JP7710867B2 - packaging - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a package in which a stack of folded sanitary tissue paper, such as paper towels, is wrapped in a flexible packaging film.

A known form of packaging for sanitary thin paper such as paper towels and facial tissues is to fold and stack one or more plies, so that when the top sheet is picked up and pulled out, part of the next sheet is pulled out as well, forming a so-called pop-up stack, which is then packaged in a flexible plastic packaging film.

Traditionally, this type of sanitary tissue paper packaging typically had a simple straight line perforation for forming the removal opening, with a slit-shaped removal opening on the top surface. However, with a slit-shaped removal opening, if the slit length is made long, sheets can fall inside when there are only a few sheets left inside, and if the slit length is made short, it can be difficult to pull the first sheet out of the film after opening, and there are also problems with the resistance to pulling out becoming too high at the beginning and end of use, causing the entire packaging film to lift up when a sheet is pulled out, making it impossible to pop it up.

In order to solve the problem of the slit-shaped outlet, a method has been used in which the perforations for forming the outlet are arranged in an elongated ring shape extending in the longitudinal direction using a molding technique such as die-cutting, making it wider in the depth direction like an approximately oval outlet (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). Furthermore, in recent years, in order to further improve the ease of taking out the contents, the outlet has also been made roughly gourd-shaped with the ends in the width direction widened.

However, conventional roughly oval or gourd-shaped outlets prioritize softness and flexibility, and are designed primarily for sanitary thin papers such as facial tissue paper, which is primarily used for facial purposes such as blowing your nose or wiping the area around the mouth while eating. They are not necessarily suitable for tissue paper that is "thick, sturdy, and tear-resistant" so that it can also be used to wipe skin other than the face or for wiping objects, or for sanitary thin papers such as paper towels, which are more rigid than facial tissue paper and are primarily used to dry hands after washing.

One way to improve the ease of removal of such sanitary tissue paper is to make the removal opening wider in the depth direction, but because of the difference in paper quality, it is difficult to design sanitary tissue paper with high rigidity in the same way as facial tissue paper, which is soft and flexible. Simply making the removal opening wider in the depth direction makes it very likely that pop-up failures will occur, where the next piece of sanitary tissue paper does not rise up but falls down when popping up, or that standing failures will occur, where the next piece of sanitary tissue paper does not rise up but falls down on the top surface of the package.

On the other hand, for example, in the case of the approximately elliptical outlet forming portion shown in Fig. 9(a), the outlet forming portion 105 formed by arranging the perforations 150 in a ring shape using a die-cutting technique such as die-cutting has the advantage that the outlet can be easily formed by cutting and peeling off the range 105Z within the ring perforations from one end 105A in the longitudinal direction X to the other end 105B as shown in Fig. 9(b). However, when such an opening operation is performed, the direction in which the perforations 150 tear open at the other end 105B approaches the perforations 150e at the other end that is last to be cut off, and therefore the tearing of the perforations 150 does not occur smoothly and continuously at this end, especially near the perforations 150e at the end of 105B, and an unintended tear 105P may occur at the end of the outlet 106 as shown in Fig. 9(d). In the outlet forming section 105 formed by arranging the perforations 150 in a ring shape, as the widthwise end is widened in the depth direction Y, the range of the perforations that approaches a direction perpendicular to the cutting and peeling direction becomes longer, making this type of tearing more likely to occur. Therefore, in an outlet forming section that is roughly gourd-shaped and has a widened end, tears 105P are more likely to occur.

Furthermore, such tears 105P are more likely to occur when the packaging film is a uniaxially stretched film that is stretched in a direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the outlet forming section 105. In particular, such tears are more likely to occur in packages in the form of pillow packaging or gusset packaging, since the stretch direction of the packaging film is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outlet forming section.

JP 2018-052559 A JP 2018-058654 A

In view of the above problems, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a film-wrapped package that is easy to open as the edges of the opening in the width direction are not easily torn when opened, and that is also easy to pull out sanitary tissue paper, particularly hard sanitary tissue paper such as paper towels.

The means for solving the above problems are as follows.
The first means is
A package in which a bundle of sanitary tissue papers is wrapped in a flexible resin wrapping film,
A take-out opening forming part is formed by arranging an easy-to-break line in an annular shape on the upper surface,
At least one end edge in the width direction of the outlet forming portion is configured by an easy-to-tear line in which cut portions and half-cut portions are alternately arranged,
The packaging body is characterized by the above.

