container

Abstract

To provide a container having high recyclability and excellent opening operability.SOLUTION: A container 1 has an inner container 10 having a spouting part 20 fitted with a cap 25 and a body 15 forming a storing space of a content, and an outer bag 40 covering the inner container 10. The outer bag 40 has an upper covering part B covering the spouting part 20 and a body covering part A covering the inner container 10, and is arranged separably from the inner container 10. The body 15 and the outer bag 40 are formed of a sheet material, respectively. When opening the container 1, the upper covering part B is separated from the outer bag 40, to expose the spouting part 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container comprising an inner container having a spout fitted with a cap and a body forming a storage space for contents, and an outer bag covering the inner container. [Background technology]

[0002] From the viewpoints of ease of handling and the ability of the container to stand on its own, containers are known that include an inner container for accommodating a liquid content and an outer package that accommodates the inner container. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose containers that include a stand-up pouch and an outer box that accommodates the pouch. These containers are opened by partially cutting off an upper corner of the outer box to expose the corner of the stand-up pouch, or by cutting off the corner of the stand-up pouch together with the upper corner of the outer box.

[0003] Furthermore, containers having an outer box are known that have an inner container provided with a spout for pouring out the contents. For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a bag-in-box container that has an inner container with a spout and an outer box that houses the inner container and has a perforated opening for the spout. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-32365 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-77135 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-076860 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] From the viewpoint of reducing the environmental burden, there is a demand for a reduction in the amount of synthetic resin used as a material for forming containers and for recyclability. On the other hand, when a product name or the like is printed on the surface of a container made of synthetic resin, it is difficult to separate the ink used for printing from the synthetic resin, which reduces recyclability. In contrast, the containers of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are effective in that when printing is performed only on the outer box, the inner container can be suitably provided for recycling. However, the outer boxes of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are made of rigid paper such as cardboard or corrugated board, and it is difficult to tear part of the outer box when opening it, making it difficult to remove the contents from the inner container.

[0006] The present invention relates to providing a container that is highly recyclable and easy to open. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a container comprising an inner container having a spout fitted with a cap and a body forming a storage space for contents, and an outer bag covering the inner container. It is preferable that the outer bag has an upper covering part that covers the spout part and a main body covering part that covers the inner container, and is disposed so as to be separable from the inner container. The body portion and the outer bag are preferably each formed of a sheet material. When opening the container, it is preferable to separate the upper covering portion from the outer bag to expose the spout portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The container of the present invention is highly recyclable and has excellent operability when opened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a container according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the container shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from one side wall side. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 1 taken along the height direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the container shown in FIG. 1 with the outer bag removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the container shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a development view of the outer bag shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the container of FIG. 1 with the upper covering portion removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a refilling operation in which the container shown in FIG. 7 is used to refill the contents into a refill container. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing the operation of folding the container shown in FIG. 7 and pouring out the contents. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view showing yet another embodiment of a container according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described based on its preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 9 show one embodiment of a container according to the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the container 1 of this embodiment comprises an inner container 10 and an outer bag 40 that covers the inner container. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the inner container 10 comprises a body 15 that forms a storage space for the contents, and a spout 20 to which a cap 25 is attached. The outer bag 40 accommodates the inner container 10 therein and is disposed on the outside of the inner container 10. The outer bag 40 is formed from a flexible sheet.

[0011] The container 1 of this embodiment has a bottom 4 that serves as a ground surface, and can stand on its own by placing the bottom 4 on a horizontal surface. In this free-standing state, the height direction Z of the container 1 coincides with the vertical direction. That is, the bottom 4 of the container 1 faces downward, and the opposite side of the bottom 4 in the height direction Z of the container 1 (for example, the upper covering portion B side or the pouring portion 20 side) faces upward. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the description of the container 1 of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4 will be a description of the container 1 in a free-standing state.

[0012] The outer surface of the container 1 is formed by an outer bag 40, which will be described later (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The container 1 of this embodiment has a pair of side walls F, R that stand upright from a bottom 4 and face each other. That is, the bottom 4 and the pair of side walls F, R of the container 1 are formed by the outer bag 40, and the inner container 10 is located between the pair of side walls F, R of the outer bag 40. The container 1 of this embodiment has a width direction X, which is the left-right direction relative to the side walls F, R, and a depth direction Y, which is perpendicular to the width direction X. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, one of the pair of side walls F, R will also be referred to as the "front side wall F" and the other as the "rear side wall R." The pair of side walls F, R of the container 1 are disposed opposite each other in the depth direction Y.

