall of the cup main body to a lower end side thereof, and a gap between a front end of the sleeve member, into which the inward curled portion is rolled, and an inner wall surface of the sleeve is smaller than a thickness of the wire tail.

18. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a line tail is formed to extend from the sidewall of the cup body to a lower end side thereof, the line tail being poured to be located closer to an inside of the container than a straight line extending along an outside of the sidewall with respect to a section of a plane including a center line of the cup body.

19. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a string tail is formed to extend from the sidewall of the cup body to a lower end side thereof, and a flash of the string tail protrudes toward an inside of the container.

20. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a string tail is formed to extend from the sidewall of the cup body to a lower end side thereof, and an outer circumferential position of the lower end of the string tail is closer to a center line of the cup body than a portion of the inward curl closest to the center line of the cup body.

21. The heat-insulating container as claimed in claim 20, wherein a displacement amount between an outer peripheral position of a lower end of the wire tail and a portion of the inward curl closest to a center line of the cup body is set to be in a range of 0.01 to 1mm in a radial direction of the cup body.

22. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the inward curl and an outer face of the cup body.

23. The heat-insulated container of claim 22, wherein the gap is set to be in the range of 0.01 to 1 mm.

24. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein the lower end of the cup body protrudes below more than the lower end of the sleeve.

25. The insulated container of claim 24, wherein a wire tail is formed on the cup body to extend from the cup sidewall to a lower end side thereof, a lower end of the wire tail constituting a lower end of the cup body.

26. The heat-insulated container of any one of claims 24 to 25, wherein the lower end of the cup body protrudes by a protruding amount of 0.01 to 5mm with respect to the lower end of the sleeve.

27. The heat-insulated container of claim 1, wherein an upper end portion of the trunk portion of the cup body is bent inward along a sleeve of a bonding portion formed by bonding an upper end of the sleeve to an upper end of the cup body.

28. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein the upper end of the sleeve is bent outwardly along the upper end of the cup body of a bonding portion formed by bonding the upper end of the sleeve to the upper end of the cup body.

29. The heat-insulated container according to claim 1, wherein the cup main body and the sleeve are bonded to each other, and a difference between an outer diameter of the cup main body immediately below the outward curl portion and an inner diameter of the sleeve at a portion opposed to the portion immediately below the outward curl portion is in a range of-1.0 to +0.5 mm.

30. The heat-insulated container of claim 1, wherein an upper end of a bonding portion formed by bonding an upper end of a sleeve to a trunk portion of the cup body is set at a position spaced apart by 1mm or more downward from a lower end of the outward curled portion in a direction of a center line of the cup body.

31. The heat-insulated container of claim 1, wherein a bonding portion formed by bonding an upper end of the sleeve to the trunk portion of the cup body is set to have a width of 3mm or more with respect to a direction of a center line of the cup body.

32. The heat-insulated container of claim 1, wherein an upper end of a bonding portion is located below an upper end of the sleeve, the bonding portion being formed by bonding the upper end of the sleeve to the body portion of the cup body.

33. The heat-insulated container of claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the inward curled portion is set to be in the range of 0.6 to 2.0 mm.

34. The insulated container of claim 33, wherein the radius of curvature is set in the range of 1.1 to 1.5 mm.

35. The insulated container of claim 33, wherein the cup body and sleeve paper have a plateau weight of 150 to 400g/m²The range of (1).

36. The insulated container of claim 1, wherein a friction-reducing layer is formed on the sleeve surface in a region corresponding to the inward curl.

37. The insulated container of claim 36, wherein the friction-reducing layer uses a composition comprising a cellulose-based resin.

38. The insulated container of claim 36, wherein the friction-reducing layer uses a composition comprising an acrylic resin.

39. The insulated container of any of claims 36-38, wherein the friction reducing layer uses a varnish to protect the printed surface.

40. The insulated container of any of claims 36-39, wherein the friction-reducing layer is formed on a surface of the sleeve facing an outside of the container.

41. The heat-insulating container according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is formed by overlapping and bonding both end portions of a band-shaped sleeve member wound around the cup main body, the sleeve is formed with a cut portion for reducing an overlapping area thereof, and the cut portion is formed by cutting the sleeve member from a region corresponding to the inward curled portion to a region other than the region.

42. The insulated container of claim 41, wherein the cut-out portion is formed by shearing the sleeve to reduce an overlapping area of a region corresponding to the inward curl by 50% or more.

43. The insulated container of claim 41 or 42, wherein the cut-out portion is formed at an end portion of the sleeve member disposed on a side inside the container, among the both end portions.

44. The insulated container of any of claims 41 to 43, wherein the cut-out portion is formed by cutting out a corner of the sleeve member obliquely to one of the end edges.

45. The heat-insulating container as claimed in claim 1, wherein assuming that the width of the outward top curl in the container axial direction is "a", the width of the outward top curl in the container radial direction is "B", and the thickness of the trunk portion is "t", the following are satisfied:

2t < A < B.

46. The insulated container of claim 45, wherein a film-shaped cover member for closing and opening the cup main body is adhered to the outward top curl portion, the cover member being adhered to the outward top curl portion with an adhesive force, a peel force of which is in a range of 400 to 900gf/15mm wide.