The second method is
In the packaging body according to the first aspect, the half-cut portion is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness of the packaging film.

The third method is
the outlet forming portion has a shape including a narrow portion extending in the width direction at a center portion in the depth direction, a wide portion continuing from an end of the narrow portion toward the outside in the width direction and gradually widening as it moves away from the narrow portion, and a curved convex portion continuing from the wide portion and bulging outward in the width direction;
This is a packaging body relating to the first or second means described above, in which the portion constituting the edge of at least one of the curved convex portions of the easy tear-open line has a portion in which cut portions and half-cut portions are arranged alternately.

The fourth measure is
In the package according to the third aspect, 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion is a portion in which the cut portions and the half-cut portions are arranged alternately.

The fifth measure is:
In the package according to the third aspect, the curved convex portion has a depth length of 25 to 45 mm and a bulging length in the width direction of 2.5 to 12.5 mm.

The sixth method is:
The easy-to-crack-open line is a packaging body relating to the above-mentioned third means, in which the portion constituting the edge of the widening portion that is continuous with the curved convex portion having a portion where cut portions and half-cut portions are arranged alternately has a portion where cut portions and half-cut portions are arranged alternately.

The seventh measure is:
The outlet forming portion has a widthwise length that is 70% or more of the widthwise length of the top surface of the stack, a maximum depthwise length that is 10 to 40% of the depthwise length of the top surface of the stack, a widthwise length of the narrow portion that is 50 to 70% of the widthwise length of the top surface of the stack, and a depthwise length that is 0.5 to 10% of the depthwise length of the top surface of the stack, in the packaging body relating to the third to sixth means described above.

The present invention provides a film-wrapped package that is easy to open, with the edges of the opening in the width direction not easily torn when opened, and that is also easy to pull out sanitary tissue paper, particularly hard sanitary tissue paper such as paper towels.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a packaging body according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a tissue paper stack. FIG. 13 is a top view for explaining the outlet forming portion. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a mode of use of the packaging body according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the outlet forming portion. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a half-cut portion. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining other examples of the outlet forming portion. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining other examples of the shape of the outlet forming portion. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a conventional outlet forming portion.

The following description refers to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Note that the vertical and horizontal directions in this specification and the present invention may change depending on the orientation of the packaging body, and do not refer to absolute directions in space. Rigidity may also be referred to as the stiffness, stiffness, or stiffness of paper.

The package 1 according to the present invention is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped bundle 3 of folded and stacked sanitary tissue paper 2, such as paper towels, wrapped in a flexible packaging film 4, and has an outlet 5 on the top surface 4C. This package 1 is roughly hexahedral in shape, with a top surface 4C, a bottom surface 4D facing the top surface 4C, and long and short sides 4B and 4A located between the top surface 4C and the bottom surface 4D, so as to approximate the shape of the bundle 3.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of gusset packaging. This gusset packaging is a pillow packaging with a gusset, in which the bundle 3, which is the packaged item, is wrapped in a packaging film 4 by rolling it into a cylindrical shape so that openings are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the overlapping portion 4X in the rolling direction is bonded by a fusion process or adhesive at the bottom of the bundle 3, etc., and the edge of the portion extending beyond the short side 3A of the bundle 3 is bonded by a fusion process or adhesive from above and below while forming a gusset, so that the short side 4A becomes the sealing surface. In this gusset packaging, the sealing surface, which is the short side 4A, faces the short side 3A of the bundle 3, and the long side 4B, which is the gusset, faces the long side 3B, which is the folded surface of the bundle 3. However, in the present invention, the packaging form of the package 1 is not limited. It may be a simple pillow packaging without a gusset, or it may be an overlapping packaging, also called a caramel packaging, in which the short side 4A is composed of overlapping flaps and fused as shown in FIG. 7, or other appropriate packaging forms.