[0013] The inner container 10 included in the container 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the inner container 10 of this embodiment is a spout-equipped pouch container made of a flexible sheet. The inner container 10 has a body 15 that accommodates the contents. The body 15 has a pair of opposing side walls 17a, 17b and gussets 13, 14 that connect the side walls 17a, 17b to each other at both ends of the side walls 17a, 17b in the height direction Z. Of these two gussets 13, 14, one gusset 13 is provided with a spout 20. Hereinafter, the gusset 13 provided with the spout 20 will also be referred to as the "top gusset 13," and the gusset 14 not provided with the spout 20 will also be referred to as the "bottom gusset 14." The top crotch portion 13 and the bottom crotch portion 14 are disposed opposite to each other in the height direction Z (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0014] One side wall 17a of the body 15 is arranged opposite the front wall F of the container 1 (outer bag 40), and the other side wall 17b is arranged opposite the rear wall R of the container 1 (outer bag 40). Hereinafter, in the body 15, the side wall 17a arranged opposite the front wall F will also be referred to as the "inner front wall 17a," and the side wall 17b arranged opposite the rear wall R will also be referred to as the "inner rear wall 17b."

[0015] Each of the portions 17a, 17b, 13, and 14 that make up the body portion 15 is formed from a flexible sheet material. The top crotch portion 13 is formed from a top portion-forming sheet 33, the pair of side walls 17a and 17b are formed from side wall-forming sheets 31a and 31b, and the bottom crotch portion 14 is formed from a bottom portion-forming sheet 34 (see FIG. 4). These sheets 31a, 31b, 33, and 34 are made of flexible sheets. The body portion 15 is formed in a bag shape by joining together a pair of side wall forming sheets 31a, 31b, a top surface forming sheet 33, and a bottom forming sheet 34, and has a storage space inside for the contents.

[0016] The body 15 has a side seal portion 16 that joins the side portions of the two side wall forming sheets 31a, 31b. This side seal portion 16 forms the cylindrical portion of the body 15. The top surface forming sheet 33 is interposed between the pair of side wall forming sheets 31a, 31b at their upper ends. More specifically, when the top surface forming sheet 33 is divided in half in the depth direction Y into a front half on the inner front wall 17a side and a rear half on the inner rear wall 17b side, the upper edge portion of the side wall forming sheet 31a that forms the inner front wall 17a and the peripheral edge portion of the front half of the top surface forming sheet 33 are joined by a front upper seal portion t1. The upper edge of the side wall forming sheet 31b forming the inner rear wall 17b is joined to the peripheral edge of the rear half of the top crotch portion 13 by the rear upper seal portion t2. In this way, the front upper seal portion t1 and the rear upper seal portion t2 join the top surface portion forming sheet 33 to the side wall forming sheets 31a, 31b, respectively. The pair of side seal portions 16, 16 are formed to extend downward from the lower ends of the front upper seal portion t1 and the rear upper seal portion t2.

[0017] In this embodiment, the bottom-forming sheet 34 is folded in half and interposed between the pair of side wall-forming sheets 31a, 31b at their lower ends (not shown). When the bottom-forming sheet 34 is folded in half, the lower end of the bottom-forming sheet 34 is joined to the lower end of the pair of side wall-forming sheets 31a, 31b by a self-supporting seal, and the side of the bottom-forming sheet 34 is joined to the side of the pair of side wall-forming sheets 31a, 31b by a lower side seal (not shown). The lower side seal forms the lower portion of the side seal 16 described above. The self-supporting seal forms the periphery of the bottom crotch 14, and the lower edge of the self-supporting seal, together with the bottom crotch 14, is in contact with a horizontal surface. This allows the inner container 10 of this embodiment to stand on its own.

[0018] In this embodiment, the central portion of the top grommed portion 13 in the width direction X is located higher than the side portions located on both sides thereof, and the side portions are inclined portions. A spout portion 20 is formed in the central portion. The inner container 10 has a pouring portion 20 that protrudes from the top crotch portion 13. The pouring portion 20 has a cylindrical portion 21 and a flange portion 23, and the cylindrical portion 21 is erected on the plate-shaped flange portion 23. The pouring portion 20 is fixed so that the surface of the flange portion 23 on which the cylindrical portion 21 is provided is in contact with the inner surface of the top crotch portion 13 of the body portion 15, and the cylindrical portion 21 penetrates the top crotch portion 13 and is fixed in a state where it protrudes from the top crotch portion 13. The cylindrical portion 21 has a pouring passage that penetrates its interior, and has an opening 22 at the upper end of the pouring passage. The cylindrical portion 21 has a plurality of threads formed on its outer circumferential surface. The pouring portion 20 is provided with a cap 25 that is attached to the cylindrical portion 21. The cap 25 has a plurality of threads formed on its inner peripheral surface, and can be detachably screwed onto the cylindrical portion 21. The cap 25 closes the opening 22 when attached to the pouring portion 20.

