Patent Application
20070201771
The present invention relates to a packaging bag with pour spout wherein a pour spout which is partitioned by seal regions is formed in the top region of a packaging bag.
In recent years, when small quantities of content such as liquids stored in a main container such as a plastic bottle are removed and used, the main containers are not disposed when the content of the main container is used up, but rather new contents are refilled, and the main container is reused. Packaging bags with pour spouts which have a pour spout at the top of the packaging bag are used as packaging bags for storing refilling contents.
A packaging bag with pour spout with a structure which always maintains the opening in an open condition is commonly known, having a tube attached to the inside of the pour spout in order to separate the front and back films and to prevent the pour spout from flattening. (For instance, refer to Patent Reference 1 and 2)
However, with a conventional packaging bag with pour spout, if the content is a solid such as a powder or granule, or is a product with poor fluidity such as a highly viscous liquid, the content will plug up the pour spout and pouring will be difficult.
In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a packaging bag with pour spout which can easily pour even contents which have poor fluidity and can reduce residual content.
In order to resolve the above issues, the present invention provides a packaging bag with pour spout wherein the pour spout flow path established in a top part of the packaging bag is partitioned by sealed regions made by sealing two sheets of film, and a shape retaining member which separates these 2 sheets of film is established in the flow path of the pour spout; wherein the shape retaining member ensures that a gap will form between the sealed regions which partition both sides of the flow path along the whole length, and the shape retaining member is fixed with regards to only one of the two sheets of film.
With this packaging bag with pour spout, the shape retaining member attach area where the shape retaining member is attached to one film, preferably has a form which extends in the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member. The shape retaining member preferably is a tube open at both ends along the flow path of the pour spout.
The two sheets of film preferably have an expanded region which swells outward in the area of the shape retaining member. The expanded region preferably extends to the content storing region.
The packaging bag with pour spout may also have a construction wherein the pour spout is established in the corner region of the packaging bag, the flow path of the pour spout is pointed in an upward angle from the packaging bag, an opening guide line which guides the opening in a direction which intersects with the flow path of the pour spout is established in the seal region on one side of the pour spout, the end region of the opening guide line extends parallel to the bottom side of the packaging bag, and the end region of the opening guide line is established in a location such that the extended line does not intersect with the shape retaining member.
The distance from the extended line of the end region of the opening guide line to the shape retaining member is preferably within a range of 1 to 4 mm.
With the packaging bag with pour spout of the present invention, the shape retaining member ensures that a gap will form between the sealed regions which partition both sides of the flow path along the whole length, and the shape retaining member is able to separate the side of the film where the shape retaining member is attached from the other film on the opposite side, and therefore the flow path of the pour spout can be opened wide and efficient pouring is possible. Furthermore, the shape retaining member can swing to both the left and right sides in the flow path, so even if the contents become plugged prior to the pour spout, the contents can be broken up to easily flow from the pour spout. Furthermore, content which has attached to the inside surface of the film can be knocked down by shaking the shape retaining member relative to the other film, so when the contents are low, almost all of the content can be poured out from the pour spout without remaining.
If the shape retaining member attach region, where the shape retaining member and one film are attached, has a shape (for instance a straight line or a wavy line) which extends along the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member, the shape retaining member will be able to be moved left and right with the shape retaining member attach region at the center axis, so pouring of the contents can be enhanced and the effect of minimizing residual content can be further enhanced. If the shape retaining member is a tube which is open at both ends along the flow path of the pour spout, the function of maintaining the flow path in an open condition will be excellent, and the flow of the contents will not easily be hindered. Furthermore, the operation of attaching the shape retaining member to the film will be simple, and an efficient molding operation such as extrusion molding will be possible, so the costs will be advantageous.
If the two sheets of film which formed the pour spout have an expanded region which swells outward in the area of the shape retaining member, the cross-section area of the flow path will be larger, and the content will easily flow into the flow path of the pour spout. Furthermore, if the expanded region extends to the content storing region, problems can be avoided such as wrinkles, which hinder the flow of content into the pour spout and cause difficulty pouring, formed in the films which form the pour spout in the boundary area between the pour spout and the content storing region when pressure is applied to the body of the packaging bag in order to squeeze out the content when the content is a highly viscous liquid.
If the packaging bag with pour spout of the present invention is constructed such that the pour spout is in the corner of the packaging bag, the flow path of the pour spout is in an upward angled direction of the packaging bag, an opening guiding line which guides the opening in a direction which intercepts with the flow path of the pour spout is formed in the seal region on one side of the pour spout, the end region of the opening guide line extends parallel to the bottom edge of the packaging bag, and the end region of the opening guide line is positioned so that the extended line does not intersect with the shape retaining member, then a horizontal straight-line opening can be formed from the end region of the opening guide line. Therefore, when refilling, the pour spout can easily be inserted into the empty container. Furthermore, the flow of the contents will not be disorderly at the opening region, and smooth flow can be achieved.