The stack 3 of sanitary thin papers 2 contained in the package 1 according to the present invention is a so-called pop-up stack. As shown in FIG. 2 in particular, this stack 3 is formed by folding a rectangular sanitary thin paper 2 in half, with the folded-back pieces 2B of other sanitary thin papers 2 located above and below positioned on the inside 2A of the folded-back piece, and by folding and stacking a plurality of sanitary thin papers 2, the stack 3 has a pair of long sides 3B where the folded-back edges 2C of the sanitary thin papers 2 are aligned, a pair of short sides 3A where the folded-back edges 2C are not aligned, and a pair of flat surfaces (upper and lower surfaces) 3C that are connected to the short sides 3A and the long sides 3B, forming an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The number of sets of sanitary tissue paper 2 constituting the bundle 3 is not limited, but can be 30 to 240 sets, with one ply or multiple plies per set. The size of the bundle 3 is also not limited, but it is desirable for it to be a bundle of 200 sets of sanitary tissue paper, with a height of 30 to 100 mm x a lengthwise direction (width) of 150 to 250 mm x a widthwise direction (depth) of 100 to 130 mm. In addition, the effect of the present invention in improving pop-up defects is enhanced if the height of the bundle is shorter than the length in the depth direction of the top surface of the bundle.

The filling rate of the bundle 3 in the packaging body 1 is not limited as long as it is within a range that does not impede the effects of the present invention, but it is desirable for the gap between the bundle and the packaging film to be in the range of 0 to 30 mm. The bundle 3 may be packaged in a state where it is slightly compressed in the vertical direction by the packaging film. Note that the packaging body 1 according to the present invention does not assume that the sanitary thin paper contained therein, known as pocket tissue or the like, is tissue paper, and that the number of sets is about 10 to 12 sets, and that the sets are removed by popping up the tissue paper with a height of about 10 mm.

Each sanitary thin paper 2 constituting the bundle 3 has a single-layer structure with one sheet or a laminated structure with multiple sheets. The number of plies is not limited, but one sheet (1 ply) or two sheets (2 ply) are preferable. The basis weight per ply is not limited, but is preferably 13 to 40 g/ ^m2 . The mass per set is preferably 1.0 to 2.5 g. Sanitary thin paper with one or two plies of sheets of the above basis weight is particularly suitable for paper towels suitable for wiping hands after washing. Furthermore, the thickness per set of this sanitary thin paper is preferably 100 to 500 μm. Sanitary thin paper with such a number of plies, basis weight, and thickness is highly effective in improving pop-up failure in which the next sanitary thin paper does not rise up and falls down when popped up, and standing failure in which the next sanitary thin paper does not rise up and falls down on the upper surface of the package, due to the configuration of the present invention, especially the characteristic shape of the take-out opening forming portion having a narrow portion, a wide portion, and a curved convex portion.

The basis weight is measured according to the method of JIS P 8124 (1998). The basis weight per ply can be calculated by the formula: basis weight = sheet weight per set / (sheet area x number of plies). The paper thickness is measured under the same conditions as in JIS P 8111 (1998), after the test pieces have been sufficiently conditioned with moisture, using a dial thickness gauge (thickness measuring device) "PEACOCK G type" (manufactured by Ozaki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) or an equivalent device to measure the thickness of multiple plies.

The sanitary thin paper 2 according to the present invention is a dry type, and is not a wet type impregnated with a chemical solution. Therefore, the above-mentioned stack 3 formed by the sanitary thin paper 2 contains a lot of air. Even among this dry type sanitary thin paper 2, there is a type impregnated with a chemical solution, such as a moisturizing component that increases moisture by absorbing moisture from polyols such as glycerin, and such a sanitary thin paper may be used.

The raw pulp that constitutes the sanitary thin paper 2 is not limited. Examples include a blend of pulp derived from coniferous trees such as NBKP and pulp derived from broadleaf trees such as LBKP. In addition, recycled paper pulp may be blended, or the sanitary thin paper may consist only of recycled paper pulp. In the present invention, since it exerts particularly excellent effects in sanitary thin paper with high stiffness such as paper towels, it is preferable that the pulp derived from coniferous trees is more than 50%.

The dry tensile strength of the sanitary thin paper 2 is not limited, but a lengthwise direction of 1000-3000cN/25mm and a widthwise direction of 250-1500cN/25mm is particularly suitable for the present invention. The dry tensile strength is measured according to JIS P8113 (1998). Measuring devices include the "Universal Tensile Compression Tester TG-200N" manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd. and equivalents.