[0019] Next, the outer bag 40 provided in the container 1 of this embodiment will be described. The outer bag 40 is a bottomed packaging body that encases the inner container 10 and is made of a flexible sheet material. Specifically, the outer bag 40 is made up of a front wall sheet 50a that forms the front wall F, a rear wall sheet 50b that forms the rear wall R, and a bottom sheet 54 that forms the bottom 4. In the outer bag 40, the front wall F and the rear wall R are connected to the bottom 4 at their lower ends. In other words, the bottom 4 is located between the front wall F and the rear wall R, and connects these side walls F, R to each other. The outer bag 40 of this embodiment has a three-way joint 42 that joins the upper edges of the side wall sheets 50a, 50b that form the pair of side walls F, R and joins the upper side edges extending downward from both ends of the upper edges. The three-way joint 42 is U-shaped with the open side facing downward, and the lower end portions 45 on both sides in the width direction X are triangular in shape to fit the shape of the sides (sloping portions) of the top gusset portion 13 of the inner container 10 (see FIG. 2). The lower end portions 45 of such joints will hereinafter also be referred to as "shoulder joints 45." In the outer bag 40 of this embodiment, the upper portion is flattened due to the three-sided joint 42, while the lower portion has a longer length in the depth direction Y than the upper portion due to the presence of the bottom 4 (see FIG. 3).

[0020] The outer bag 40 has an upper covering part B that covers the pouring part 20 and a main body covering part A that covers the inner container 10. The upper covering part B is a flat upper part of the outer bag 40. In other words, the upper covering part B is configured to include the upper parts of a pair of side walls F, R joined by a three-way joint 42. The main body covering part A is the lower part of the outer bag 40 excluding the upper covering part B, and is configured to include the lower parts of the pair of side walls F, R and the bottom 4. The upper covering part B has a pair of spout covering parts 41a and 41b. The above-mentioned three-way joint 42 is present in the upper covering part B, and the shoulder joint 45 extends to the main body covering part A. The main body covering portion A has side wall covering portions 43a, 43b that cover the pair of side walls 17a, 17b of the barrel portion 15. In the side walls R, F of the container 1 (outer bag 40), the spout portion covering portions 41a, 41b and the side wall covering portions 43a, 43b are continuous in a plane. The spout portion covering portions 41a, 41b form upper portions of the pair of side walls F, R of the container 1 (outer bag 40), and the side wall covering portions 43a, 43b form lower portions of the pair of side walls F, R of the container 1 (outer bag 40).

[0021] The main body covering part A has a crotch covering part 44 that faces the bottom crotch part 14. The crotch covering part 44 connects the pair of side wall covering parts 43a, 43b at their lower ends. This crotch covering part 44 forms the bottom 4 of the container 1 (outer bag 40) and prevents the inner container 10 from falling out of the outer bag 40.

[0022] The upper covering part B is formed by a pair of upper side wall forming sheets 52a, 52b that form a pair of pouring part covering parts 41a, 41b (see FIG. 3). In the upper covering part B, the upper edge parts and the side edge parts of the pair of upper side wall forming sheets 52a, 52b are joined together by the three-way joining part 42. The main body covering portion A is formed by a pair of lower side wall forming sheets 53a, 53b that form the side wall covering portions 43a, 43b, and a bottom sheet 54 that forms the crotch covering portion 44 (see FIG. 3). In the main body covering portion A, the bottom sheet 54 is interposed between the side wall sheets 50a, 50b and is connected to the lower end of the side wall sheet 50a, which forms the lower portion of the front wall F, via a bent portion c1 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the bottom sheet 54 is formed with a bottom bent portion c2 extending in the width direction X at the center in the depth direction Y. Furthermore, the bottom sheet 54 of this embodiment has a smaller area than the annular region formed by connecting the lower edges of the pair of side wall sheets 50a, 50b. As a result, when the outer bag 40 is viewed from the bottom, there is a gap d between the side wall sheets 50a, 50b and the bottom sheet 54 in the width direction X (see FIG. 5). With the upper covering part B separated from the container 1, the outer bag 40 and the inner container 10 can be more easily separated by inserting a finger or the like through this gap d, allowing the inner container 10 to be suitably recycled.

