Synthetic resin spout

Abstract

To provide a new synthetic resin spout which can effectively suck a content in a bag-shaped container, particularly, a content positioned on its upper side.SOLUTION: A synthetic resin spout includes a main cylinder 4 and an auxiliary cylinder 8 which is connected to the main cylinder 4 through a connection piece 6 extending downward from the lower surface of the main cylinder 4, wherein the main cylinder 4 and the auxiliary cylinder 8 have a common central axis and penetrate in an axial direction, and an opening 10 opened vertical to the axial direction is formed between the main cylinder 4 and the auxiliary cylinder 8. On the outer peripheral surface of a lower end 36 of the main cylinder 4, a deposition opposite surface 38 welded so as to face the inner surface of a mouth part of a container is partitioned, on the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder 8 is not welded to the inner surface of the mouth part of the container. On the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder 8, a vertical rib 50 extending in the axial direction is formed below the deposition opposite surface 38 in a circumferential position different from the connection piece 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a synthetic resin spout (pouring outlet) that is suitably applied to the opening of a bag-shaped container. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, jelly drinks and ice creams have been sold in bag-like containers made of synthetic resin film called pouches. The opening of these pouches is fitted with a spout, and the user holds the top end of the spout in their mouth and sucks, i.e., creates a negative pressure inside the container, thereby drawing out the contents.

[0003] As an example of such a spout, Patent Document 1 below discloses a spout having a single tube penetrating in the axial direction. A weld-opposing surface is defined on the outer peripheral surface of the axially intermediate portion of the spout, and is welded to face the inner surface of the mouth of a container. As a result, the portion of the spout above the axially intermediate portion is exposed to the outside of the container, with its upper end forming a drinking spout (discharge port), while the portion below the axially intermediate portion is positioned inside the container, with its lower end forming an intake port for taking in the contents. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the spout below the axially intermediate portion is formed with longitudinal ribs and longitudinal grooves that extend linearly in the axial direction. Due to the presence of these longitudinal ribs and longitudinal grooves, when negative pressure is created inside the container, the flexibility of the container causes the container to deform, and even if the inner surface of the container comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the spout, more specifically, the outer peripheral surface below the axially intermediate portion, a small gap is formed between the inner surface of the container and the outer peripheral surface of the spout. As a result, the contents remaining in the upper part of the container are guided along the gap to the bottom end of the spout and then discharged through the inside of the spout. Normally, the contents in the container fall due to gravity, but if the container is deformed due to its own flexibility, the contents may remain in the upper part of the container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-189247 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, in the spout shown in Patent Document 1, the inlet for taking in the contents stored in the container is only at the bottom end, so the user cannot effectively drink the contents located at the top of the container, because in order to drink the contents located at the top of the container, they must move them below the spout.

[0006] The present invention was made in consideration of the above facts, and its main technical object is to provide a new and improved synthetic resin spout that can effectively suck up and drink the contents of a bag-shaped container, especially the contents located at the top. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, as a synthetic resin spout that solves the above-mentioned main technical problem, in a synthetic resin spout that is applied to the opening of a bag-shaped container, a main cylinder and an auxiliary cylinder connected to the main cylinder via a connecting piece extending downward from the bottom surface of the main cylinder, the main cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder having a common central axis and penetrating each other in the axial direction, and an opening opening perpendicular to the axial direction is formed between the main cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder; a welding facing surface that faces the inner surface of the mouth of the container and is welded to the outer surface of the lower end of the main cylinder, while the outer surface of the auxiliary cylinder is not welded to the inner surface of the mouth of the container, A synthetic resin spout is provided, characterized in that a vertical rib extending in the axial direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder below the welding opposing surface and at a circumferential position different from that of the connecting piece.