The outlet forming section 5 is formed by arranging an easy-to-tear line 50 in a ring shape on the upper surface 4C of the packaging film 4 facing the topmost sanitary thin paper 2 of the stack 3. This outlet forming section 5 tears open the easy-to-tear line 50 and separates and removes the area surrounded by the easy-to-tear line 50 to form an outlet 6, which is an opening for pulling out the sanitary thin paper 2, on the upper surface 4C of the package 1. In the package 1 according to the present invention, since the stack 3 is a pop-up type, when one sheet of sanitary thin paper 2 at the top of the stack 3 is pulled out from the formed outlet, a part of the next sanitary thin paper located immediately below it is exposed from the outlet. In addition, since the outlet forming section 5 arranges the easy-to-tear line 50 in a ring shape, the outlet 6 formed by separating and removing the area surrounded by the easy-to-tear line 50 is not a slit shape that is only straight, but has a certain width in the depth direction. Such an outlet forming section 5 has excellent operability when opening because the film in the area within the outlet forming section 5 can be separated and removed by continuously pulling and cutting the area surrounded by the easy-to-tear line 50 from one end 5A to the other end 5B. Note that in this specification, the end located on the left side of the drawing is described as one end 5A and the end located on the right side is described as the other end 5B, but this is merely for convenience of explanation and these can be interchanged.

The package 1 in the form shown in Figures 1 to 5 has a gourd-shaped outlet forming section 5, which is a particularly preferred shape. This outlet forming section 5 has a narrow section 51 extending in the width direction at the center of the depth direction of the top surface 4C, a wide section 52 that is continuous with the end of the narrow section 51 and gradually widens as it moves away from the narrow section 51 toward the outside of the width direction of the bundle 3, and a curved convex section 53 that is continuous with the wide section 52 and bulges outward in the width direction of the bundle 3.

It is particularly desirable that the widening portion 52 is arranged so that the angle of the easy-to-split line 50 gradually increases toward the outside of the bundle 3 in the width direction. It is desirable that the taper angle ∠α of the easy-to-split line 50, which forms the edge of the widening portion 52, with respect to the width direction is 25 to 60 degrees.

It is also desirable that the crack-prone line 50 be curved and smoothly connected from the widening portion 52 to the curved convex portion 53. If the crack-prone line 50 is arranged in this manner, the crack-prone line 50 can be easily and smoothly cracked from the widening portion 52 to the curved convex portion 53.

1 to 5, the outlet 6 formed by the outlet forming part 5 has a free edge piece 51A in a generally trapezoidal shape that is easy to move up and down near the edge extending from the narrow part 51 to the wide part 52, so that, as shown in particular in Fig. 4, when a set of sanitary thin paper 2 is pulled out from the stack 3, the edge piece 51A deforms so as to be rolled up slightly in the direction of pulling out, and leans against and supports the next exposed set of sanitary thin paper 2. In addition, the outlet 6 formed by this outlet forming part 5 deforms so that the root portion 2R of the next sanitary thin paper, which is partly exposed from the outlet 6 following the sanitary thin paper pulled out from the stack 3, is rolled up along the edge 6E of the curved convex part 53, and is easily deformed into a highly upright columnar shape. Furthermore, the area between the widened portion 52 and the curved convex portion 53 of the outlet forming portion 5 becomes a recessed portion 6H when the outlet 6 is formed, so that the root portion 2R of the next sanitary thin paper, which is partially exposed from the outlet 6, fits into this recessed portion 6H, thereby improving the uprightness. In particular, in this outlet forming portion 5, the above action makes it difficult for pop-up defects caused by the sagging of the inside of the packaging film of the sanitary thin paper, which is said to be likely to occur when the sanitary thin paper has high rigidity, to occur. This effect is particularly effective in combination with the sanitary thin paper of the above-mentioned suitable basis weight and paper thickness, and further with a suitable packaging film described below. However, the outlet forming portion 5 of the present invention may have a shape that does not have the widened portion 52, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the outlet forming portion 5 may have a straight easy-to-tear line connected to the ring-shaped easy-to-tear line, as long as it does not interfere with the effect of the present invention.

