Abstract:
A delivery envelope-type bag, which is a bag manufactured from a plastic sheet, or the like, is provided with a storage section for storing the delivery item and a flap section formed from a sealing section that seals the storage section and a peeling section located between parallel perforations, and is configured so that the flap section is folded back along a folding section and adhesively fixed to the storage section by the sealing section. In the delivery envelope-type bag: the parallel perforations and the peeling section are formed to extend to both edges; and a variety of notched sections and formed adjacent to or near the peeling section at both edges of the flap section, and/or a variety cutout sections are formed near the peeling section on the folding section side at both edges of the flap section.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/JP2012/063451 filed on May 25, 2012, and published in Japanese as WO 2013/175621 A1 on Nov. 28, 2013. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a delivery envelope-type bag, and relates particularly to a delivery envelope-type bag, for which a damage on a peeling section that might occur during a delivery process can be prevented, and a recipient can easily tear off the peeling section to open the bag. It should be noted that in this invention, a “peeling section” represents a belt-like portion that is defined by a plurality of perforations formed in parallel at a predetermined gap, and is to be ripped off to open a bag, and a “flap section” represents a portion that is contiguous to a storage section (bag section) where a product for delivery is to be stored, and that includes a sealing section, the parallel perforations and the peeling section. 
       BACKGROUND ART   
       [0003]    A delivery envelope-type bag (hereinafter, also referred to simply as a bag) made of, for example, a plastic sheet, is conventionally well known to be employed for packaging goods for delivery. A manufacturing method for the bag and the structure of the bag to be used for delivery will now be described according to the prior art, while referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The bag includes a storage section  2  used to store a product for delivery and a flap section  1 , and as shown in the developed elevation view ( FIG. 7A ), rectangular sheets are obtained by segmenting a single sheet blank, and the bottom side of a bag section is formed by folding a sheet S 2  over a sheet S 1  along a fold B 2 , while a bag section is formed by fusing transverse sides WL 1  and WL 2  together, while opening a distal end  21  where the two sheets overlap each other. 
         [0004]    A sealing section  11  used to close the storage section, parallel perforations  12   a  and  12   b  and a peeling section  13  located between the perforations are included in a flap section  1  that is contiguous to the sheet S 1 . Further, an adhesive material for sealing is applied to the sealing section, and is covered with release paper. A process beginning from storing of a product for delivery and ending at closing of the bag will now be described. As shown in  FIGS. 8(A  and B), when an item G for delivery is inserted into the storage section through an opening section  21  that is open, the flap section is folded along the fold B 1  ( FIG. 7B) , and is securely adhered to the storage section by using the sealing section ( FIG. 7C  and  FIG. 8 ), and the resultant bag is transported or delivered to a recipient, who then rips off the peeling section of the received bag along the perforations to obtain the item that has been delivered. 
         [0005]    During the transportation or delivery process for the bag of prior art where a product for delivery is stored, small shocks caused due to the handling or the collapse of a load generate the inertial force on the product for delivery, which in turn generates, through the peeling section, a tensile force between the folded-over portion of the flap section and the sealing section. As a result, especially for long-distance transportation, such as international shipping, damage like tear (peeling damage) due to rupture of perforations occurs at the flap section near both ends of the peeling section, and accordingly, a problem, such as a product being dirty, water-stained, or uncovered (exposed), frequently occurs. Further, since the edges of the peeling section are arranged on the face where the flap section is formed, and the end portions of the peeling section are narrow, when recipient at a delivery destination tries to open a bag that has been safely received without the occurrence of the above described problem, he or she is forced to perform less user-friendly manipulation (peeling) in which the edge of the peeling section is pinched by the tips of the fingers to rip off the peeling section. 
         [0006]    Further, there are Patent Literatures Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-138899, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-247161, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-35323 as prior art for the purpose of easily opening or tearing a packaging bag formed of film. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-138899 discloses a food packaging bag for which a detour portion  6  is formed at an appropriate location along perforations  5  to easily access the opening portion; Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-247161 discloses a package member that includes a wide portion  20  where the individual cuts  19  sequentially formed to provide a pair of perforations  16  are extended outwardly in a direction X in which a rip portion  15  is to be pulled; and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-35323 discloses a packaging bag for which perforation rows  9  and  9  used for breaking are formed substantially in a chevron form to make the bag easily open and hard to break. 