[0023] In the outer bag 40 of this embodiment, the upper covering part B is connected above the main covering part A via a cutting guide line 47, which will be described later. In other words, the cutting guide line 47, which allows the upper covering part B to be separated, is formed at the boundary between the main covering part A and the upper covering part B. The cutting guide line 47 of this embodiment is formed so as to traverse the outer bag 40 in the width direction X (see FIGS. 1 and 2). By tearing the outer bag 40 along the cutting guide line 47, the upper covering part B can be easily separated from the outer bag 40. The cutting guide line 47 may be formed by a perforation, or may be a cutting line that does not penetrate through in the thickness direction, such as a half cut. Furthermore, in the outer bag 40, a cutting indication line may be formed at the boundary between the main covering part A and the upper covering part B, instead of the cutting guide line 47. The cutting indication line is an indication line that makes it clear that the upper covering part B should be cut off. An example of the cutting indication line is a dotted line along the boundary between the main covering part A and the upper covering part B, displayed together with a scissors mark.

[0024] The outer bag 40 is formed by folding and joining a single sheet material 50. Figure 6 shows a developed view of the outer bag forming sheet 50 that forms the outer bag 40. The outer bag forming sheet 50 can be easily obtained by cutting a single sheet of paper material so that the outer bag 40 will have a predetermined shape when developed.

[0025] The outer pouch forming sheet 50 of this embodiment has a longitudinal direction Z1 corresponding to the height direction Z of the container 1 and a lateral direction X1 corresponding to the width direction X of the container 1. The outer pouch forming sheet 50 has a side wall sheet 50a that forms the front wall F in the lateral direction X1 and a side wall sheet 50b that forms the rear wall R. These side wall sheets 50a, 50b are connected via a folded portion c3 between them. In this outer pouch forming sheet 50, a joint portion 55 is provided on the outer side of the side wall sheet 50a that forms the front wall F in the lateral direction X1. The side wall sheet 50a and the joint portion 55 are connected via a folded portion c4 between them. The length of the joint portion 55 in the longitudinal direction Z1 is shorter than that of the side wall sheets 50a, 50b. The side wall sheets 50a, 50b are formed with a cutting guide line 47 that crosses the side wall sheets 50a, 50b in the horizontal direction X1 at a position spaced from one edge of the sheets 50a, 50b in the vertical direction Z1. The cutting guide line 47 divides the side wall sheets 50a, 50 into upper side wall-forming sheets 52a, 52b and lower side wall-forming sheets 53a, 53b. In the outer bag forming sheet 50, a bottom sheet 54 is provided on the other edge in the longitudinal direction Z1 of the side wall sheet 50a (lower side wall forming sheet 53a) that forms the front side wall F. The side wall sheet 50a and the bottom sheet 54 are connected via a folded portion c1 therebetween. The bottom sheet 54 is provided with a bottom joint portion 56 on the side opposite to the connected side wall sheet 50a. The bottom sheet 54 and the bottom joint portion 56 are connected via a folded portion c5 therebetween. In outer bag forming sheet 50, folding portions c1, c2, c3, c4, and c5 are provided by applying a creasing process such as creasing to sheet material 50. Cutting guide lines 47 are provided in outer bag forming sheet 50 by applying a cutting process or the like.

[0026] The container 1 with the outer bag 40 is formed using the outer bag forming sheet 50 shown in FIG. 6 in the following manner. First, the outer bag forming sheet 50 is folded along the folding portions c3 and c4, and the seam 55 is joined to the side wall sheet 50b that forms the rear wall R. This forms the tubular portion of the outer bag 40, and the two side wall sheets 50a and 50b are overlapped. Next, the folding portion c1 is folded to place the bottom sheet 54 between the two side wall sheets 50a and 50b, and the bottom seam 56 is joined to the side wall sheet 50b that forms the rear wall R. This forms the bottom of the outer bag 40, i.e., the gusset covering portion 44 of the body covering portion A. Next, the inner container 10 filled with contents is inserted through the openings on the upper edge sides of the side wall sheets 50a and 50b. Then, the upper edges of the two side wall sheets 50a, 50b are joined together and the upper side edges are joined together to form the three-sided joint 42. In this manner, the container 1 equipped with the outer bag 40 is formed. The joining means used to form the outer bag 40 may be any known joining means such as adhesive, double-sided tape, or a stapler.

