Barrier Container

Abstract

To provide a barrier container including a laminated body in which a gas barrier layer including a gas barrier resin is molded as an inner layer to a base layer including a base resin by a conventional container body and a cap body being integrated as the laminated body.SOLUTION: A barrier container A includes: a laminated body B having a dispensing part 1; a cap C attached to a pouring part 1 of the laminated body B in a freely openable and closable manner; and a bottom seal F sealing a bottom part 6 of the laminated body B. The laminated body B includes: a pouring port 2 opened in the pouring part 1; and a removal part 14 connected to an inner circumference of the pouring port 2 via a thin-walled weakening part 13 that is capable of being ruptured. The laminated body B is co-injection molded from a gate G provided in the removal part 14 so that a gas barrier layer D including a gas barrier resin becomes an inner layer to a base layer including a base resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a barrier container having gas barrier properties, and in particular to a barrier container which is integrally molded with a pouring portion and has a gas barrier layer formed on the inside. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, food containers for storing contents such as dressings and seasonings have widely used caps that are attached to the mouth of the container body and have a partition with a removable portion defined by a thin, weakened portion in order to keep the inside of the container sealed until it is opened, and the cap can be opened by pulling up a pull ring provided on the removable portion.

[0003] In addition, when pulling up the pull ring to break the thin, weakened portion, users with weak finger strength can have difficulty opening the cap, so caps that are opened by rotating the top lid rather than by pulling up with the pull ring are also known.

[0004] Furthermore, in order to maintain the flavor of the contents, food containers with excellent gas barrier properties that block oxygen and other substances contained in the air outside the food container have been proposed, and barrier caps with gas barrier properties have been known to correspond to these caps (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-70037 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Although the barrier cap described in Patent Document 1 above has excellent gas barrier properties, the cap body of the barrier cap needs to be attached to the mouth of a container body having gas barrier properties by stoppering or the like, which means that there is a risk of oxygen and the like permeating from the attachment part into the container body, and there is a problem in that the container body fitted with the barrier cap cannot be made into a complete barrier container.

[0007] The present invention has an object to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a barrier container comprising a laminated body in which a conventional container body and a cap body are integrated into one body, and in which a gas barrier layer containing a gas barrier resin is molded as an inner layer relative to a base layer containing a base resin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a barrier container comprising a laminated body having a pouring portion, a cap attached to the pouring portion of the laminated body in an openable and closable manner, and a bottom seal for sealing the bottom of the laminated body, the laminated body comprising a pouring outlet opening into the pouring portion and a removal portion connected to the inner periphery of the pouring outlet via a breakable thin-walled weakened portion, and the laminated body is molded by coinjection molding from a gate provided in the removal portion such that a gas barrier layer containing a gas barrier resin is an inner layer relative to a base layer containing a base resin. The gas barrier layer is formed continuously from the removed portion of the pouring portion to the bottom. The present invention employs a configuration characterized by the above.

[0009] As an embodiment of the barrier container, a configuration is adopted in which the removal portion is characterized in that by opening the cap from the pouring portion of the laminated body, the thin-walled weakened portion is broken, and then the removal portion is moved from the laminated body to the cap to open the pouring outlet, and the cap is characterized in that it is a screw cap that is screwed onto the pouring portion of the laminated body.

[0010] As another embodiment of the barrier container, a configuration is adopted in which the cap is a hinge cap connected to the pouring portion of the laminated body via a hinge, and a configuration is adopted in which the cap is integrally molded with the laminated body via the hinge. Effect of the Invention

[0011] By adopting the above-mentioned configuration, the barrier container of the present invention integrates the conventional container body and cap body into a laminated body, and the gas barrier layer is formed continuously from the pouring portion to the bottom of the laminated body, thereby improving the gas barrier properties of the laminated body that contains the contents. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a barrier container according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a closed state before opening. [Diagram 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the open state of the barrier container according to the first embodiment of the present invention after opening the lid. [Diagram 3] 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a barrier container according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a closed state before being opened. FIG. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the barrier container according to the second embodiment of the present invention in an open state, in which (a) is a side cross-sectional view during molding, and (b) is a side cross-sectional view after opening. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Next, specific embodiments of the barrier container of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing the examples. EXAMPLES