         [0007]    A bag where notches or cutout portions are formed at the two edges of a flap section are not conventionally proposed. Therefore, there has been a demand on a bag wherein a simple process is performed for the flap section to prevent a damage on the peeling section during transportation, and to easily rip off the peeling section for opening the bag. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0008]    One objective of the present invention is to provide a delivery envelope-type bag, for which the damage of a peeling section during transit can be prevented, and a manipulation for tearing off the peeling section can be easily performed to open the bag that has been delivered at a destination. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0009]    The invention according to the first aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, which is made from a plastic sheet, a pulp sheet, or a composite sheet consisting of two or more materials selected among plastic, pulp and metal, and comprises a storage section  2  that includes an opening portion  21  and is used to store a product for delivery, and a flap section  1  that includes a sealing section  11  to close the storage section, parallel perforations  12   a  and  12   b  and a peeling section  13  located between the perforations, and which is provided by folding, along a fold B 1 , the flap section that is contiguous to the storage section, and by securely adhering the flap section to the storage section by using the sealing section, characterized in that: 
         [0010]    the parallel perforations and the peeling section are formed and extended across two edges E 1  and E 2  of the flap section; and 
         [0011]    notches  14 ,  15  or  16  are formed at the two edges of the flap section, adjacent to, or near the peeling section, and/or cutout portions  17  or  18  are formed at the two edges of the flap section, near the peeling section on the side of the fold. 
         [0012]    The invention according to the second aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIG. 5 , holes of the parallel perforations of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the first aspect of the current disclosure are alternately arranged, so that a hole L 1  of the perforation on one side is located in the middle of two adjacent holes L 2  and L 3  of the perforation on the other side. 
         [0013]    The invention according to the third aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIG. 1 , along the two edges of the flap section  1  for the delivery envelope-type bag according to the first aspect of the current disclosure, the notches  14  are formed substantially in a quadrilateral shape where one side is open along the edge E 1  or E 2  is open and the other side contacts the peeling section  13 , and the cutout portions  17  are formed substantially in an elongated rectangular shape with both ends in a small circular shape, near the peeling section on the side of the fold B 1 . It should be noted that both the notches  14  and the cutout portions  17 , or either the notches  14  or the cutout portions  17 , may be formed along only one of the edges of the flap section, or the notches  14  may be formed on both sides of the peeling section  13 . 
         [0014]    The invention according to the fourth aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIG. 2 , along the two edges of the flap section  1  for the delivery envelope-type bag according to the first aspect of the current disclosure, the notches  14  are formed substantially in a quadrilateral shape where one side is open along the edge E 1  or E 2  is open and the other side contacts the peeling section  13 , and the cutout portions  18  are formed substantially in an elongated rectangular shape with both ends in a semi-circular shape, near the peeling section on the side of the fold B 1 . 
         [0015]    The invention according to the fifth aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , for each of the notches  14  substantially in a quadrilateral shape of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the third aspect of the current disclosure, two corner portions C 1  and C 2  along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section and a corner portion C 3  close to the fold B 1  are formed in a curved shape. 
         [0016]    The invention according to the sixth aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIG. 3 , along the two edges of the flap section  1  of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the first aspect of the current disclosure, the notches  15  are formed, near the peeling section  13  on both sides of the peeling section, in a shape obtained by linking a circle to a side opposite to a side, of an elongated rectangular shape, that is open along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section. 