[0008] Preferably, the longitudinal rib extends linearly downward from the upper end of the auxiliary barrel, and the outer surface of the longitudinal rib is inclined inward as it extends downward. The outer edge of the upper end surface of the longitudinal rib is preferably located outside the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the main barrel. In this case, a horizontal rib is formed on the welding opposing surface, and the outer edge of the upper end surface of the longitudinal rib is preferably located inside the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal rib. Preferably, grooves extending in the axial direction are formed on both sides of the longitudinal rib on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary barrel. The longitudinal rib may extend from the upper end to the lower end of the auxiliary barrel, and a U-shaped groove may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary barrel surrounding both sides and the lower side of the longitudinal rib. Preferably, the lower end of the main barrel has a cylindrical main portion and an additional portion where the outer diameter of the main portion is locally increased, and the connecting piece extends downward from the lower surface of the additional portion. In this case, it is convenient that one additional portion is provided on each diametrical side of the main portion, the connecting piece extends downward from the lower surface of each of the two additional portions and is connected to the upper end surface and outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder, and the opening is formed between the two connecting pieces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] A spout constructed according to the present invention comprises a main cylinder and an auxiliary cylinder that share a common central axis and extend axially, with an opening formed between the main and auxiliary cylinders that opens perpendicular to the axial direction. The outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the main cylinder defines a welding surface that is welded to the inner surface of the mouth of a container, but the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder is not welded to the inner surface of the mouth of the container. Therefore, with a spout constructed according to the present invention, the contents of a container can be drawn up not only from the lower end of the auxiliary cylinder but also from the opening located above it. Furthermore, because the auxiliary cylinder has an axially extending vertical rib formed on its outer peripheral surface below the welded opposing surface defined on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the main cylinder and at a different circumferential position from the connecting piece connecting the main cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder, even if a negative pressure is created inside the container and the inner surface of the container comes into close contact with the outer surface of the auxiliary cylinder, gaps are formed between the inner surface of the container and the outer surface of the auxiliary cylinder on both sides of the vertical rib, preventing the opening from being blocked by the inner surface of the container, and allowing the contents to continue to be drawn up from both the opening and the lower end of the auxiliary cylinder. In other words, with a spout constructed according to the present invention, the contents inside the container, especially those located at the top, can be drawn up effectively. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a synthetic resin spout constructed in accordance with the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spout shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the spout shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the spout shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the spout shown in FIG. 1 taken along line VV. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section of the spout shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line VI-VI. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the spout shown in FIG. 1 with a cap attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments of a spout constructed according to the present invention.

[0012] 1 to 6, a spout constructed according to the present invention, generally designated by the numeral 2, is injection-molded as a single unit from a suitable synthetic resin such as soft polyethylene. Spout 2 includes a main cylinder 4 and an auxiliary cylinder 8 connected to main cylinder 4 via a connecting piece 6 extending downward from the underside of main cylinder 4. Main cylinder 4 and auxiliary cylinder 8 share a common central axis and extend axially therethrough, with an opening 10 formed between main cylinder 4 and auxiliary cylinder 8 that opens perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0013] The main barrel 4 has a cylindrical shape overall, although the outer diameter of its upper end is slightly reduced. A male thread 12 is formed on the upper portion of the outer surface of the main barrel 4. The male thread 12 has a non-male thread portion 14 that extends linearly in the axial direction. A ring-shaped axial locking rib 16 is formed below the male thread rib 12. The axial locking rib 16 is frustoconical, with an upper surface 18 whose outer diameter increases downward and a lower surface 20 that extends substantially horizontally. A ring-shaped rib 22 is formed below the axial locking rib 16 and extends substantially horizontally. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 5 , the outer diameter of the main barrel 4 between the axial locking rib 16 and the ring-shaped rib 22 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the remaining portions of the main barrel 4. Four circumferential locking projections 24 are connected to the upper surface of the ring-shaped rib 22 and the outer surface of the main barrel 4 at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. As can be seen by referring to the enlarged view of portion X in Figure 2, the circumferential locking projection 24 has a generally right-angled triangular shape in plan view, and includes a flank surface 26 that slopes radially outward in the clockwise direction from the outer circumferential surface of the main barrel 4, and a locking surface 28 that extends radially (and therefore perpendicular to the circumferential direction) from the radially outer end of the flank surface 26 toward the outer circumferential surface of the main barrel 4. Below the annular ridge 22, generally rectangular flat plates 30 and 32 that extend substantially horizontally are arranged at an interval in the axial direction. A plurality of beams 34 are arranged in an H-shape between the two flat plates 30 and 32, connected to and reinforcing the outer circumferential surface of the main barrel 4.