In addition, in the shape of the outlet forming section 5 having the narrow portion 51, the wide portion 52, and the curved convex portion 53 as shown in Figures 1 to 5, it is particularly preferable that the widthwise length L1 of the entire outlet forming section 5 is 70% or more of the widthwise length L2 of the top surface of the bundle 3, the maximum depthwise length L3 of the entire outlet forming section 5 is 10 to 40% of the depthwise length L4 of the top surface of the bundle 3, the widthwise length L5 of the narrow portion is 50 to 70% of the widthwise length L2 of the top surface of the bundle 3, and the depthwise length L6 of the narrow portion is 0.5 to 10% of the depthwise length L4 of the top surface of the bundle 3. In this shape of the outlet forming section 5, the curved convex portion 53 is formed, which is particularly wide in the depth direction. In addition, the free edge piece 51A formed near the edge of the narrow portion 51 becomes wider and larger, making it possible to open the narrow portion 51 wider when pulling it out. Therefore, the sanitary thin paper 2 can be smoothly removed when pulling it out from the bundle 3. In particular, even if a clear fold line is difficult to form at the boundary between the short side surface 4A and the top surface 4C, such as in gusset packaging or pillow packaging, and the packaging film at the top surface position of the package 1 is easily deformed, or the sanitary thin paper contained therein is a highly rigid sanitary thin paper 2 such as a paper towel having the above-mentioned basis weight and paper thickness, which is easily deformed at the top surface position of the package 1 when it is pulled out, the entire top surface is unlikely to be distorted and is likely to be maintained flat when the sanitary thin paper 2 is pulled out, making it particularly easy to stably take out the sanitary thin paper 2 one sheet at a time. In addition, the free, approximately trapezoidal edge piece 51A formed near the edge of the narrow width portion 51 is wider and larger, and a deep recessed portion 6H is formed, so that the edge piece firmly rests against the highly rigid sanitary thin paper 2 and supports the base portion 2R of the sanitary thin paper 2, effectively preventing it from sagging. In addition, because the edge of the curved convex portion 53 is longer, the sanitary thin paper 2 is gently rolled along the edge of the curved convex portion 53, but the sanitary thin paper 2 has high rigidity, so it is less likely to break, and the uprightness is improved.

In addition, it is preferable that the length L3 of the curved convex portion 53 in the depth direction is 25 to 45 mm, and the bulging length L7 in the width direction is 2.5 to 12.5 mm.

On the other hand, specific examples of the flexible resin packaging film 4 that constitutes the exterior of the package 1 include polyethylene film, polypropylene film, polyester film, polyethylene terephthalate film, nylon film, vinylidene chloride film, and single-layer film of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, as well as appropriately laminated films containing these films, and gas barrier films obtained by subjecting these films to surface treatment such as aluminum deposition. In addition, biomass films derived from plant raw materials such as sugar cane, potatoes (starch), and corn can also be used. The use of such biomass films is desirable from the perspective of environmental protection.

In particular, polypropylene film and polyethylene film are suitable. The packaging film 4 may be a textured film that has excellent design and feel. The melting point of the film is preferably 150°C or lower. The lower the melting point of the packaging film, the lower the temperature at which the heat fusion process can be performed, but the practical lower limit is 80°C. Examples of polypropylene films include non-oriented polypropylene film (CPP), and examples of polyethylene films include linear low-density polyethylene film (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene film (LDPE), and medium-density polyethylene film (MDPE).

Furthermore, if scented tissue paper or other scented items are to be packaged, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin film or polyethylene terephthalate resin film, which have excellent scent retention, is desirable. A multi-layer resin film with improved heat-sealing properties may also be used by laminating a polyethylene resin film or a polypropylene resin film on one or both sides of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin film or polyethylene terephthalate resin film.

Here, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the outlet forming section 5 according to the present invention is characterized in that the edge portion 50P of at least one end (the other end 5B in the illustrated example) of the outlet forming section 5 in the width direction is configured with the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H arranged alternately. In the shape of the outlet forming section 5 shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are arranged alternately in the range of 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion 53. In addition, in this curved convex portion 53, the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are arranged alternately in the range of preferably 90% or more, particularly preferably 95% or more. The entire range may be configured with the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H arranged alternately.

