JP7737011B2 - Bottles with neck labels and neck labels - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. On February 17, 2021, Sunstar Inc. made the invention publicly available on the internet on the websites of Askul Inc. and Amazon Inc.

The present invention relates to a bottle with a neck label that can store a sample, and the neck label.

One proposed neck label of this type is made of a flexible film material and has an opening into which the neck of the bottle body is inserted, a display section, and a pocket in the display section for storing samples, etc. (See paragraph [0024], Figure 1, etc. of Patent Document 1). With this type of neck label, if the pocket for storing samples, etc. is located on the sloping shoulder of the bottle body, it would be difficult to insert samples, and once inserted, the label would bulge, making it difficult to read the contents of the display section, so it is inevitably located on the barrel of the bottle body.

However, when samples or other items are stored in the bottle body, the label bulges outward from the bottle body by a large amount in proportion to the size of the sample. When multiple bottles with such neck labels are packed into a box for transport, the bulging neck labels can come into strong contact with adjacent bottles, damaging the display or sample, or the neck labels can become dislodged inside the box due to vibrations during transport, reducing transport efficiency by making it difficult to maintain gaps between bottles. Furthermore, with marine plastic waste becoming a problem in recent years, environmental impact also needs to be taken into consideration.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-335802

In light of the above-mentioned situation, the present invention aims to solve the problem of providing a bottle with a neck label that does not bulge outward significantly even when a sample is stored inside, keeps the display easy to read, and maintains transportation efficiency by preventing damage to the display or sample or the neck label from becoming detached inside the box even when multiple bottles are packed into a box for transportation, while also reducing the environmental impact.

In light of this current situation, the inventor conducted extensive research and discovered that a shape-retaining storage space for sample products can be created by folding a paper sheet material, and that by forming such a space behind the display, the display can also remain flat due to its shape retention, while at the same time reducing the environmental impact. Furthermore, the inventor discovered that the shape retention created by this folding makes it possible to position the storage space on the shoulder of the bottle, preventing labels from protruding too far outside the bottle, becoming bulky during transport, or interfering with each other and becoming damaged or falling off, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) A bottle with a neck label, in which a paper neck label is attached to the neck of the bottle body, the neck label being made of a single sheet of paper material;
a display board connected to the front or rear of the top board and displaying product information on its surface; left and right pressing pieces connected to the left and right end edges of the display board, respectively, and folded at said end edges toward the back surface of the display board; a folding plate connected to the end edge of the display board opposite the top board, having a shape approximately symmetrical to that of the display board and folded at said end edge toward the back surface of the display board; and insertion pieces connected to the end edge of the folding plate opposite the display board, folded at said end edge toward the back surface of the folding plate, and inserted into the gaps between the left and right pressing pieces and the display board; an oral care sample bottle stored inside the space surrounded by the display board, left and right pressing pieces, folding plate, and insertion piece of the neck label.

(2) A bottle with a neck label as described in (1), in which the edge of each of the left and right pressing pieces closest to the top plate is an inclined edge that approaches the folding plate as it moves outward, and the left and right end portions of the edge between the insertion piece and the folding plate are provided with notches of a predetermined length that are open outward to the left and right, and when the insertion piece is inserted into the gap between the left and right pressing pieces and the display plate, the inclined edges engage with the notches.

(3) A bottle with a neck label as described in (2), in which the angle of inclination of the inclined edges relative to the left and right edge edges of the display panel is set to 65° or more.

(4) A bottle with a neck label as described in (2) or (3), in which the left and right end edges of the insertion piece are inclined edges that are inward the farther they are from the folding plate, and the inclination angle of the inclined edges relative to the end edge between them and the folding plate is set to 50° or more.

(5) A neck label comprising: a top plate made of a single sheet of paper and having an opening for insertion into the neck of a bottle; a display plate connected to the front or rear of the top plate and displaying product information on its surface; left and right pressing pieces connected to the left and right edges of the display plate, respectively, and folded at these edges toward the back surface of the display plate; a folding plate connected to the edge of the display plate opposite the top plate, having a shape approximately symmetrical to the shape of the display plate and folded at this edge toward the back surface of the display plate; and insertion pieces connected to the edge of the folding plate opposite the display plate, folded at this edge toward the back surface of the folding plate, and inserted into the gaps between the left and right pressing pieces and the display plate; an oral care sample product is stored within the space surrounded by the display plate, the folded left and right pressing pieces, the folding plate, and the insertion piece.