The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments while referring to the drawings.
As shown in
Side edge seal regions 5a, 5b are formed on both side edges of the packaging bag 1. In the part of the side edge seal regions 5a, 5b above the bottom film 4, both of the side edge regions of the main body films 2, 3 are heat sealed together, and in the lower area where the bottom film 4 is positioned between the main body films 2, 3, both of the side edge regions of the main body films 2, 3 are heat sealed to both of the side edges of the bottom film 4.
Furthermore, bottom seal region 6 is formed in the bottom region of the packaging bag 1 by heat sealing the bottom edge regions of mutually opposing surfaces of the main body films 2, 3 and the bottom film 4. Incidentally, a cutaway (omitted from the drawings) may be formed from a punch hole or the like in a part of the bottom film 4 such that one main body film 2 is directly heat sealed to the other main body film 3 through this cutaway.
The dimensions of the packaging bag 1 are not restricted in particular, but as a refilling container, a preferable range is approximately 100 to 500 mm for the height of the packaging bag (dimension from top side 1a to the bottom side 1b), approximately 70 to 300 mm for the width of the packaging bag (maximum width between both side edges), and approximately 100 cm3 to 5000 cm3 for the filling volume of the contents.
The film which is used for the main body films 2, 3 and the bottom film 4 may be a conventionally used material such as a laminate structure wherein a base film made from biaxially elongated polypropylene, biaxially elongating polyamide, or biaxially elongated polyester or the like is laminated by a sealant layer made from a polyolefin resin such as low density polyethylene, straight chain low density polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, or polypropylene or the like. In this case, multiple layers of base film may be laminated in order to increase the strength of the packaging bag. Alternatively, in order to increase the barrier properties against gases and ultraviolet light, metallic foil such as aluminum foil, an inorganic vapor deposition layer such as ceramic, or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film or the like may also be laminated. Furthermore, if a uniaxially elongated polyolefin or nylon film or the like is used or if an easily tearing nylon film obtained by elongating a resin film into which an aromatic nylon such as 6 nylon or MXD6 has been blended is used in order to increase the ease of tearing in the a horizontal direction of the packaging bag, a straight-line can be torn at any position and easily tearing properties can be obtained, which is preferable.
Furthermore, as means for ensuring the easily tearing properties in the horizontal direction, a perforation line may be formed in the base film and then a sealant layer or other layer added, or a half cut groove may be formed in the surface of the main body film using a laser beam.
As shown in
Incidentally, after filling with the contents, a filling port seal region 8a is formed along the top side 1a of the packaging bag 1 by heat sealing the main body films 2, 3 together along the edge of the filling port 8 in order to seal shut the filling port 8 (Refer to
The unsealed region between both seal regions 5a and 7 forms the flow path 11 for the pour spout 10. In other words, the flow path 11 is partitioned off by one side edge seal region 5a and the top seal region 7. One side seal region 5a is curved toward the inside width direction of the packaging bag 1 in the lower region of the pour spout 10, and the top seal region 7 has a angled side region 7a which extends at an angle along the flow path 11. The direction of the flow path 11 is determined by the curved region 5c of one side edge seal region 5a and the angled region 7a of the top seal region 7, and extends in an upward angled direction (left upward direction in
The width of the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10 can be appropriately designed based on the dimensions of the overall packaging bag 1, and the dimensions of the main container or the like which is the container to be refilled. As a specific example, the width at the location where the pour spout 10 is opened (width along the extended line L of the end region 14g of the opening guide line 14 which will be discussed later) is preferably between 15 and 50 mm. The leading end 10a of the pour spout 10 is closed off by the top seal region 7, so that the content cannot be discharged from the pour spout 10 so long as the pour spout 10 is not opened.
A tube is attached between the main body films 2, 3 as a shape retaining member 12 in the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10. By establishing the shape retaining member 12 in the flow path 11 in this manner, the two sheets of films 2, 3 can be separated and the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10 and the opening region 17 after opening (Refer to
The material which forms the shape retaining member 12 may be a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyester, polystyrene, or polycarbonate or the like, but polyolefin resins such as polyethylene or polypropylene are preferable in order to thermally adhere by heat sealing to the sealant layer on the inside surface of the main body films 2, 3.