         [0017]    The invention according to the seventh aspect of the current disclosure is a delivery envelope-type bag, characterized in that, as shown in  FIG. 4 , along the two edges of the flap section  1  of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the first aspect of the current disclosure, the notches  16  in a semi-circular shape where a side is open along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section are formed, near the peeling section  13  and on both sides of the peeling section. It should be noted that the notches  15  and  16  of the inventions according to the sixth and seventh aspects of the current disclosure may be formed along only one of the edges of the flap section, and the cutout portions  17  and  18  may be formed near these notches and on the side of the fold B 1 . 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0018]    According to the present invention, the parallel perforations and the peeling section are extended across the two edges of the peeling section or the flap section, and notches and cutout portions in various shapes and a portion where the notches and cutout portions are appropriately arranged are provided along the two edges of the flap section adjacent to, or in the periphery of the peeling section. Even when handling or collapse of a load has occurred during the shipping or delivery of a bag that holds an item for delivery, and the inertial force of the stored product generates a sudden tensile force, which is in turn exerted to the folded-over portion of the flap section and the sealing section, the tensile force is dispersed by the notches and the cutout portions in various shapes, and concentration of the tensile force on the both edges of the peeling section is avoided. Owing to the notches and the cutout portions, the direct application of the tensile force to the two edges of the peeling section can be blocked, and the damage of the flap section in transit can be appropriately avoided. Since the three corners of each notch are formed in a curved shape (R curve), upon application of the tensile force, the R-curve corner tends to be rolled up and absorb the tensile force, and therefore, the damage of the edges of the peeling section can be prevented. 
         [0019]    According to this invention, the parallel perforations are alternately formed by locating the holes consisting of the perforation on one side between the adjacent holes of the perforation on the other side. Therefore, the perforations are not easily broken, and the damage of the flap section can be more appropriately prevented. 
         [0020]    Further, according to the present invention, the notches in various shapes where the side is open along one of the edges of the flap section is open are formed along both of, or one of the edges of the flap section, on one side or both sides of the peeling section. With this structure, since the rip portion is partially exposed from the sheet face, pinching manipulation is easily performed to strip off the peeling section to open the bag that has been delivered at the destination, and the usability for opening the bag is greatly improved. Furthermore, the bag according to the present invention can be produced only by performing the simple processing with a small amount of materials. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  A partially enlarged plan view of an example structure of a first embodiment for a delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  A partially enlarged plan view of an example structure of a second embodiment for the delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  A partially enlarged plan view of an example structure of a third embodiment for the delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  A partially enlarged plan view of an example structure of a fourth embodiment for the delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  A partially enlarged plan view of an example arrangement for the perforations of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  A diagram for explaining the function and effects of the delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  A diagram for explaining a delivery envelope-type bag according to prior art, with (A) being a developed elevation view, (B) being a perspective view of a state wherein a flap section is folded over, and (C) being a perspective view of a state wherein the flap section is securely adhered by a sealing section. 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  A diagram for explaining the delivery envelope-type bag according to prior art, with (A) being a partially enlarged diagram for  FIG. 7(C) , and (B) being an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in  FIG. 7(A) . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS   
       [0029]    The embodiments of a delivery envelope-type bag according to the present invention will now be described in detail, while referring to the accompanying drawings. A delivery envelope-type bag according to this invention (hereinafter, also referred to simply as a “bag”) is a bag, as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 5 , that is produced by using either a plastic sheet, a pulp sheet, a metal sheet, or a composite sheet of these materials, and that includes a storage section (bag section)  2  and a flap section  1 . The storage section  2  is a bag portion, used to store a product for delivery, for which two lateral sides WL 1  and WL 2  of a sheet that is obtained by segmenting a sheet blank formed of a single sheet, or formed by laminating a plurality of sheets, are fused together, and for the portion that serves as the bottom side of the bag section, sheets S 1  and S 2  are folded along a fold B 2 , and the end portion where the two sheets overlap each other is opened to provide an opening section  21 . In  FIGS. 1 to 5 , wavy lines indicate that the longitudinal portion and the lateral portion of the bag are partially omitted. 
         [0030]    The flap section  1  is contiguous to the sheet S 1 , and includes a sealing section  11  used to securely adhere the flap section  1  to one part of the storage section, parallel perforations  12   a  and  12   b,  and a peeling section  13  located between the perforations (see  FIG. 8 ). A sealing adhesive agent is applied to the sealing section, and is covered with release paper. The most appropriate material for the bag of this invention is, for example, a plastic sheet, a pulp sheet, a metal sheet, or a composite sheet of these materials, and a single layer consisting of one of these sheets, or multiple layers formed by laminating two or more of these sheets, can be employed as a material for the bag. This is because translucency, airtightness and storage stability should be taken into account in accordance with, for example, the property and the weight of the product to be delivered. An arbitrary material can be employed for the bag of this invention so long as the bag can be torn along perforations, etc. 