With the bottle with neck label of the present invention, the paper sheet material is folded to maintain a shape-retaining space for storing oral care samples within the interior space surrounded by the display plate, left and right retaining pieces, folding plate, and insert piece. This prevents the samples from being damaged, and the display part also remains flat due to its shape retention, ensuring that the displayed content is not difficult to read. Furthermore, the storage space can be easily assembled by inserting the insert piece into the gap between the left and right retaining pieces and the display plate, and it will not easily come off. The sample can be held securely in a stable position without the need for glue or other adhesive, and is easy to remove.

Furthermore, because this shape-retaining storage space can be positioned on the shoulder of the bottle, it is possible to prevent labels from protruding too far outward from the bottle, which would otherwise be bulky during transport, or from interfering with each other and becoming damaged or falling off. Furthermore, because the product involves folding a paper sheet, it is possible to keep manufacturing costs for materials, processing, and assembly low, and the environmental impact is also reduced.

In particular, the edges of the left and right retaining pieces closest to the top plate are inclined edges that get closer to the folding plate as they move outward. The left and right ends of these edges between the insert pieces and the folding plate are each provided with a cutout of a predetermined length that opens outward to the left and right. When the insert pieces are inserted into the gaps between the left and right retaining pieces and the display plate, the inclined edges engage with the cutouts. The inclined edges make it easier to insert and remove the insert pieces, and because the inclined edges engage with the cutouts, they do not easily come loose, allowing the sample to be held firmly in a more stable position. The inclined edges also make it easy to release the engagement and remove the sample.

Here, if the inclination angle of the inclined edges of the display panel relative to the left and right edges is set to 65° or more, it is easier to insert and will not easily come off, allowing the sample to be held more securely.

Furthermore, if the left and right edge of the insertion piece are inclined so that the farther they are from the folding plate, the more inward they become on the left and right, and the inclination angle of these inclined edges relative to the edge between them and the folding plate is set to 50° or more, it becomes easier to insert and the sample can be held more securely without coming off easily.

1 is a front view showing a bottle with a neck label according to a representative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view of the bottle with the neck label. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the neck label from the back side before the display portion is folded downward. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the front side of the neck label in a flat state before being folded. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the first half of the process of assembling an oral care sample into a neck label. FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a modified example of a bottle with a neck label of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the front side of the neck label of the modified example, showing the flat state before being folded. 10 is a graph showing the results of measuring the time required to assemble the storage spaces of Examples 1 to 4 and the holding force. 10 is a graph showing the results of measuring the time required to assemble the storage spaces of Examples 2 and 5 to 7 and the holding force.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bottle 1 of the present invention is a bottle with a neck label, in which a paper neck label 3 is attached to the neck 20 of the bottle body 2. The bottle body 2 is suitable for a bottle of a liquid oral care product, such as a toothpaste bottle, but is not limited to this and can be a variety of other product bottles. The neck label is a label that displays product information, such as information about the liquid product and other related information.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the neck label 3 is made by folding a paper sheet material 30 and comprises a top plate 31 attached to the neck 20 of the bottle, a display board 32 folded downward at the front edge 31a of the top plate 31 and displaying product information 11 on its surface, left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 folded toward the back surface of the display board 32 at the left and right edges 32b, 32c of the display board 32, a folded plate 35 folded toward the back surface of the display board 32 at the edge 32a of the display board 32 opposite the top plate 31, and an insertion piece 36 folded toward the back surface of the folding plate 35 at the edge 35 opposite the display board 32 and inserted into the gap between the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 and the display board 32.

The interior of the neck label 3, surrounded by the display plate 32, the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34, the folding plate 35, and the insertion piece 36, forms a shape-retaining storage space s1 in which an oral care sample 4 is stored. The oral care sample is, for example, an item related to the liquid product contained in the bottle itself.

With the neck label 3 of the present invention, the shape-retaining storage space s1 is maintained by folding the paper sheet material, so the oral care sample 4 is protected from damage, and the display board 32 also remains flat due to its shape retention, so the product information 11 on the surface is not obscured. Furthermore, because the storage space s1 can be positioned on the shoulder 21 of the bottle, it is possible to prevent the neck label from protruding too far outward from the bottle, becoming bulky during transport, or interfering with other labels and causing damage or falling off.

As shown in Figure 4, the neck label 3 is composed of a single sheet of paper material 30. It is preferable to use cardboard for the sheet material 30, as the paper itself has shape retention. Its thickness is preferably 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm. Among these, paperboard such as coated cardboard, which is commonly used for packaging, is particularly suitable. By using environmentally friendly paperboard certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), it is expected that plastic reduction effects will be 5.6 tons per year.