[0014] In Figure 1, A is a barrier container made of synthetic resin, B is a laminated body having a pouring portion 1, C is a cap that is attached to the pouring portion 1 of the laminated body B so as to be freely opened and closed, and F is a bottom seal that seals the bottom 6 of the laminated body B, and the laminated body B, cap C, and bottom seal F constitute a barrier container A.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the laminated body B is composed of a pouring section 1 having a pouring outlet 2 opened at the top, a cylindrical neck section 3 suspended from the pouring section 1, a shoulder section 4 gradually expanding in diameter from the lower end of the neck section 3 to form a cone shape, and a cylindrical body section 5 suspended from the lower end of the shoulder section 4. The bottom section 6 at the lower end of the body section 5 serves as a filling port for filling the contents, and after filling the contents, the bottom section 6 is sealed with a bottom seal F.

[0016] The spout 1 is composed of a ring-shaped base wall 7 extending inward from the upper end of the neck 3, a threaded wall 8 erected from the inner edge of the base wall 7, a ring-shaped partition wall 9 extending inward from the upper end of the threaded wall 8 and sealing the periphery of the spout 2, and a spout tube 10 erected from the periphery of the spout 2 which opens on the inner circumference of the partition wall 9.

[0017] A removal portion 14 that closes off the spout 2 is provided adjacent to the inner periphery of the spout 2 via a breakable thin-walled weakened portion 13 formed in the partition wall 9 . The removal portion 14 is composed of an annular bottom wall 15 having a thin-walled weakened portion 13 connected to its outer periphery, a cylindrical tubular wall 16 standing on the inner edge of the bottom wall 15, and a top wall 17 connected to the upper end of the tubular wall 16 and provided with a gate G for injecting synthetic resin when the laminated body B is molded.

[0018] An engagement projection 18 constituting one of the first teeth of the ratchet mechanism is provided at the upper part of the outer periphery of the cylindrical wall 16 so as to protrude in the radial direction, and a first engagement projection 19 is provided at the lower part so as to protrude in an annular shape.

[0019] The partition wall 9 is provided on its outer periphery with a sound-making projection 20 for notifying the completion of screwing the cap C onto the spout portion 1 of the laminated body B. The threaded wall 8 has a threaded portion (male thread) 21 screwed onto the outer circumferential surface.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the laminate body B of this embodiment is manufactured by co-injection molding such that a gas barrier layer D containing a barrier resin is an inner layer relative to a base material layer containing a base material resin of the laminate body B, and an adhesive resin is blended into the base material resin of the base material layer, an adhesive resin is blended into the barrier resin of the gas barrier layer D, or an adhesive resin is blended into both the base material resin and the barrier resin.

[0021] In this embodiment, a gas barrier layer D is inner-layered on the base wall 7, threaded wall 8, partition wall 9, thin-walled weakened portion 13 and removal portion 14 of the pouring portion 1 of the laminated body B, the neck portion 3, the shoulder portion 4 and the body portion 5. In addition, the pouring tube 10 of the pouring part 1 does not have a gas barrier layer D formed therein.

[0022] As the base resin that becomes the base layer of the laminated body B, known resins such as polyolefin resins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET) are used. As the gas barrier resin for the gas barrier layer D, known gas barrier resins such as ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyamide (PA), MX nylon (MXD6, etc.) are used depending on the purpose of the gas barrier. Among these, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) is preferred in terms of its barrier properties against oxygen and against flavors and aromas.