[0027] The container 1 may be formed by forming the three-way joint 42 and then forming the gusset covering part 44. In this case, the joint part 55 of the outer bag forming sheet 50 is joined to the side wall sheet 50b to form the three-way joint 42, and then the inner container 10 is inserted from the bottom in the open state, and the bottom joint part 56 is joined to the side wall sheet 50b to form the bottom (gusset covering part 44).

[0028] In the height direction Z of the container 1, the upper covering portion B of the outer bag 40 is located above the upper edge of the body portion 15 and covers the pouring portion 20, and the main body covering portion A is located below the upper covering portion B and covers the entire body portion 15. The main body covering portion A of this embodiment has a side wall covering portion that covers a pair of side walls, and a crotch covering portion that faces the bottom crotch portion.

[0029] In the container 1, the outer bag 40 is arranged so as to be separable from the inner container 10. In the container 1 of this embodiment, the upper covering part B and the pouring part 20 are not joined together. The upper covering part B is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the pouring part 20 and to surround the pouring part 20. In other words, there is a space between the upper covering part B and the pouring part 20. Furthermore, in the container 1 of this embodiment, the main body covering part A and the inner container 10 are not joined together. Specifically, the main body covering part A and the body part 15 are not joined together. This configuration makes it easier to separate the outer bag 40 and the inner container 10. The main body covering part A of this embodiment covers the body part 15 along the outer surface of the body part 15, in contact with or in close proximity to the body part 15.

[0030] In the container 1, the outer bag 40 and the inner container 10 do not have to be joined together as in this embodiment, or the outer bag 40 may be joined so as to be separable from the inner container 10. In the latter case, the main body covering portion A is joined to all or part of the trunk portion 15, provided that the outer bag 40 is separable from the inner container 10. When the outer bag 40 is joined so as to be separable from the inner container 10, it is preferable that the outer bag 40 be joined to such an extent that it is separable so that it does not substantially remain on the inner container 10, from the viewpoint of further improving the recyclability of the inner container 10. For example, when the outer surface of the inner container 10 and the inner surface of the outer bag 40 are each formed of a film layer described below, it is preferable that the outer bag 40 be joined to the inner container 10 with an adhesive such as a heat-sensitive adhesive or an easy-open resin. Examples of heat-sensitive adhesives include acrylic two-component crosslinkable adhesives, etc. Preferred examples of acrylic two-component crosslinkable adhesives include those under the trade name "BPS6458" (manufactured by Toyochem Co., Ltd.) and those under the trade name "BPS6017" (manufactured by Toyochem Co., Ltd.).

[0031] Easy-open resins are resins that can form a sealant film layer that can be bonded by heat sealing or the like, and that can be peeled off at the sealant film layer by a physical force that exceeds this bonding strength. Easy-open resins include an interface peeling type that peels off at the bonding interface of the sealant film layer, a cohesive peeling type that peels off accompanied by cohesive failure (fracture of the material itself) near the bonding interface, and an interlayer peeling type that peels off between layers of a sealant film layer composed of a multilayer film. When the inner container 10 is made of a single type of polyolefin-based resin, it is preferable to use an interface peeling type or a cohesive peeling type in order to further prevent the outer bag 40 from partially peeling off. Of these, the cohesive peeling type is more preferable in terms of cost and bonding stability. When the inner container 10 is made of a single type of polyethylene-based resin, it is more preferable to use an easy-open resin as the cohesive peeling type, which is a binary system of polyethylene-based resin and another type of resin, and in which the only adhesive remaining on the inner container 10 after peeling is polyethylene-based resin.

[0032] When opening the container 1 of this embodiment, the upper covering part B is cut off from the outer bag 40 to expose the spout 20. Fig. 7 shows the container 1 in a state where the upper covering part B has been cut off from the outer bag 40. In the outer bag 40 of this embodiment, the upper covering part B is cut off along the cutting guide line 47 described above. This exposes the spout 20 and part of the top gusset part 13 while maintaining the body part 15 covered by the main body covering part A located below the cutting guide line 47. The upper covering part B covers the spout 20, and there is a space between the upper covering part B and the spout 20. This means that the inner container 10 (body part 15) does not interfere when the outer bag 40 is torn, making it easy to cut off the upper covering part B. As described above, the container 1 of this embodiment makes the spout portion 20 openable by separating the upper covering portion B. That is, the container 1 of this embodiment ensures virginity by ensuring that the container is unopened, thanks to the upper covering portion B that covers the spout portion 20. Furthermore, since the inner container 10 is covered by the detachable outer bag 40, the inner container 10 can be suitably recycled. In particular, when printing is performed only on the outer bag 40, ink does not adhere to the inner container 10, which is effective for horizontal recycling of the inner container 10. As described above, the container 1 of this embodiment has high recyclability for the inner container 10, and is easy to open because the upper covering part B can be easily separated.