The size of the top plate 31 is set according to the size of the bottle, but is preferably set to 30 mm to 80 mm in height and 45 mm to 100 mm in width. The top plate 31 has a through opening 310 through which the bottle neck 20 is inserted. The opening 310 has a circular edge with multiple protrusions 311 (four in this example) that curve inward, giving it an irregular shape. The inner diameter of the basic circular portion is set according to the type of bottle, and is preferably set to 35 mm to 45 mm. These protrusions 311 not only prevent the neck label 3 from falling off the bottle body 2, but also provide cushioning, allowing it to be securely attached to bottles with different neck diameters without tearing during insertion.

The distance a1 from the front edge of the opening 310 in the top panel 31 to the front (or rear) edge 31a to which the display panel 32 is connected depends on the dimensions of the display panel 32, but is set to a predetermined distance, for example, 5 mm to 15 mm, so that the display panel 32 can maintain a substantially vertical position outside the shoulder 21 of the bottle body 2. By allowing the display panel 32 to maintain a substantially vertical position in this way, the storage space s1 formed on its back side can also be comfortably positioned in the space outside the shoulder 21 of the bottle body 2.

A display board 32, which displays product information 11 on its surface, is attached to the edge 31a of the top plate 31, and left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 are attached to the left and right edge 32b, 32c of the display board 32, respectively. The size of the display board 32 is set according to the size of the bottle, but is preferably set to 20mm to 80mm in height and 45mm to 100mm in width. The product information 11 is information related to the liquid product contained in the bottle body 2, as well as other related information, and is printed on the surface. The edges 33a, 34a of the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 closest to the top plate 31 are inclined, each approaching the folding plate 35 as they move outward.

A folding plate 35 having a shape substantially symmetrical (same shape and size) to the display plate 32 is attached to the edge 32a of the display plate 32 opposite the top plate 31, and an insertion piece 36 is connected to the edge 35a of the folding plate 35 opposite the display plate 32. The protruding length of the folding plate 35 (the length in the direction perpendicular to the edge 32a) is preferably set to 45 mm to 80 mm. The protruding length of the insertion piece 36 is preferably set to 5 mm to 15 mm. The folding plate 35 is folded back to the back side of the display plate 32 to form a storage space s1 therebetween, and functions as a holding section for sandwiching the stored oral care sample 4.

Information 12 about the oral care sample 4 to be stored is printed on the surface of the folding plate 35. Furthermore, a small window 13 consisting of a through-hole is provided at an appropriate position on the folding plate 35 to confirm the presence of the oral care sample 4 stored in the storage space s1. This prevents the oral care sample 4 from being forgotten to be placed. Furthermore, cutouts 351, 352 of a predetermined length that open outward to the left and right are provided on the left and right ends of the edge 35a between the insertion piece 36 and the folding plate 35.

Figures 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams showing the process of folding each section of the sheet-like label 3 described above and assembling it with the oral care sample product 4 stored inside.

First, as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), place the oral care sample 4 on the back side of the display board 32, and then fold the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 back toward the back side of the display board 32 so as to press down on the left and right sides of the sample 4.

Furthermore, the folding plate 35 is folded back and the insertion piece 36 is inserted into the gap between the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34 and the display plate 32 as shown in Figure 6(a), and the inclined edges (edges 33a, 34a) of the pressing pieces 33, 34 are engaged with the notches 351, 352 as shown in Figure 6(b). This places the oral care sample 4 in the internal storage space s1 surrounded by the display plate 32, the left and right pressing pieces 33, 34, the folding plate 35, and the insertion piece 36, completing the sample storage process.

In this way, sample products 4 can be easily stored by inserting the insertion pieces 36 into the gaps between the left and right retaining pieces 33, 34 and the display panel 32. They do not easily come loose, and the sample products 4 can be securely held in a stable position without the need for glue or other adhesives, making them easy to remove. Because no pasting or tape sealing is required, material costs and assembly man-hours can be significantly reduced.

In particular, by setting the inclination angle (θ1) of the inclined edges (edges 33a, 34a) of the pressing pieces 33, 34 relative to the left and right edge edges 32b, 32c of the display panel 32 to 65° or greater, and by setting the inclination angle (θ2) of the left and right inclined edges (edges 36b, 36c) of the insertion piece 36 relative to the edge 35a between it and the folding plate 35 to 50° or greater, packaging can be made easier and the stored state can be maintained more reliably.