[0023] Here, examples of blending the base resin that forms the base layer and the gas barrier resin that forms the gas barrier layer are shown below. <Base layer> <Barrier layer> LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene) EVOH+LLDPE LLDPE+EVOH EVOH LLDPE+adhesive resin EVOH LLDPE EVOH+adhesive resin LLDPE MXD6+LLDPE The blending ratio at which the bottle can be unplugged varies depending on the base resin of the base layer and the gas barrier resin of the gas barrier layer D. LDPE (low density polyethylene) may also be used as the base resin of the base layer.

[0024] The bottom seal F is made of a gas barrier resin sheet material or an aluminum sheet, and is bonded to the bottom 6 of the laminated body B by heat welding or adhesive in order to seal the bottom 6 of the laminated body B.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, cap C has a top wall 25 and an outer peripheral wall 26 extending vertically from the outer peripheral edge of top wall 25. On the inner surface of top wall 25, there are extending, from the inside to the outside, a cutting tube portion 27 whose inner periphery engages with the outer periphery of removal portion 14 of stacked body B when closed and whose outer periphery abuts the inner periphery of dispensing tube 10, and a threaded tube portion 28 whose inner periphery screws into the outer periphery of threaded wall 8. Furthermore, a sound-making member 29 is arranged between cutting tube portion 27 and threaded tube portion 28.

[0026] On the inner circumference of the cutting tube portion 27, there are provided, at the upper part, engagement arms 30 constituting second tooth portions that engage with the engagement protrusions 18 constituting the first tooth portions of the removal portion 14 of the stacked body B, in the same number as the engagement protrusions 18, and at the lower end part, a second engagement protrusion 31 is formed that engages with the first engagement protrusion 19 of the stacked body B. Further, a seal portion that abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the pouring tube 10 and seals the pouring outlet 2 is formed on the outer periphery of the cutting tube portion 27 .

[0027] The threaded cylindrical portion 28 is provided on its inner periphery with a threaded portion (female thread) 32 that screws into the threaded portion (male thread) 21 of the threaded wall 8 . The sound-emitting member 29 has a vibrating piece at its tip, and when the cap C is tightened onto the pouring part 1 of the laminated body B, the vibrating piece comes into contact with the sound-emitting protrusion 20 of the pouring part 1 and emits a sound, thereby letting the user know when the cap C has been tightened.

[0028] Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described. The barrier container A of this embodiment can be manufactured by coinjection molding such that a gas barrier layer D made of a gas barrier resin is layered inside a base material layer that is the base resin of the laminated body B.

[0029] In the co-injection molding of the laminated body B in this embodiment, a predetermined time after the base resin is first injected alone, a gas barrier resin is injected simultaneously with the base resin for a predetermined period of time, and then the base resin is injected alone for a predetermined period of time to complete the molding of the laminated body B. At this time, a gate G is provided at the center of the top wall 17 of the removal section 14, and the base resin and gas barrier resin are injected and poured into the pouring section 1 of the laminate body B through the removal section 14 and the thin-walled weakened section 13 for molding.

[0030] In the laminated body B of this embodiment, the top wall 17 of the removal section 14 has a certain height (distance), so that the flow of the injected synthetic resin can be stabilized. Therefore, by co-injection molding the laminated body B from gate G so that the gas barrier layer D made of gas barrier resin is layered inside the base material layer which is the base resin, the laminated container can be manufactured with stable quality.

[0031] Next, when setting the cap C on the laminated body B, the cap C is screwed onto the pouring portion 1 of the laminated body B and tightened, thereby attaching the cap C to the laminated body B. Furthermore, when the threaded portion (female thread) 32 of the cap C is screwed into the threaded portion (male thread) 21 of the laminated body B and tightened, the ratchet mechanism causes the engagement arm 30 of the cutting tube portion 27 of the cap C to climb over the engagement protrusion 18 on the tubular wall 16 of the removal portion 14 of the laminated body B, allowing the cap C to rotate. In addition, in this embodiment, the vibrating piece at the tip of the sound-producing member 29 of the cap C comes into contact with the sound-producing protrusion 20 of the laminated body B and emits a sound, thereby making it possible to know that the cap C has been completely tightened.