As shown in Fig. 6(a) as a plan view and Fig. 6(b) as a cross section along line b-b, the cut portion 50C is a portion that is completely cut in the thickness direction Z of the packaging film 4 from the front side 41, which is the surface that does not face the bundle 3, to the back side 42, which is the surface that faces the bundle 3, and the half-cut portion 50H is a portion that is not completely cut, but is cut to a predetermined depth range L8 in the thickness direction Z from the front side 41 to the back side 42. In this way, in the portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged, the tearing proceeds more smoothly and continuously when the easy-to-tear line is torn, compared to the portion where the cut portion 50C and the uncut portion 50U, which has no cuts, are alternately arranged. This is because the difference in force required to tear the packaging film 4 is smaller between the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H than between the cut section 50C and the uncut section 50U, so the tearing tends to proceed smoothly and continuously from the cut section 50C to the half-cut section 50H and from the half-cut section 50H to the cut section 50C.

In particular, in the shape of the outlet forming section 5 shown in Figures 1 to 5, it is preferable that the portion constituting the edge of the widening section 52 continuing to the curved convex section 53 having a portion where the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H are alternately arranged also has a portion where the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H are alternately arranged. In particular, it is preferable that 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the widening section 52 is a portion where the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H are alternately arranged. It is preferable that 90% or more, and particularly preferably 95% or more, is a portion where the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H are alternately arranged. The entire range may be composed of an easy-to-tear line where the cut section 50C and the half-cut section 50H are alternately arranged.

Here, it is desirable that the half-cut portion 50H is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness L9 of the packaging film. If it is cut to 20% or more, a continuous and smooth tear can be sufficiently generated between the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H when forming the removal opening by the opening operation. There is no upper limit to the depth of the cut, but if it is 80% or less, and more preferably 60% or less, unintended tearing is less likely to occur.

In the removal opening forming section 5 according to the present invention, the cut sections 50C and the half-cut sections 50H are arranged alternately at the widthwise end (the other end 5B in the illustrated example), which is the part most likely to tear and be torn last in a typical opening operation in which the area surrounded by the easy-to-tear line 50 is pulled continuously from one end 5A to the other end 5B. Therefore, even if the opening operation is performed by pulling continuously from one end 5A to the other end 5B, there is little risk of the packaging film 4 tearing unintentionally at the other end 5B, which is cut off last. In particular, in the case of a gourd-shaped shape having a narrow portion 51, a wide portion 52, and a curved convex portion 53 as shown in Figures 1 to 5, which is excellent in terms of the ease of drawing out high-rigidity paper towels, and more particularly in the case of one having the above-mentioned preferred numerical range, the range of the easy-to-tear line constituting the edge portion of the curved convex portion 53 is long and is arranged along the depth direction, so that the cross angle between the pulling direction when opening and the tearing direction of the easy-to-tear line is large, resulting in a shape that is prone to tearing of the packaging film 4 during the opening operation. However, by providing a portion at the end where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are alternately arranged, the risk of tearing is significantly reduced. This is particularly effective in packaging forms such as pillow packaging and gusset packaging, where tearing is likely to occur because the stretching direction of the packaging film 4 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the take-out opening portion 5.

In addition, in the easy-to-tear line 50 that constitutes the edge of the outlet forming part, the part where the cut parts 50C and the half-cut parts 50H are arranged alternately may be at both ends of the outlet forming part 5, or may be only at one end. If it is formed only on one side, the opposite end can be a continuous cut part in the range L10 from the middle of the widened part 52A on one side in the depth direction to a position beyond the outer end 53t of the curved convex part 53A, as shown in FIG. 8(a). In this way, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a free piece 5T is formed in the range from one depth side to the outer end at one end 5A of the outlet forming part 5, making it easier to pinch and turn the free piece 5T, making the opening operation easier.

The ratio of the length of the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H at the end of the outlet forming portion 5 is not necessarily limited, but the length of the cut portion 50C should be in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm, preferably 7 mm to 13 mm, and the length of the half-cut portion 50H should be in the range of 0.3 mm to 3 mm, preferably 0.7 mm to 1.3 mm. Within this range, the cut portion 50C will split smoothly and continuously from the half-cut portion 50H and from the half-cut portion 50H to the cut portion 50C, and unintended splitting will be unlikely to occur.

Thickness L9 of the packaging film 4 may be selected as appropriate, but is preferably 25 to 75 μm as measured in accordance with JIS P 8118 (1998). If the thickness is 25 to 75 μm, the effect of the present invention can be particularly effectively achieved. Thickness L9 is measured using a dial thickness gauge (thickness measuring device) "PEACOCK G-1A type" (manufactured by Ozaki Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) or an equivalent device after the measurement sample has been sufficiently humidified under the conditions of JIS P 8111 (1998).