Finally, the top plate 31 is folded onto the display plate 32 to complete the assembly. This folding of the display plate 32 and top plate 31 can also be done after the top plate 31 has been attached to the bottle neck 20. The neck label 3 of the present invention is made by folding a paper sheet, which allows for low manufacturing costs for materials, processing, and assembly, and also reduces the environmental impact.

Next, we will explain a modified example of the bottle with neck label of the present invention. If the shoulder 21 of the bottle body 2 is nearly horizontal and the space outside the shoulder is short vertically, attaching the neck label 3 of the representative embodiment described above will result in the storage space s1 being located at the body 22 of the bottle body 2, and protruding outward from the bottle body 22 together with the display board. Therefore, for such a bottle body, a preferred example is one in which the display board 32A, on the back side of which the storage space s1 for oral care sample products 4 is formed, is connected to the rear of the top panel 31A, and the storage space s1 is positioned above the shoulder 21, as shown in Figures 7 to 9.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the neck label 3A is also made by folding a paper sheet material 30, and a display board 32A, which displays product information 11A on its surface, is attached to the rear side of a top plate 31 that is attached to the neck 20 of the bottle. A display board 32 is attached to the front side of the top plate 31 via an edge 31a and is folded downward. Product information 11A and 11B are displayed on the surfaces of display boards 32A and 32A, respectively. In this example, display board 32 could be omitted, but since the vertical dimension of display board 32A is limited, it is preferable to provide display board 32 to ensure sufficient area for displaying product information.

Left and right pressing pieces 33A, 34A are attached to the left and right edges of display board 32A and bend toward the back surface of display board 32A. A folding plate 35A, which has a shape substantially symmetrical to that of display board 32A (same shape and size) and is attached to the edge of display board 32A opposite top panel 31, is attached to the edge. An insertion piece 36A is attached to the edge of folding plate 35A opposite display board 32A and is bent toward the back surface of folding plate 35A and inserted into the gap between display board 32A and left and right pressing pieces 33A, 34A. Cutouts 351, 352 of a predetermined length that open outward to the left and right are provided on the left and right ends of edge 35a between insertion piece 36A and folding plate 35A, respectively.

The interior of the neck label 3A, surrounded by the display plate 32A, left and right pressing pieces 33A and 34A, folding plate 35A, and insertion piece 36A, forms a shape-retaining storage space s1 in which the oral care sample 4 is stored. Information 12 about the stored oral care sample 4 is printed on the surface of the folding plate 35A.

Even with this modified neck label 3A, the shape-retaining storage space s1 is maintained, so the oral care sample 4 is protected from damage, and the display board 32A also remains flat due to its shape retention, so the product information 11A on the surface is not obscured. In this example, the vertical dimensions of the display board 32A and folding plate 35A tend to be short. To maintain the storage space s1 even when they are short and facilitate storage/removal operations, a mountain fold line 353 is provided in the horizontal direction midway along the vertical direction of the folding plate 35A so that the folding plate 35A can be mountain-folded partway along the way.

In addition, because the storage space s1 in this example can be positioned above the shoulder 21 of the bottle, it is possible to prevent the label from protruding too far outward from the bottle, causing bulk during transport, or interfering with other labels and resulting in damage or falling off. Even if the label protrudes slightly outward from its position above the shoulder 21, it will protrude into the space above the shoulder of an identical bottle placed next to it during transport, for example, so they will not interfere with each other and can avoid becoming bulky during transport.

The storage and assembly procedures for the oral care sample 4 in this example, as well as other configurations and variations, are the same as those for the neck label 3 of the representative embodiment described above in Figures 1 to 6. Therefore, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

The above describes embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these examples and can, of course, be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The following describes the results of measurements of the time required to assemble the storage space and the force (holding force) required to remove the insertion piece from the assembled storage space, particularly for the insertion piece, for the neck label 3 of the representative embodiment described above in Figures 1 to 6. These measurements were performed for each example in which the inclination angle (θ1) of the inclined edges (edges 33a, 34a) of the pressing pieces 33, 34 relative to the left and right edge edges 32b, 32c of the display panel 32 (hereinafter referred to as the "inclination angle of the pressing piece side") was changed to 50°, 70°, 80°, or 90°, respectively, and for each example in which the inclination angle (θ2) of the left and right inclined edges (edges 36b, 36c) of the insertion piece 36 relative to the edge 35a between the folding plate 35 and the folding plate 35 (hereinafter referred to as the "inclination angle of the insertion piece side") was set to 45°, 60°, 75°, or 90°.