[0014] Continuing the explanation of the main tube 4, the portion of the main tube 4 below the flat plate 32 is designated as the lower end portion and is designated by the number 36. The outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion 36 defines a welding-facing surface 38 that is to be welded to the inner surface of the mouth of a container, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 3 , in the illustrated embodiment, the lower end portion 36 includes a cylindrical main portion 40 and an additional portion 42, which is a locally enlarged portion of the outer diameter of the main portion 40. Two additional portions 42 are provided, one on each side of the diameter of the main portion 40. An edge 44 of the additional portion 42 extends linearly in the axial direction, and the welding-facing surface 38 is defined by the portion of the lower end portion 36 excluding the edge 44 of the additional portion 42. Three horizontal ribs 46 extending substantially horizontally are formed at equal intervals in the axial direction in the vertical middle portion of the welding-facing surface 38.

[0015] In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting pieces 6 extend downward from the lower surfaces of the two additional portions 42, and in Fig. 1, the opening 10 is formed between the two connecting pieces 6. The connecting piece 6 is also thin plate-shaped, and on both sides thereof, reinforcing ribs 48 are formed that extend downward from the lower surfaces of the additional portions 42 (and therefore the main cylinder 4).

[0016] The auxiliary barrel 8 has an overall cylindrical shape, and the connecting piece 6 is connected to the upper end surface and outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary barrel 8. The outer diameter of the auxiliary barrel 8 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the main portion 40, which is a part of the lower end 36 of the main barrel 4. Here, on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary barrel 8, a longitudinal rib 50 extending in the axial direction is formed below the welding opposing surface 38 defined on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end 36 of the main barrel 4 and at a different circumferential position from the connecting piece 6. As shown in FIG. 3 , in the illustrated embodiment, two longitudinal ribs 50 are formed, one at the circumferential center of each of the two connecting pieces 6 arranged on both diametrical sides. The longitudinal rib 50 extends from the upper end to the lower end of the auxiliary barrel 8, and a U-shaped groove 52 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary barrel 8, surrounding both sides and the lower side of the longitudinal rib 50. If desired, the longitudinal rib 50 and groove 52 may extend linearly from the upper end to the lower end of the auxiliary barrel 8, or the groove 52 may be omitted. As shown in Fig. 4, the outer surfaces of the vertical ribs 50 extend substantially vertically downward from the upper ends, and then extend downward at an inward incline. As shown in Fig. 6, it is preferable that the outer edges of the upper end surfaces of the vertical ribs 50 are located outside the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the main tube 4 and inside the outer peripheral edges of the horizontal ribs 46.

[0017] Figure 7 shows the spout 2 together with a synthetic resin lid 100 that is attached to it. The lid 100 includes a top wall 102 and a cylindrical skirt wall 104 that hangs downward from the outer periphery of the top wall 102. A cylindrical seal piece 106 that hangs downward is provided on the underside of the top wall 102. Three ridges 108 extending in the circumferential direction are provided on the outer periphery of the underside of the top wall 102 that is outside the seal piece 106 and on the upper end of the inner surface of the skirt wall 104. When the lid 100 is attached to the spout 2, the outer surface of the seal piece 106 comes into close contact with the inner periphery of the main cylinder 4, and the three ridges 108 support the top surface of the main cylinder 4 and the upper end of the outer periphery, thereby sealing the mouth of the spout 2. A breakable line 110 extending continuously in the circumferential direction is formed from the axial middle to the lower part of the skirt wall 104, and the skirt wall 104 is divided into a skirt main portion 112 above the breakable line 110 and a tamper-evident hem portion 114 below the breakable line 110. An internal thread 116 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt main portion 112 to threadably mate with the external thread 12 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main tube 4 of the spout 2. Axial extending concave-convex strips 118 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the skirt main portion 112, and these concave-convex strips 118 form well-known knurls. An axial lockable protrusion (not shown) and a circumferential lockable protrusion 120 protruding radially inward are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-evident hem portion 114. The axially locked projection and the circumferentially locked projection 120 are well-known structures that function as described below, and therefore detailed description of their shapes will be omitted.