As shown in
The shape of the shape retaining member 12 is not restricted to tubes which are open on both ends such as cylinders, elliptical cylinders, and cornered cylinders which have a polygonal cross-section such as a square or the like, and various other sheets may be used such as a rod with a cross-section which is round, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal such as square, as well as members which have a U shape, H shape, or T shape cross section. The shape retaining member 12 preferably has a fixed cross-sectional shape (such as a cylinder or rod) in the longitudinal direction in order to prevent blocking the flow path 11, but cylinders are more preferable because the flow of the content is not hindered, and of these, round cylinders are especially preferable because attaching is possible on any surface and therefore positioning when attaching to the film is simple. Furthermore, during the attaching process, the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member is preferably aligned with the direction of the flow path 11. For instance, if the shape retaining member 12 is a tube (cylindrical body) the tube is preferably attached to be oriented along the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10 (openings are in the upstream and downstream directions).
The dimensions of the shape retaining member 12 can be appropriately designed based on the dimensions of the overall packaging bag 1 and the dimensions of the pour spout 10 or the like. As a specific example, for the case of a tube for instance, the length may be between approximately 10 and 30 mm, the outer diameter (maximum width in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction) may be between approximately 8 and 20 mm, and the wall thickness may be between approximately 0.3 and 2 mm.
As shown in
The shape retaining member attach region 12a may be simple spot attach points, but is preferably a shape which extends along the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member 12, and this type of shape may for instance extend in a straight-line or a wavy line along the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member 12. Alternatively, a plurality of intermittent spot attach points may also be used.
Furthermore, the shape retaining member 12 ensures gaps 16a, 16b between the seal regions 5a, 7 which partition both sides of the flow path 11 along the whole length. Therefore, not only can these gaps 16a, 16b be used as the flow path 11, but the shape retaining member 12 can move back and forth (to the side facing one side edge seal region 5a hand the side facing the top seal region 7) in the flow path 11 with the shape retaining member attach region 12a at the center.
As shown in
The opening guide line 14 has a vertical region 14c which extends perpendicular to the top side 1a from the starting region 14a, changes direction at a bend region 14d at the bottom of the vertical region 14c, has a angle region 14e which extends at an upward angle along the flow path, again changes direction from the angled region 14e at a curved region 14f, and has an end region 14g which extends parallel to the bottom side 1b of the packaging bag 1 toward the outside of the packaging bag 1. As shown in
For the case of the packaging bag 1 of this embodiment, the region from the vertical region 14c along the angled region 14e to the end region 14g has cuts (penetrating marks) which pass through the two sheets of main body films 2, 3 made using a Thompson blade for instance.
Furthermore, both sides of the vertical region 14c are connected by a remaining uncut region 14b between the vertical region 14c and the starting region 14a. A cutaway in the starting region 14a and the penetrating marks of the vertical region 14c and the like are preferably formed simultaneously in order to prevent shifting positions with regards to each other.
The width of the uncut region 14b is dependent on the material of the main body films 2, 3, but for instance is between approximately 0.5 and 1.5 mm. Incidentally, uncut regions 14b may be formed in a plurality of locations along the opening guide line 14 if necessary.
The whole opening guide line 14 from the starting point 14a to the end region 14g is formed in the top seal region 7 and is not extended to the unsealed region which forms the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10, so the strength of the main body films 2, 3 which cover the pour spout 10 will not be weakened, and tearing of the main body films 2, 3 can be suppressed.
Furthermore, by tearing the uncut region 14b, the region 15 enclosed by the vertical region 14c and the angle region 14e may be pulled out from the top seal region 7 and can be used as a holding tab when opening the packaging bag. By using this tab 15, the tearing force of the hand can be sufficiently transferred to the main body films 2, 3 when starting to tear the pour spout 10 from the end region 14g.
When opening the packaging bag 1 of the present embodiment, first the uncut region 14b is cut to form the tab 15 which is enclosed by the vertical region 14c and the angle region 14e in the top seal region 7, and then this tab 15 is pulled, and tearing begins from the end region 14 of the opening guide line 14. Thereby, the tearing line will extend along the extended line L (shown in
As shown in
The distance d from the extended line L of the end region 14 of the opening guide line 14 to the shape retaining member 12 (distance to the end of the side closest to the extended line L) is preferably within a range of 1 to 4 mm. Thereby, the opening can easily be formed along the extended line L, and closing of the opening region 17 can effectively be prevented. If the aforementioned distance d is too short, there is a possibility that opening along the extended line L will be difficult, but if the distance d is too long, there is a possibility that the opening region 17 cannot be prevented from closing.
If the packaging bag 1 is inclined such that the pour spout 10 is facing sideways or downward, the content can be poured from the opening region 17. As shown in
When the contents are poured out, the contents will pool around the pour spout 10 if the fluidity of the content is low, and the expanded region between the films 2, 3 will swell out because of the weight of the contents. Furthermore, if the content is for instance a powder, the content which has pooled around the pour spout 10 may become plugged or form lumps if the opening cross-section area of the opening region 17 is smaller than the cross-section area of the flow path 11 inside the pour spout 10.