[0032] After attaching the cap C to the laminated body B, the laminated body B is turned upside down and the contents are filled in from the bottom 6 of the barrel 5. Finally, a bottom seal F is joined to the bottom 6 of the laminated body B to complete the barrier container A. As described above, in the laminated body B, the gas barrier layer D is formed continuously from the pouring portion 1 through the neck portion 3 and shoulder portion 4 to the bottom portion 6 of the body portion 5, so that the gas barrier property of the barrier container A is improved.

[0033] Next, to use the barrier container A of this embodiment, the cap C is rotated in the screw-removal direction, and when the cap C begins to rotate, it begins to rotate smoothly. Then, when the engagement arm 30 of the cutting tube portion 27 of the cap C abuts and engages with the engagement protrusion 18 of the tubular wall 16 of the stacked body B, the ratchet mechanism is activated and the rotational force of the cap C is applied to the removal portion 14 of the stacked body B via the ratchet mechanism.

[0034] At this time, the second engagement protrusion 31 of the cutting tube portion 27 tightly fits over the inner surface of the tubular wall 16, overriding the first engagement protrusion 19, thereby reinforcing the tubular wall 16 from the inside, making it easier for the rotational force of the cap C to be transmitted to the removal portion 14 via the ratchet mechanism, and generating a force that pulls the removal portion 14 upward as the screw rotates. As the rotation of cap C continues, the rotational force and pulling force applied to the removal portion 14 eventually break the thin-walled weakened portion 13, opening the spout 2, and the removal portion 14, which has been separated from the partition 9, is pulled up by the cutting tube portion 27 which engages with the cylindrical wall 16 and rises together with cap C.

[0035] When the seal portion on the outer periphery of the cutting tube portion 27 separates from the inner periphery of the pouring tube 10 and the threaded portion (female thread) 32 unscrews from the threaded portion (male thread) 21 to detach the cap C from the laminated body B, the contents in the laminated body B can be poured out from the pouring outlet 2 from which the removal portion 14 has been removed together with the cap C, as shown in Figure 2.

[0036] After using the barrier container A, when the cap C is attached to the laminated body B again, the tip of the bottom wall 15 of the removal section 14 and the remaining pieces of the broken thin-walled weakened section 13 scrape off the contents adhering to the inner surface of the dispensing tube 10, thereby keeping the inner surface of the dispensing tube 10 clean. Furthermore, the seal portion on the outer periphery of the cutting tube portion 27 abuts against the pouring tube 10, thereby making it possible to seal the inside of the laminated body B. EXAMPLES

[0037] Next, a second embodiment in which the laminated body B and the cap C of the first embodiment are modified will be described. In the following, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and only different components are given different reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described.

[0038] In Figure 3, Aa is a barrier container made of synthetic resin, Ba is a laminated body having a pouring portion 40, Ca is a cap connected to the pouring portion 40 of the laminated body Ba via a hinge E so as to be freely opened and closed, and F is a bottom seal that seals the bottom 6 of the laminated body Ba, and the laminated body Ba, cap Ca, and bottom seal F constitute the barrier container Aa.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the laminated body Ba is composed of a pouring portion 40 having a pouring outlet 41 opened at the top, a cylindrical neck portion 3 suspended from the pouring portion 40, a shoulder portion 4 formed into a cone shape by gradually widening in diameter from the lower end of the neck portion 3, and a cylindrical body portion 5 suspended from the lower end of the shoulder portion 4, and a hinge E is connected to a predetermined position at the upper outer periphery of the pouring portion 40.