[0018] When such a lid 100 is attached to the spout 2, the lid 100 is rotated clockwise relative to the spout 2 as viewed from above while fitted onto the main tube 4 of the spout 2. When this is done, the female thread 116 and the male thread 12 thread together, causing the lid 100 to descend relative to the spout 2. At this time, the axial locking projections (not shown) of the lid 100 move downward while being guided radially outward along the upper surfaces 18 of the axial locking protrusions 16 formed on the spout 2, and then elastically climb over the axial locking protrusions 16, while the circumferential locking projections 120 of the lid 100 move circumferentially (clockwise as viewed from above) while being guided radially outward along the relief surfaces 26 of the circumferential locking protrusions 24 formed on the spout 2, and then elastically climb over the circumferential locking protrusions 24. Then, the lower surface of the top wall 102 comes into contact with the top surface of the main tube 4 of the spout 2, thereby stopping the descent.

[0019] When opening the opening of the spout 2, the lid 100 is rotated counterclockwise relative to the spout 2 as viewed from above. When this is done, the female thread 116 and the male thread 12 thread together, causing the lid 100 to rise relative to the spout 2. When the lid 100 has risen to a certain extent relative to the spout 2, an axial locking projection and a circumferential locking projection 120 (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-evident bottom portion 114 of the lid 100 respectively lock with the lower surface 20 of the axial locking ridge 16 and the locking surface 28 of the circumferential locking projection 24 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main cylinder 4 of the spout 2. When the lid 100 is further rotated relative to the spout 2 from this state, the skirt main portion 112 can rise and rotate relative to the spout 2, but the tamper-evident hem portion 114 cannot rise or rotate relative to the spout 2, so stress is concentrated on the breakable line 110 defined between the skirt main portion 112 and the tamper-evident hem portion 114, causing the breakable line 110 to break. After the breakable line 110 is broken, the skirt main portion 112 continues to rise and rotate relative to the spout 2 and is removed from the spout 2, and thus can be sucked from the upper end of the opening of the main tube 4 of the spout 2. Meanwhile, the tamper-evident hem portion 114, which has separated from the skirt main portion 112, drops relative to the spout 2 and is held by the annular ridge 22.

[0020] As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 , the spout 2 described above is inserted into the opening of a pouch P filled with contents, with the lower end 36 of the main tube 4 and the portion below it. At this time, the auxiliary tube 8 is easily inserted into the opening of the pouch P due to the lower end of the outer surface of the vertical rib 50 being inclined downward and inward. Then, with the welding-facing surface 38 defined on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end 36 of the main tube 4 facing the inner surface of the pouch P within the opening of the pouch P, the outer surface of the pouch P corresponding to the welding-facing surface 38 is heated with a required heat welding machine, thereby welding the inner surface of the pouch P to the welding-facing surface 38. When this welding is performed, the horizontal ribs 46 formed on the welding-facing surface 38 are melted. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer edges of the upper end surfaces of the vertical ribs 50 are located inside the outer peripheral edges of the horizontal ribs 46, so the vertical ribs 50 do not interfere with the above welding. The outer peripheral surface of auxiliary cylinder 8 also faces the inner surface of pouch P, but the outer surface of pouch P that corresponds to the outer peripheral surface of auxiliary cylinder 8 is not heated by the required heat welding machine, and the outer peripheral surface of auxiliary cylinder 8 is not welded to the inner surface of pouch P. In this way, spout 2 is fixed to the opening of pouch P, and the opening of pouch P is sealed.

[0021] When the user drinks the contents of pouch P, he or she applies a suction to the upper end of spout 2 with the mouth, creating a negative pressure inside pouch P. This causes the contents contained in pouch P to pass through the inside of spout 2 and be expelled from its upper end.