The values for the inclination angles of the holding piece side and the insertion piece side for Examples 1 to 7 are as shown in Table 1 below. All other specifications were the same. Specifically, the dimensions of the top plate were 60mm x 80mm, the display board dimensions were 50mm x 80mm, the holding plate dimensions were 47mm x 80mm, the holding piece protrusion length was 15mm, and the insertion piece protrusion length was 11mm.

The holding force was measured by hooking a push-pull gauge (manufactured by Imada Co., Ltd.) into the gap between the display panel 32 and the insertion piece 36 of each assembled sample (Examples 1 to 7) and pulling until the package was opened.

The results are shown in Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a graph summarizing the results for Examples 1 to 4, in which the inclination angle of the insertion piece side was constant (60°). Figure 11 is a graph summarizing the results for Examples 2 and 5 to 7, in which the inclination angle of the pressing piece side was constant (70°). Here, "reduced assembly time" refers to the reduced assembly time compared to conventional flexible film materials that require tape sealing (how much the reduction was achieved, i.e., the reduced time; a larger value indicates a shorter assembly time).

The results in Figure 10 show that setting the inclination angle of the pressing piece side to between 65° and 75° makes packaging easier and ensures that the storage state is maintained more reliably. The results in Figure 11 also show that setting the inclination angle of the insertion piece side to between 50° and 65° makes packaging easier and ensures that the storage state is maintained more reliably.

1 Bottle with neck label 2 Bottle body 3, 3A Neck label 4 Oral care sample 11, 11A Product information 12 Information 13 Small window 20 Neck 21 Shoulder 22 Body 30 Sheet material 31, 31A Top plate 31a Edge 32, 32A Display plate 32a, 32b, 32c Edge 33, 34 Pressing piece 33A, 34A Pressing piece 33a, 34a Edge 35, 35A Folding plate 35 Edge 35a Edge 36, 36A Insertion piece 36b, 36c Edge 310 Opening 311 Protrusion 351, 352 Notch 353 Folding line s1 Storage space

Claims (5)

A bottle with a neck label in which a paper neck label is attached to the neck of the bottle body,
The neck label is
It consists of a single sheet of paper,
a top plate having an opening into which the neck of the bottle is inserted;
A display board is provided in front of or behind the top plate and displays product information on its surface;
Left and right pressing pieces respectively connected to the left and right end edges of the display plate and bent at the end edges toward the back surface of the display plate;
a folding plate connected to the edge of the display board opposite to the top plate, having a shape substantially symmetrical to the shape of the display board, and folded at the edge toward the back side of the display board;
and an insertion piece that is connected to the end edge of the folding plate opposite to the display plate, is bent at the end edge toward the back surface of the folding plate, and is inserted into the gap between the left and right pressing pieces and the display plate,
An oral care sample is stored inside the neck label, surrounded by the display plate, the left and right pressing pieces, the folding plate, and the insertion piece.
Bottle with neck label. The end edges of the left and right pressing pieces close to the top plate are inclined edges that become closer to the bending plate as they are positioned outward,
The left and right end portions of the edge between the insertion piece and the bending plate are provided with cutouts of a predetermined length that are open outward to the left and right,
When the insertion pieces are inserted into the gaps between the left and right pressing pieces and the display plate, the inclined sides engage with the notches.
2. The bottle with the neck label according to claim 1. The bottle with neck label according to claim 2, wherein the angle of inclination of the inclined edges relative to the left and right edge edges of the display panel is set to 65° or more. The left and right end sides of the insertion piece are inclined sides that become more inward as they move farther from the bending plate,
4. A bottle with a neck label according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the angle of inclination of the inclined edge relative to the edge between the folding plate and the inclined edge is set to 50 degrees or more. It consists of a single sheet of paper,
a top plate having an opening for insertion into the neck of the bottle;
A display board is provided in front of or behind the top plate and displays product information on its surface;
Left and right pressing pieces respectively connected to the left and right end edges of the display plate and bent at the end edges toward the back surface of the display plate;
a folding plate connected to the edge of the display board opposite to the top plate, having a shape substantially symmetrical to the shape of the display board, and folded at the edge toward the back side of the display board;
and an insertion piece connected to an end edge of the folding plate opposite to the display plate, bent at the end edge toward the back surface of the folding plate, and inserted into a gap between the left and right pressing pieces and the display plate,
An oral care sample is stored inside an area surrounded by the display plate, the folded left and right pressing pieces, the folding plate, and the insertion piece.
Neck label.