In the easily splittable line 50 constituting the outlet forming section 5 according to the present invention, the portions other than the portion where the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged can be perforations, slit cuts with uncut portions (non-cut portions), etc. However, this is not limited to this. The portion may be one where the cut portions 50C and the half-cut portions 50H are alternately arranged.

If the perforation is used, the type is not limited. Examples include normal perforations in which the cut portion 50C is a straight line, micro perforations in which the cut portion is a hole, and perforations in which the cut portion is Y-shaped, approximately L-shaped, or <-shaped. Normal perforations are preferable. A slit cut is a portion in which the film is cut into slits, but by having a non-cut portion, the non-cut portion and the cut portion are arranged alternately. Note that a slit cut having a non-cut portion may simply be called a slit cut. Although perforations and slit cuts having a non-cut portion are sometimes not differentiated, in the present invention, a slit cut is called a slit cut when the cut portion is less than two pitches, that is, when there are no two consecutive cut portions of the same length. Generally, a slit cut is formed such that the cut portion is longer than the perforation.

In the shape having a narrow portion 51, a wide portion 52, and a curved convex portion 53 as shown in Figures 1 to 5, the edge of the narrow portion 51 preferably has a perforation with an uncut portion rather than a half-cut portion, since the direction of extension of the edge of the narrow portion 51 coincides with the pulling direction from one end 5A to the other end 5B during the opening operation. This is desirable because the edge of the narrow portion 51 is less likely to tear open unintentionally.

The cut-tie ratio for slit cuts with perforations or non-cut sections is determined appropriately based on the ease of tearing of the film used, but the length of the cut section should be designed appropriately within the range of 0.8 mm to 20.0 mm, and the length of the non-cut section (tie section or uncut section) should be designed appropriately within the range of 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm.

The easily splittable line 50 can be formed in one go, for example, by die cutting, including the slit cut having perforations and non-cut portions, and the portion where the cut portion 50C and the half-cut portion 50H are arranged alternately.

Next, Examples 1 to 4 of the present invention and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were prepared, and tests were conducted on the sagging of the sanitary tissue paper and the tearing of the opening and dispensing port. The shape of the dispensing port forming portion of the packages in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 is roughly gourd-shaped with a narrow portion, a wide portion, and a curved convex portion as shown in Figures 1 to 5. The dispensing port forming portion of the package in Comparative Example 2 is simply a straight line of perforation.

The bundle contained in each package in each example was 200 sets of one-ply paper towels (Elleair Refreshing Hand Towels, manufactured by Daio Paper Co., Ltd.) with a basis weight of 35.5 g/ ^m2 and a paper thickness of 255 μm, folded and stacked in a pop-up style. The packaging form in each example was a gusset package, with the stretching direction of the packaging film being perpendicular to the width direction of the removal opening forming portion.

The "number of times it slid" test involved splitting the easily split wire in the outlet formation section to form an outlet, and then pulling out each of the paper towels making up the bundle from the outlet in order down to the last one, and counting the number of times it actually slid.

For "openability," subjects were asked to open the sample for each example by pinching one end and pulling it toward the other end, and an evaluation was made as to whether or not a tear occurred at the other end of the outlet. N=10, and cases in which a tear occurred were rated as "yes," and cases in which no tear occurred were rated as "no."

The dimensions of the outlet forming part in each example, the ratio of the depth length and width length of the top surface of the bundle, and the test results are shown in Table 1 below.

As can be seen from Table 1, in Examples 1 to 4, in which the edge of the end (curved convex portion) is made up of alternating cut and half-cut portions, the maximum depth length of the outlet, i.e., the depth length of the curved convex portion that is the end, is long at 35 mm, which is 30% of the depth of the top surface of the bundle, making it prone to tearing. However, no tearing was observed at the end of the outlet during the opening operation.

In Comparative Example 1, the cut sections between the curved convex parts in Example 1 are replaced with non-cut sections as is common in the past, rather than half-cut sections. In this Comparative Example 1, however, tears occurred at the end of the outlet when the package was opened. Even in the case of an easily ruptured line that constitutes the edge of a very long curved convex part as in the Example, by alternating cut and half-cut sections in that area, it was shown that tears at the end of the outlet can be prevented when the package is opened.