[0033] The main body covering part A has the above-mentioned shoulder joint part 45 (see FIG. 7). The shoulder joint part 45 is located below the boundary with the upper covering part B and joins the sheet materials forming the main body covering part A on both sides of the pouring part 20. These sheet materials are the lower side wall forming sheets 53a and 53b. The main body covering part A has a non-joined part 46 between the shoulder joint parts 45 in the width direction X where the lower side wall forming sheets 53a and 53b are not joined (see FIG. 7). In the container 1 of this embodiment, when the upper covering part B is separated, the pouring part 20 is exposed from the opening formed by the non-joined part 46. In the container 1 of this embodiment, the width of the inner container 10 is longer than the width W3 of the non-jointed portion 46. More specifically, the width W1 of the top gusset portion 13 is longer than the width W3 of the non-jointed portion 46 (see FIG. 7). As a result, even when the container 1 is turned upside down with the spouting portion 20 facing downward after the upper covering portion B has been separated from the outer bag 40 (see FIG. 8), both sides of the inner container 10 are caught at the shoulder joint portion 45, effectively preventing the inner container 10 from detaching from the main covering portion A. This effect facilitates the refilling operation of refilling the contents from the container 1 of this embodiment into another container 12 (refillable container 12) (see FIG. 8).

[0034] To further prevent the inner container 10 from detaching from the main body covering part A, it is preferable that the width W3 of the non-joined part 46 (see FIG. 7) and the width W5 of the shoulder joint part 45 (see FIG. 7) be within the following ranges. The width W3 of the non-jointed portion 46 (see FIG. 7) is preferably 20% to 95%, more preferably 60% to 90%, of the width W1 of the top crotch portion 13 (see FIG. 7). The width W5 of the shoulder joint 45 (see FIG. 7) is preferably 3 mm or more and 35 mm or less, and more preferably 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The width W5 of the shoulder joint 45 is the maximum width of the shoulder joint 45.

[0035] In the container 1 of this embodiment, both the outer bag 40 and the inner container 10 are formed from flexible sheet material. Therefore, the entire container 1 can be folded, for example, by folding the container 1 multiple times from the bottom end to the top end (see FIG. 9). This allows the contents remaining in the bottom gusset 14 of the inner container 10 to be efficiently poured out. The container 1 of this embodiment has a bottom folding portion c2 at the center of the depth direction Y of the crotch covering portion 44, which forms the bottom 4 (see Figure 5), and by folding the folding portion c2 toward the inner container 10, the outer bag 40 can be folded more easily and compactly.

[0036] Furthermore, the inner container 10 formed from a flexible sheet material shrinks in volume in accordance with the amount of remaining contents, so that it becomes deflated after the contents are discharged. More specifically, the inner container 10 becomes deflated in the width direction X. This allows the deflated inner container 10 to be easily removed from the non-jointed portion 46 of the main body covering portion A. From the perspective of making it easier to remove the inner container 10, it is preferable that the non-jointed portion 46 has dimensions that allow the deflated inner container 10 to be removed after the contents are discharged. From the same viewpoint as above, the width W3 of the non-bonded portion 46 (see FIG. 7) is preferably 3 mm or more and 35 mm or less, and more preferably 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

[0037] From the viewpoint of further improving the recyclability of the inner container 10, it is preferable that the body 15 of the container 1 is not printed, and it is more preferable that the outer surface of the outer bag 40 is printed while the body 15 is not printed. This allows the inner container 10 to be efficiently recycled horizontally.

[0038] The material of the sheet material (outer bag forming sheet 50) that forms outer bag 40 is not particularly limited, and may include a film layer made of synthetic resin, may consist of the film layer, or may be formed of a material other than a film layer. Details of the film layer will be described later. From the viewpoint of further improving recyclability, the outer bag forming sheet 50 preferably includes a paper layer, and more preferably consists of a paper layer. The material forming the paper layer can be any material that can be used as a paper raw material, without any particular restrictions. Examples include natural fibers such as wood pulp, such as softwood kraft pulp (NBKP) and hardwood kraft pulp (LBKP), and non-wood pulp, such as cotton pulp and hemp pulp; modified pulp, such as cationized pulp and mercerized pulp; and recycled fibers, such as cupra and rayon. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The outer bag forming sheet 50 may also have a single or multiple paper layers.