         [0031]    When a product to be delivered is inserted through the opening section  21  into the bag section having the above described structure, the flap section  1  is folded along the fold B 1  that is located at the rear of the opening section  21  at the distal end of the sheet, and is securely adhered to the sheet S 2  of the storage section  2  by employing the sealing section  11 , so that the delivery envelope-type bag is obtained. Since the structure for the bag and the manufacturing procedures, such as folding, fusing and securely adhering, for this invention are substantially the same as those for the prior art explained while referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , only the structure of the characteristic portion of this invention will be described. 
         [0032]    For a bag according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , notches  14  substantially in a quadrilateral shape are formed along the two edges (the upper edge and the lower edge in the diagram) of the flap section  1  by opening, with a predetermined width, the side along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section, and by maintaining the other side in contact with the peeling section  13  with a predetermined width. In this embodiment, two corners C 1  and C 2  of the notch at each edge of the flap section and a corner C 3  along the inner side and close to the fold B 1  are formed with an R-curve shape. Since the three corners C 1 , C 2  and C 2  of the notch are curved, the tensile force that act to the bag can be easily absorbed by the curved corners. Further, two cutout portions  17  are formed, at the respective edges of the flap section  1 , near the peeling section  13  on the side of the fold B 1 , and have substantially an elongated rectangular shape with a small circles at both ends. 
         [0033]    For a bag according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 2 , two notches  14  are formed on the respective edges of a flap section  1  in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and cutout portions  18  are formed, substantially in an elongated rectangular shape with both ends in a semi-circular shape, near a peeling section  13  on the side of a fold B 1 . It should be noted that reference numerals to denote portions corresponding to those in  FIG. 1  are not shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the notches  14  and the cutout portions  17  and  18  are formed at two locations along the respective edges of the flap section; however, according to the invention, the notches and the cutout portions may be formed along one of the edges of the flap section, and only the notches may be formed along both of, or one of the edges of the flap section, while the cutout portions may be formed on both sides of the peeling section  13 . 
         [0035]    For a bag according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 3 , two notches  15  are formed along each of the edges of a flap section  1 , with a peeling section  13  in between. The notches  15  have an elongated rectangular shape where the side along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section is open, and a circle is connected to the opposite side. It should be noted that reference numerals to denote the portions corresponding to those in  FIG. 1  are not shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0036]    For a bag according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 4 , two notches  16  are formed along each of the edges of a flap section  1 , with a peeling section  13  in between. The notches  16  have a semi-circular shape where the side along the edge E 1  or E 2  of the flap section is open. It should be noted that reference numerals to denote the portions corresponding to those in  FIG. 1  are not shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the notches  15  and  16  are formed at two locations along each of the edges of the flap section with the peeling section in between; however, according to the invention, the notches on both sides of the peeling section, or on one side of the peeling section, may be formed along only one edge of the flap section, and the cutout portions  17  or  18  according to the first or second embodiment may also be formed near the notches on the side of the fold B 1 . 
         [0038]    As for the arrangement of the parallel perforations provided for the bags according to the first to the fourth embodiments of this invention, the perforations are alternately formed so that the hole L 1  for the perforation on one side is located in the middle of the two adjacent holes L 2  and L 3  for the perforation on the other side. Since the holes consisting of the perforations are alternately formed, the perforations are not easily broken, and the damage of the peeling section can be more appropriately prevented. 
         [0039]    Next, while referring to  FIG. 6 , an explanation will be given for how the notches and the cutout portions of the bag of this invention act on the tensile force, and what kind of effect is obtained. In  FIG. 6 , the lateral portion of the bag is partially omitted, and is indicated by a wavy line. The structure shown in  FIG. 6  is that for the bag in  FIG. 1  for the first embodiment, and represents the state wherein an item to be delivered is stored in the bag, and the flap section  1  is folded along the fold B 1 , and is securely adhered to the portion of the storage section  2  by the sealing section  11 . Arrows a, b and c in this diagram indicate three typical directions of action of the tensile force that is regarded as a problem in transit, and that occurs due to the inertial force of the delivery item stored in the storage section and the gravity. In the diagram, a case wherein the arrows a, b and c are directed only toward the lower edge is shown; however, there is also a case wherein the tensile force acts on the upper edge in the diagram. 