[0040] The spout portion 40 is composed of a ring-shaped base wall 43 extending inward from the upper end of the neck portion 3, a ring-shaped partition wall 44 extending inward from the inner edge of the base wall 43 and sealing the periphery of the spout outlet 41, and a spout tube 45 erected from the periphery of the spout outlet 41 which opens on the inner circumference of the partition wall 44. The partition 44 on the inner periphery side of the pouring tube 45 is provided with a removable portion 49 defined by a breakable thin-walled weakened portion 48 in order to open the pouring outlet 41 during use.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4(a), the removal portion 49 is composed of a bottom wall 50 connected to the partition 44 via a thin-walled weakened portion 48, a substantially cylindrical pull base wall 51 erected from the upper surface of the bottom wall 50 opposite the hinge E, and a mountain-shaped engaging protrusion 53 connected upward via a step portion 52 so as to cover the pull base wall 51 and provided with a gate G for injecting synthetic resin when the laminated body Ba is molded.

[0042] The spout 40 is provided on the upper surface of the base wall 43 with an annular lid engaging portion 56 for keeping the cap Ca closed.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4(a), cap Ca comprises a top wall 60 and an outer peripheral wall 61 having a hinge E connected to a predetermined position on the lower outer periphery suspended from the periphery of top wall 60. A sealing tube 62 is suspended from the underside of top wall 60, the outer periphery of which is in close contact with the inner periphery of pouring tube 45 of stacked body Ba when closed, and an engagement wall 63 is suspended from the underside of top wall 60, on the opposite side of hinge E on the inside of sealing tube 62. Furthermore, an engagement hole 64 is opened in top wall 60, which communicates with the inner periphery of engagement wall 63. An arc-shaped knob 65 is provided on the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 61 opposite the outer peripheral hinge E, and a ring-shaped locking portion 66 is recessed at the lower part of the inner circumference into which the lid engagement portion 56 of the laminated body Ba fits to maintain the lid closed state.

[0044] The engaging wall 63 has an inner surface that is inclined to match the lower outer surface of the engaging protrusion 53 of the removal portion 49 of the laminated body Ba, and its lower surface is adapted to abut or come into close proximity with the step portion 52 on the upper surface of the pull base wall 51 when the lid is closed, and an engaging portion 67 is provided on the inner upper surface of the engaging wall 63.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the lid is initially closed, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper part of the locking protrusion 53 of the removal portion 49 of the laminated body Ba reaches the locking hole portion 64, and the upper part of the locking protrusion 53 is expanded so as to fill the locking hole portion 64 by the subsequent anti-slip processing using ultrasonic welding, and the locking protrusion 53 is engaged by the locking portion 67 on the upper surface of the engagement wall 63.

[0046] Next, the manner of use and the effects of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the barrier container Aa of this embodiment is manufactured by integral molding with a laminated body Ba via a hinge E in a state where a cap Ca is opened. In this case, the barrier container Aa can be manufactured by coinjection molding such that, in addition to the base resin, a gas barrier layer Da made of a gas barrier resin is layered inside the base layer only in the laminate body Ba.

[0047] Specifically, the molding of the barrier container Aa in this embodiment is similar to that in Example 1, in that the base resin is first injected alone, and after a predetermined time, the gas barrier resin is injected simultaneously with the base resin for a predetermined period of time, and then the base resin is injected alone for a predetermined period of time to complete the molding of the laminated body Ba.

[0048] To set up the barrier container Aa of this embodiment in preparation for filling it with the contents, the cap Ca is rotated around the hinge E as a fulcrum to close the integrally molded laminated body Ba, and then, as shown in Figure 3, the tip of the locking protrusion 53 of the removal portion 49 protruding from the top wall 60 of the cap Ca is ultrasonically welded to prevent it from falling out, so that the deformed locking protrusion 53 engages with the inner periphery of the engagement hole portion 64 of the cap Ca and the upper surface of the engagement wall 63, and the removal portion 49 of the laminated body Ba is attached to the inside of the top wall 60 of the cap Ca.

[0049] With the removal portion 49 of the laminated body Ba engaged with the cap Ca, the barrier container Aa is inverted, the contents are filled from the bottom 6 of the trunk portion 5, and finally a bottom seal F is joined to the bottom 6 of the laminated body Ba to complete the barrier container Aa. As described above, in the laminated body Ba, similarly to Example 1, the gas barrier layer Da is formed continuously from the pouring portion 40 through the neck portion 3 and shoulder portion 4 to the body portion 5, thereby improving the gas barrier property of the barrier container Aa.