[0039] From the viewpoint of ensuring the liquid retention of the liquid contents, the sheet materials 31a, 31b, 33, and 34 forming the body portion 15 preferably include a film layer, and more preferably consist of a film layer. The film layer may be a stretched film or an unstretched film. Examples of stretched films include those obtained by uniaxial or biaxial stretching. From the viewpoint of further improving the bag-making properties and impact resistance of the inner container 10, polyolefin resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins, etc. can be used as the constituent resin of the film layer. Examples of polyolefin resins include polyethylene resins such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra-low-density polyethylene (ULDPE), and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH); and polypropylene resins such as polypropylene (PP), homopolypropylene, and random copolymer polypropylene. Examples of polyester resins include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (amorphous PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polybutylene naphthalate (PBN). Examples of polyamide resins include nylon 6, nylon 66, and aromatic nylon.

[0040] From the viewpoint of further improving recyclability, the film layer preferably contains a polyolefin resin. From the same viewpoint as above, the mass ratio of the polyolefin resin in the film layer is preferably 90% or more, more preferably 100%.

[0041] From the viewpoint of making it easier to collapse the inner container 10 in accordance with the amount of remaining contents, and from the viewpoint of making it easier to fold the container 1, it is preferable that the sheet material 50 forming the outer bag 40 and the sheet materials 31a, 31b, 33, 34 forming the body portion 15 are each configured to be foldable. From the viewpoint of providing such a configuration and ensuring the strength of the container 1, when the outer bag forming sheet 50 is made of a paper layer, the basis weight of the sheet 50 is preferably 120 g / m 2 More than 200g / m 2 or less, more preferably 150 g / m 2 More than 180g / m 2 When the outer bag forming sheet 50 is made up of a plurality of paper layers, it is preferable that the total basis weight of the plurality of paper layers is within the above-mentioned range. From the viewpoint of ease of folding and strength of the container 1, when the sheet materials 31a, 31b, 33, 34 forming the body portion 15 are made of film layers, the thickness of the sheet materials 31a, 31b, 33, 34 is preferably 90 μm or more and 230 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or more and 200 μm or less. When the sheet materials 31a, 31b, 33, 34 forming the body portion 15 are made of multiple film layers, it is preferable that the total thickness of the multiple film layers is in the above-mentioned range.

[0042] The container of the present invention is not limited to the form shown in Figures 1 to 9, and may have other forms. Another embodiment of the container of the present invention will be described below. In the following, the other embodiment will be described mainly with respect to components that differ from the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 9, and similar components will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again. For components that are not particularly described, the description of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 9 will be applied as appropriate.

[0043] Although the body 15 in the above-described embodiment has a bottom crotch 14 and a top crotch 13 connecting the pair of side walls 17a, 17b, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the body 15a of the inner container 10a has a pair of side walls 17a, 17b and a bottom crotch 14 connecting the pair of side walls 17a, 17b, but does not have a top crotch 13. Furthermore, in the container 1a of this embodiment, the pair of side walls 17a, 17b have an upper corner 19 formed by cutting out one of the upper corners of a rectangle at an angle. The upper corner 19 is located opposite the bottom crotch 14 in the height direction Z of the container 1a. The inner container 10a of this embodiment has a pouring portion 20a between the pair of side walls 17a, 17b at the upper corner 19. The pouring part 20a of this embodiment includes a cylindrical part 21 (not shown in FIG. 10) and a boat-shaped fixed part 27 whose width narrows toward both sides, and the cylindrical part 21 is erected on the fixed part 27. The fixed part 27 has an internal pouring passage which communicates with the pouring passage of the cylindrical part 21. The pouring part 20a is fixed to the side walls by joining such as heat sealing, with the fixed part 27 sandwiched between the pair of side walls 17a, 17b.

[0044] The container 1a (outer bag 40a) of this embodiment has side walls F, R that are rectangular in front view, and the upper edges of the side walls F, R are joined together by an upper edge joining portion 42a. In the outer bag 40a of this embodiment, the upper corner where the spout portion 20a is disposed forms the upper covering portion B. The outer bag 40a has a first cutting guide line 47a that separates the upper covering portion B. The first cutting guide line 47a of this embodiment is a diagonal cutting guide line that defines a triangular portion at one of the upper corners of the side walls F, R, which have a rectangular shape in front view. In the outer bag 40a of this embodiment, this triangular portion forms the upper covering portion B, and the remaining portion forms the main covering portion A. By tearing the outer bag 40a along this first cutting guide line 47a, the upper covering portion B is separated from the main covering portion A. The first cutting guide wire 47a reaches the upper edge of the upper edge joint portion 42a so as to intersect with the upper edge joint portion 42a, so that the upper covering portion B includes a part of the upper edge joint portion 42a. Furthermore, the outer bag 40a of this embodiment has a second cutting guide line 47b that can form an opening through which the inner container 10a can be removed after the contents have been discharged. The second cutting guide line 47b is located below the upper edge joint portion 42a, connects one side edge of the side walls F, R of the outer bag 40a to the first cutting guide line 47a, and extends in the width direction X.