         [0040]    The present inventor conducted an experiment to examine how the three tensile forces a, b and c, which were exerted to the flap fold (folded-over portion) B 1  and the sealing section  11 , acted on a peeling end X of the flap section that tends to be damaged at first, and found that the tensile forces b and c are were blocked by the cutout portions  17  and the notches  14 , and did not act on the peeling end X. Therefore, the damage of the peeling section can be prevented. On the other hand, there is a case wherein the tensile force a is not appropriately blocked by the cutout portions  17  and the notches  14 , and may cause a damage on the peeling end X. Since the point of application of the tensile force to the flap fold and the magnitude of the tensile force are determined in accordance with the weight and the form of a product to be stored in the bag, the weight, the form, etc., of an item to be stored should be taken into account to properly determine, for example, the sizes and the shapes of the cutout portions and the notches and the locations where these portions are formed. 
         [0041]    Furthermore, when a double-sided adhesive tape with release paper was applied as an adhesive material to the sealing margin of the sealing section  11 , and when the sealing section was adhered and fixed to the folded-over portion of the flap section, the tensile force was generated in a portion Y between the sealing section  11  and the peeling section  13  when the release paper was peeled. However, break or tear of the peeling end X did not occur due to the tensile force generated at the intermediate portion Y. It is assumed that this is because of the function of the notches in the invention. As described above, the notches of this invention can suppress the occurrence of tear at the peeling end when the flap section is securely adhered to one part of the storage section by the sealing section to form the delivery envelope-type bag. 
         [0042]    The shape of the cutout portion is not limited to the shape described in each of the embodiments, and the two ends of the cutout portion may be formed in a rhombic shape, a trapezoid shape, or a star shape, and further, the belt-like portion may also be formed in various shapes, such as a rhombic shape or an elliptic shape. The shape of the notch is not limited to the shape described in each of the embodiments, and various shapes, such as a triangular shape, a trapezoid shape, a fan shape or a rhombic shape, may also be employed. In the cutout portion and notch forming process, the cutout portions and the notches need not be completely cut out along the shapes from the sheet material of the flap section, and the cutout portions and the notches may also be attached, or connected, partially (at the end), to the sheet material serving as the flap section. With this structure, a labor of disposing of the waste sheet material after the cutout portions and the notches have been formed is not required, and the waste disposal processing can be simplified. The above described embodiments are very limited examples for the processing, and so long as a formation and a structure are easily obtained based on the idea of the present invention, it is obvious that the formation and the structure are included in the scope of the idea of this invention, regardless of the processed sections that include notches, cutout portions, cuts, etc., in various shapes other than those illustrated, and the structure provided by employing these processed sections. 
         [0043]    As described above while referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , for the bag according to the prior art, the notches, the cutout portions, etc., are not formed near the peeling section, and any other processing is not performed. Whereas, according to the present invention, as described above, the notches and the cutout portions in various shapes are formed along the edges of the flap section and in contact with, or near the peeling section. The tensile force generated by the inertial force of the item stored is dispersed by the notches and the cutout portions, and therefore, concentration of the tensile force on both ends of the peeling section can be avoided. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY   
       [0044]    According to the delivery envelope-type bag of the present invention, the notches are formed along the edges of the flap section, in contact with, or adjacent to the peeling section, and the cutout portions are formed near the peeling section on the side of the folded-over portion. Owing to the notches and the cutout portions, the tensile force generated between the folded-over portion of the flap section and the sealing section is not collectively applied to the peeling end, and therefore, the damage of the peeling section can be prevented. The delivery envelope-type bag of this invention is an ideal bag used for home delivery or commercial delivery of books, magazines and brochures having comparatively large specific weights, and can also be employed for delivery of the other products, and a broad range of use for the bag is anticipated.