For the case of the packaging bag 1 of the present embodiment, the shape forming member 12 which is attached to one main body film 2 can be separated from the other main body film 3, and therefore the aforementioned condition will not easily occur, and even in the event that the aforementioned conditions occur, a gap 16c will be formed between the shape retaining member 12 and the other main body film 3 so the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10 can be opened wide as shown in
Furthermore, the shape retaining member 12 in the flow path 11 can move back and forth to the left and right sides, and therefore as shown in
If the shape retaining member attach region 12a has a shape which extends in a straight-line along the longitudinal direction of the shape retaining member 12, the direction of moving the shape retaining member back and forth can be fixed with the shape retaining member attach region 12a at the center axis, and therefore the shape retaining member 12 can be efficiently moved back and forth and the effect of enhancing the pouring of the contents can be further increased.
The present invention was described above based on a preferred embodiment, but the present invention is not to restricted to the aforementioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible so long as the essence of the present invention is not violated. For instance, the location where the pour spout is established in the present invention is not restricted to the corner of the packaging bag, and can also be established in the center region of the top side of the packaging bag. Furthermore, the pour spout may have a shape where the leading end protrudes from the top side of the packaging bag. Furthermore, the bottom film is not necessarily required, and the packaging bag may be a flat bag.
A packaging bag 1 with pour spout of the form shown in
A three layer film made from a laminate material (biaxially elongated polyethylene terephthalate film/easily tearing nylon film obtained by elongating a mixed resin film of 6 nylon and MDX 6 nylon/straight chain low density polyethylene layer (sealant layer)) was used for the main body films 2, 3, and a two layer film made from a laminate material (biaxially elongated nylon/straight chain low density polyethylene layer (sealant layer)) was used for the bottom film 4.
First, an expanded region 13 was formed to extend to the content storing region 9 in a predetermined location of the main body films 2, 3 using compressed air forming or vacuum forming. A cylindrical tube 12 made from low density polyethylene was inserted to a location which forms the flow path 11 of the pour spout 10 in this expanded region 13, and a cylindrical tube 12 was bonded by a straight line heat seal to one main body film 2. Next, the main body films 2, 3 were positioned so that the sealant layers were facing each other, and the bottom film 4, which had been folded in half so that the sealant layer forms the outside surface, was inserted between the main body films 2, 3. The main body films 2, 3 were heat sealed to the bottom film 4 to form a bottom heat seal region 6, and the side edge seal regions 5a, 5b and the top seal region 7 were formed so as to partition off the flow path 11 in one of the top corner regions 1c of the packaging bag 1.
Next, an opening guide line 14 was formed in the top seal region 7 by punching with a Thomson blade in order to complete the packaging bag 1 with pour spout.
With this embodiment, the height of the packaging bag 1 (dimension from the top side 1a to the bottom side lb) was 240 mm, the width of the packaging bag 1 (maximum dimension between both side edges) was 140 mm, the length of the tube 12 was 20 mm, the outer diameter of the tube 12 was 15 mm, the wall thickness of the tube 12 was 0.5 mm, the width of the heat seal between the tube 12 and the main body film 2 was 2 mm, the width of the heat seal between the side edge seal regions 5a, 5b was 5 mm, the width of the flow path 11 along the extended line L of the end region 14g of the opening guide line was 25 mm, and the distance d from the extended line L of the end region 14g of the opening guide line 14 to the end of the tube 12 was 3 mm.
After the packaging bag 1 with pour spout was filled with a powder as the contents from the fill port 8, a fill port seal region 8a was formed by heat sealing in order to seal of the packaging bag 1 with pour spout, to make a packaging bag filled with content (packaged product).
When using the filled packaged product, the uncut region 14b of the opening guide line 14 is first cut and tab 15 is pulled out from the top seal region 7, and then holding this tab 15, tearing is performed from the end region 14g of the opening guide line 14, and by opening the pour spout 10, a horizontal straight opening region 17 can be obtained and the leading edge 17a thereof will form an acute angle. The main body films 2, 3 used an easily tearing nylon film, so the opening operation would be simple.
When the leading end 17a of the pour spout 10 was inserted into the pour spout of the empty main container using the curved region 5c as a guide, and refilling of the powder detergent was performed, the pour spout 10 could be smoothly inserted and all of the powder detergent that was filled into the packaging bag 1 with pour spout could be smoothly transferred into the main container without spilling outside of the main container.
Furthermore, a packaging bag 1 with pour spout was manufactured with the shape shown in
The present invention can be used for storing and packaging products in a variety of industrial fields, and for instance is preferably used as a packaging bag with pour spout for storing contents for refilling (such as powders, granules, and liquids or the like).
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/762,759 filed on Jan. 27, 2006.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60762759 | Jan 2006 | US |