[0050] When using the barrier container Aa of this embodiment for the first time, first, with the barrier container Aa in the state shown in Figure 3, the hand is hooked on the knob 65 of the cap Ca and the knob 65 is lifted. The cap Ca opens using the hinge E as a fulcrum, and the removal portion 49 attached to the cap Ca is pulled, so that the removal portion 49 itself is lifted from the opposite side of the hinge E, and the thin-walled weakened portion 48 connected to the partition 44 is broken from the opposite side of the hinge E. By further lifting the cap Ca, the breakage of the thin-walled weakened portion 48 progresses in the direction of the hinge E. Finally, as shown in Figure 4(b), the removal portion 49 is removed from the partition 44, the spout 41 is opened, and the removal portion 49 is transferred to the cap Ca. In the partition wall 44 on the inner periphery side of the pouring tube 45 of the laminated body Ba, the trace of the removed portion 49 serves as a pouring outlet 41, through which the contents in the laminated body Ba can be poured out.

[0051] After using the barrier container Aa, when the cap Ca is closed again on the stacked body Ba, the bottom wall 50 of the removal portion 49 largely blocks the pouring outlet 41, and the outer periphery of the sealing tube 62 abuts against the inner periphery of the pouring tube 45 to seal the inside of the stacked body Ba. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] The barrier container of the present invention is configured by integrating a conventional container body and a cap body into a laminated body, and the gas barrier layer is formed continuously from the pouring portion to the bottom of the laminated body. This improves the gas barrier properties of the laminated body that contains the contents, making it suitable as a container for containing contents that require gas barrier properties, such as food, beverages, and cosmetics. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] A, Aa Barrier container B, Ba laminated body C, Ca cap D, Da Gas barrier layer E Hinge F Bottom Seal G Gate 1, 40 Pour part 2, 41 spout 3 Neck 4 Shoulder 5. Torso 6 Bottom 7, 43 Base wall 8 Screw Wall 9, 44 Bulkhead 10, 45 pouring tube 13, 48 Thin wall weakened part 14, 49 Removal section 15, 50 Bottom wall 16 Cylindrical Wall 17 Ceiling Wall 18 Engagement protrusion 19 First engaging protrusion 20 Sound output protrusion 21 Threaded portion (male thread) 25, 60 Top wall 26, 61 Peripheral wall 27 Cutting cylinder part 28 Threaded cylinder 29 Sound-producing components 30 Engagement arm 31 Second engagement protrusion 32 Threaded portion (female thread) 51. Pull-out Wall 52 Step part 53 Locking protrusion 56 Lid engaging part 62 Closed Envelope 63 Engagement Wall 64 Engagement hole 65 Picking 66 Locking part 67 Engagement part

Claims

1. A barrier container comprising a laminated body having a pouring portion, a cap attached to the pouring portion of the laminated body in an openable and closable manner, and a bottom seal sealing the bottom of the laminated body, The laminated body includes a pouring outlet that opens into the pouring portion, and a removal portion that is connected to an inner periphery of the pouring outlet via a breakable thin-walled weakened portion; The laminated body is formed by co-injection molding from a gate provided in the removal section so that a gas barrier layer containing a gas barrier resin is the inner layer of a base material layer containing a base resin, and the gas barrier layer is formed continuously from the removal section to the bottom of the pouring section.

2. The barrier container according to claim 1, characterized in that the removal portion is formed by opening the cap from the pouring portion of the laminated body, breaking the thin weakened portion, and then moving the removal portion from the laminated body to the cap to open the pouring outlet.

3. 3. The barrier container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap is a screw cap that is screwed onto the pouring portion of the laminated body.

4. 3. The barrier container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap is a hinge cap connected to the pouring portion of the laminated body via a hinge.

5. The barrier container according to claim 4, wherein the cap is integrally molded with the laminated body via a hinge.

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