[0022] A spout constructed according to the present invention comprises a main tube 4 and an auxiliary tube 8 that share a common central axis and penetrate both axially, with an opening 10 that opens perpendicular to the axial direction formed between the main tube 4 and the auxiliary tube 8. The outer peripheral surface of the lower end 36 of the main tube 4 defines a welding surface 38 that is to be welded to the inner surface of the mouth of the pouch P (container), but the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary tube 8 is not welded to the inner surface of the mouth of the pouch P (container). Therefore, with a spout constructed according to the present invention, the contents contained in the pouch P (container) can be sucked up not only from the lower end of the auxiliary tube 8 but also from the opening 10 located above it. In the illustrated embodiment, the two connecting pieces 6 extend downward from the lower surfaces of the two additional portions 42, making the opening 10 relatively large and located directly above the auxiliary tube 8, allowing the contents to be efficiently sucked up through the opening 10. Furthermore, vertical ribs 50 extending in the axial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of auxiliary tube 8 below welded opposing surface 38 defined on the outer peripheral surface of lower end 36 of main tube 4 and at a different circumferential position from connecting piece 6 connecting main tube 4 and auxiliary tube 8. As a result, even if a negative pressure is created inside pouch P (container) and the inner surface of pouch P (container) comes into close contact with the outer surface of auxiliary tube 8, gaps are formed between the inner surface of pouch P (container) and the outer surface of auxiliary tube 8 on both sides of vertical ribs 50, preventing opening 10 from being blocked by the inner surface of pouch P (container). This allows the contents to continue to be drawn in from opening 10 and the lower end of auxiliary tube 8, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer edges of the upper end surfaces of vertical ribs 50 are positioned outside the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of main tube 4, so that the gaps are formed sufficiently reliably. Furthermore, because the vertical rib 50 is surrounded by the U-shaped groove 52, the gap is relatively large, and blocking of the opening 10 by the pouch P (container) is more effectively prevented. Furthermore, as described above, the opening 10 is located directly above the auxiliary tube 8, which promotes the flow of the contents passing on both sides of the vertical rib 50. In other words, with a spout constructed according to the present invention, the contents in the pouch P (container), especially the contents located at the top thereof, can be effectively sucked up and drunk.

[0023] Although the pouch constructed according to the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the main tube 4 and the auxiliary tube 8 are connected by two connecting pieces 6, but the number of connecting pieces 6 may be arbitrary. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, there are two additional portions 42 that form part of the lower end portion 36 of the main tube 4, but there may be only one, or none at all. If desired, the horizontal rib 46 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 2: Spout 4: Main cylinder 6: Connecting piece 8: Auxiliary tube 10: Opening 36: Lower end (of main tube) 38: Welding opposing surface 50:Vertical rib

Claims

1. A synthetic resin spout applied to the opening of a bag-shaped container, a main cylinder and an auxiliary cylinder connected to the main cylinder via a connecting piece extending downward from the bottom surface of the main cylinder, the main cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder having a common central axis and penetrating each other in the axial direction, and an opening opening perpendicular to the axial direction is formed between the main cylinder and the auxiliary cylinder; a welding facing surface that faces the inner surface of the mouth of the container and is welded to the outer surface of the lower end of the main cylinder, while the outer surface of the auxiliary cylinder is not welded to the inner surface of the mouth of the container, A synthetic resin spout characterized in that a vertical rib extending in the axial direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder below the welding opposing surface and at a circumferential position different from that of the connecting piece.

2. 2. The synthetic resin spout according to claim 1, wherein the vertical rib extends linearly downward from the upper end of the auxiliary cylinder, and the outer surface of the vertical rib is inclined inward as it extends downward.

3. 2. The synthetic resin spout according to claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the upper end surface of the vertical rib is positioned outside the outer peripheral edge of the lower end of the main cylinder.

4. 4. The synthetic resin spout according to claim 3, wherein horizontal ribs are formed on the opposing welding surface, and the outer edges of the upper end faces of the vertical ribs are positioned inside the outer peripheral edges of the horizontal ribs.

5. 2. The synthetic resin spout according to claim 1, wherein grooves extending in the axial direction are formed on both sides of the vertical rib on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder.

6. 2. The synthetic resin spout according to claim 1, wherein the vertical rib extends from the upper end to the lower end of the auxiliary cylinder, and a U-shaped groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder, surrounding both sides and the lower side of the vertical rib.

7. The synthetic resin spout of claim 1, wherein the lower end of the main tube has a cylindrical main portion and an additional portion in which the outer diameter of the main portion is locally increased, and the connecting piece extends downward from the lower surface of the additional portion.

8. The synthetic resin spout of claim 7, wherein the additional portion is provided on each side of the main portion in the diametric direction, the connecting piece extends downward from the lower surface of each of the two additional portions and is connected to the upper end surface and outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary cylinder, and the opening is formed between the two connecting pieces.

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