Therefore, for example, in the case of a narrower outlet shape that does not have a widening portion as shown in FIG. 7, by arranging the cut and half-cut portions alternately on the edge of the end portion, it can be said that tearing of the end portion of the outlet portion during the opening operation can be better prevented.

In addition, with regard to sagging, in Comparative Example 2, in which the outlet forming portion is a single perforation and the outlet is a slit, 12 saggings were confirmed. In contrast, in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1, the number of saggings was zero, meaning no sagging was confirmed. In other words, it was shown that outlets with an outlet forming portion having a narrow portion, a wide portion, and a curved convex portion in particular have excellent sagging prevention properties.

As a result of the above, the packaging body according to the present invention is a film-wrapped packaging body that is easy to open as the edges in the width direction of the opening are less likely to tear when opened, and that also has excellent pull-out properties for sanitary tissue paper, particularly hard sanitary tissue paper such as paper towels.

Reference Signs List 1...packaging body, 2...sanitary tissue paper, 2A...inner fold, 2B...folded piece, 2C...folded edge, 2R...root portion of sanitary tissue paper exposed from removal opening, 3...stack of sanitary tissue paper, 3A...short side, 3B...long side, 3C...top and bottom surfaces of stack, 4...packaging film, 4A...short side, 4B...long side, 4C...top, 4D...bottom, 4X...overlapping portion of packaging film, 5...removal opening forming portion, 5A, 5B...longitudinal ends, 5T...free piece, 6...removal opening, 6E...edge of removal opening, 6H...recessed portion of removal opening.
41: front side of packaging film; 42: back side of packaging film;
50...easy to split line, 50C...cut portion, 50H...half cut portion, 50U...non-cut portion (tie portion), 50P...portion where cut portions and half cut portions are arranged alternately, 51...narrow portion, 51A...approximately trapezoidal edge piece, 52...widened portion, 53...curved convex portion, ∠α...taper angle of widened portion.
L1...widthwise (longitudinal) length of the outlet forming section 5, L2...widthwise (longitudinal) length of the top surface of the bundle, L3...maximum depthwise (shortitudinal) length of the outlet forming section 5, L4...depthwise (shortitudinal) length of the top surface of the bundle, L5...widthwise (longitudinal) length of the narrow portion, L6...depthwise (shortitudinal) length of the narrow portion, L7...widthwise bulge length of the curved convex portion, L8...depth of the half-cut portion, L9...thickness of the packaging film, L10...range from the middle of the widened portion on one side in the depth direction to a position beyond the outer end of the curved convex portion.
105...take-out port forming section, 105A...one end of the take-out port forming section, 105B...other end of the take-out port forming section, 105P...tear in film, 150...perforation, 150e...perforation at widthwise end, X...longitudinal direction (width direction), Y...direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (depth direction), Z...thickness direction of packaging film.

Claims (4)

A package in which a bundle of sanitary tissue papers is wrapped in a flexible resin wrapping film,
A take-out opening forming part is formed by arranging an easy-to-break line in an annular shape on the upper surface,
the outlet forming portion has a shape including a narrow portion extending in the width direction at a center portion in the depth direction, a wide portion continuing from an end of the narrow portion toward the outside in the width direction and gradually widening as it moves away from the narrow portion, and a curved convex portion continuing from the wide portion and bulging outward in the width direction;
The edge of the narrow portion is formed by perforations in which cut portions and uncut portions are alternately arranged,
80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the widened portion and 80% or more of the portion constituting the edge of the curved convex portion are portions in which the cut portions and the half-cut portions are alternately arranged.
A package comprising: The package according to claim 1, wherein the half-cut portion is cut to a depth of 20% or more of the thickness of the packaging film. 3. The package according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the curved convex portion in the depth direction is 25 to 45 mm and the bulging length in the width direction is 2.5 to 12.5 mm. The packaging body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outlet forming portion has a widthwise length that is 70% or more of the widthwise length of the top surface of the stack, a maximum depthwise length that is 10 to 40% of the depthwise length of the top surface of the stack, a widthwise length of the narrow portion that is 50 to 70% of the widthwise length of the top surface of the stack, and a depthwise length that is 0.5 to 10% of the depthwise length of the top surface of the stack.