[0045] When opening the container 1a of this embodiment, first, the outer bag 40a is broken along the first cutting guide line 47a, and the upper covering part B is separated from the main body covering part A. This exposes the spouting part 20a that was covered by the upper covering part B. Furthermore, when removing the inner container 10a from the container 1a of this embodiment after the contents have been discharged, the outer bag 40 is broken along the second cutting guide line 47b, and the upper edge joint portion 42a located above the second cutting guide line 47b is cut off from the outer bag 40. This forms an opening at the upper edge of the main body covering portion A. The inner container 10a can then be removed from the outer bag 40a through this opening.

[0046] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. The above-described embodiments may also be combined. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cap 25 is attached to the spout portion 20 by screwing, but it may be attached by fitting. Furthermore, only one cutting guide line or cutting indication line may be formed on the outer bag 40, or multiple lines may be formed. 1 to 9, the inner container 10 may have no top gusset portion 13 and may have a pouring portion 20a equipped with a boat-shaped fixing portion 27. In this case, the inner container 10 has a sealing portion that joins the upper ends of the two side wall-forming sheets 31a, 31b and extends in the width direction X, and the sealing portion fixes the fixing portion 27 between the two side wall-forming sheets 31a, 31b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1,1a container 4 Bottom 10,10a Inner container 13 Top Kusubu 14 Bottom gossamer part 15,15a Torso 16 Side seal 17a,17b side wall 19 Upper corner 20 Pour section 21 Cylindrical part 22 Opening 23 Flange 25 Cap 31a, 31b Side wall forming sheet 33 Top surface forming sheet 34 Bottom forming sheet 40,40a outer bag 41a, 41b Outlet covering part 42 Three-way joint 43a, 43b Side wall covering part 44 Gore cover part 45 Shoulder joint 46 Non-joint part 47 Cutting guide wire 50 outer bag forming sheet 50a, 50b Side wall sheet 52a, 52b Upper side wall forming sheet 53a, 53b Lower side wall forming sheet 55 Joint 56 Bottom joint A Body coating B Upper covering part F Front side wall R rear side wall X Width direction Y depth direction Z height direction

Claims

1. A container comprising an inner container having a spout portion fitted with a cap and a body portion forming a storage space for the contents, and an outer bag covering the inner container, the outer bag has an upper covering part that covers the spout part and a main body covering part that covers the inner container, and is disposed so as to be separable from the inner container; the body portion and the outer bag are each formed of a sheet material, The main body covering portion is a shoulder joint portion where the sheet materials forming the main body covering portion are joined to each other on both sides of the pouring portion below the boundary with the upper covering portion, and a non-joined portion where the sheet materials forming the main body covering portion are not joined to each other between the shoulder joint portions; the width of the inner container is greater than the width of the non-jointed portion, The container, wherein when the container is opened, the upper covering portion is separated from the outer bag, and the pouring portion is exposed from the non-jointed portion.

2. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the non-jointed portion has a dimension that allows the inner container in a deflated state to be removed after the contents are discharged.

3. 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the outer bag has a boundary between the main body covering portion and the upper covering portion, the boundary having a cutting guide line that allows the upper covering portion to be separated or a cutting indication line that indicates that the upper covering portion should be separated.

4. The inner container has the spout at an upper corner thereof, 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the outer bag has a corner where the pouring portion is located that is the upper covering portion, and the outer bag has a first cutting guide line that cuts off the upper covering portion, and a second cutting guide line that can form an opening through which the inner container can be removed after the content is discharged.

5. 5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material forming the outer pouch comprises a paper layer.

6. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet material forming the body portion includes a film layer.

7. The sheet material forming the outer bag is made of a paper layer and has a basis weight of 200 g / m ２ is as follows:

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material forming the body portion is made of a film layer and has a thickness of 90 μm or more and 230 μm or less.

8. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the body portion is not printed.

9. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the main body covering part and the inner container are not joined together.

10. The body portion has a pair of side walls and a bottom crotch portion connecting the side walls, The container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the body covering portion has a side wall covering portion that covers the pair of side walls and a crotch covering portion that faces the bottom crotch portion.

Images