Gusseted pouch

Abstract

To provide a pouch with a gusset which improves drop strength while improving forming before filling, in a simple structure.SOLUTION: In a pouch 10 with a gusset, a top seal part 70 has left and right seal swollen parts 72 which swell downward from a top seal base part 71 in a gusset region 21. A forming guide edge part 72a of the seal swollen part 72 extends obliquely so as to approach the outside in the left and right direction as it goes downward, so as to form an angle of 40-50° with respect to the vertical direction, from a left and right direction inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21 or the vicinity of the left and right direction inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21. The seal swollen part 72 is formed on an outside of a virtual inscription circle S which is inscribed in an inside edge of a left and right side film connecting part 62 which connects a front side film 30, a rear side film 40 and a film 50 for a gusset part in both sides in the left and right direction, and a lower end edge of the top seal base part 71, in view in a front-and-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gusseted pouch. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, gusseted pouches, which are made by heat-sealing a film and have gusset portions (gusset portions) on both the left and right sides, have been commonly used as containers for storing fluid contents such as jelly-like drinks (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such gusseted pouches, it is also known to pre-shape each film that constitutes the pouch by blowing air or other gas into the pouch through a spout to inflate the pouch before filling it with contents.

[0004] However, in the gusseted pouch disclosed in Patent Document 1, when air is blown into the pouch, depending on the rigidity of the films that make up the pouch, the films may be deformed in an unexpected manner, such as wrinkled, at the upper corners of the content storage section where the movement of each film is restricted by the top seal and side seal, and this deformation may also cause unexpected deformation, such as wrinkles, in the front and back films in the lower part of the content storage section.

[0005] Therefore, one method to avoid the above problem is to form left and right seal bulge portions 172 that bulge downward from a top seal base 171 in the left and right gusset regions 121, as shown in Figure 5, and use the inner edges of the seal bulge portions 172 as crimping guide edges 172a to control the shape of each film at the upper corners when air is blown into the pouch.

[0006] Specifically, if the forming guide edge 172a is formed to extend obliquely from the left-right inner edge 151 of the gusset region 121 or near the left-right inner edge 151 of the gusset region 121 at an angle θ of 40 to 50° with respect to the vertical direction, no dead space that would essentially be blocked is created when air is blown into the pouch, and unintended deformation of each film at the upper corners is suppressed, allowing the content storage section 112 to inflate well. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-040057 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, when the applicant conducted multiple drop tests to confirm the drop strength of a gusseted pouch such as that shown in Figure 5, it was found that in some cases, the front film 130, the back film 140, and / or the gusset film 150 were torn starting from the vicinity of point A of the bulging seal portion shown in Figure 5, resulting in leakage of the contents.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve these problems and aims to provide a gusseted pouch with a simple structure that allows for good shape formation before filling while also improving drop strength. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a gusseted pouch in which gusset films are disposed in a folded state between a front film and a back film on both the left and right sides, and a spout is attached between the front film and the back film in a top seal portion formed on the top side of the top seal, wherein the top seal portion has a top seal base extending along the left-right direction, and left and right seal bulge portions that bulge downward from the top seal base in the left and right gusset regions where the gusset films are disposed, and the seal bulge portions have a forming guide edge portion that extends downward from the lower end edge of the top seal base on the inner edge side facing the content-accommodating portion, and the forming guide edge portion extends obliquely from the left-right inner edge of the gusset region or near the left-right inner edge of the gusset region, forming an angle of 40 to 50 degrees with respect to the up-down direction, so as to lean outward in the left-right direction as it extends downward, The imaginary inscribed circle is based on the inner edges of the left and right side film connection portions that connect the front film, the back film, and the gusset film on both the left and right sides, and is inscribed in the lower edge of the top seal base, The seal bulge portion is The above-mentioned provisional Formed outside the imaginary inscribed circle R, The forming guide edge portion has a straight portion that extends diagonally in a straight line from the lower edge of the top seal base, and a curved portion that continues from the lower end of the straight portion and curves away from the imaginary inscribed circle, and the curved portion is the part of the edge portion of the seal bulge portion on the content storage section side that is closest to the imaginary inscribed circle, thereby solving the problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the forming guide edge of the seal bulge is formed so as to extend diagonally from the left-right inner edge of the gusset area or near the left-right inner edge of the gusset area, at an angle of 40 to 50 degrees with respect to the up-down direction, and so as to move more outward in the left-right direction as it extends downward, thereby improving forming before filling, and when viewed from the front to back direction, the seal bulge is formed outside an imaginary inscribed circle that is inscribed in the inner edges of the left and right side film connection parts that connect the front film, back film, and gusset film on both the left and right sides, and the lower edge of the top seal base, so that the inner edge of the seal bulge prevents tearing of any or all of the front film, back film, and gusset film, thereby improving the drop strength of the gusseted pouch. In other words, if a gusseted pouch with contents inside is dropped onto the floor or other surface, the impact will spread radially from near the center of the content storage section, but in the present invention, the seal bulge is formed outside the imaginary inscribed circle, so that the impact is received by the inner edge of the side film connection section or the spout, and then transmitted to the inner edge of the seal bulge, thereby preventing the inner edge of the seal bulge from becoming the starting point for peeling between the front film or back film and the gusset film. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a gusseted pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a top seal portion. [Figure 3] An experiment conducted to confirm whether or not a gusseted pouch breaks when dropped on the floor. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of a gusseted pouch. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a reference example of a gusseted pouch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A gusseted pouch 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the gusseted pouch 10 is constructed by attaching a spout 80, which functions as a pouring outlet, to a pouch body 20 made of a flexible resin film, and is used to store contents (content liquid) such as a jelly-like beverage.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the pouch body 20 is configured as a so-called horizontal gusset-type pouch with gusset portions (gusset portions) formed on both the left and right sides. Specifically, it is composed of a front film 30 and a back film 40 arranged opposite each other, and a gusset portion film 50 arranged in a folded state in two between the front film 30 and the back film 40 on both the left and right sides. A bag-making seal portion 60 is formed on the outer periphery of the pouch body 20 by heat-pressing the films 30, 40, and 50 together to form the pouch.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the seal portion 60 has a top seal portion 70 formed on the top side of the pouch body 20, a bottom seal portion 61 formed on the bottom side of the pouch body 20, and side seal portions 62 formed on both the left and right sides of the pouch body 20.

[0017] In the bottom seal portion 61, the front film 30 and the back film 40 are thermocompression bonded together. In the side seal portion 62, the front film 30 and the gusset film 50, and the back film 40 and the gusset film 50 are bonded by thermocompression. In addition, in the area where the gusset film 50 is arranged between the front film 30 and the back film 40, the front film 30 and the back film 40 may be heat-sealed by partially removing the gusset film 50 at any location, or the inner surfaces of the gusset film 50 folded in half at any location may be partially heat-sealed together. As shown in FIG. 1, the inner edge of the side seal portion 62 on the content-accommodating portion 12 side extends linearly in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the side seal portions 62 serve as left and right side film connection portions 62 that connect the front film 30, the back film 40, and the gusset film 50 on both the left and right sides.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the top seal portion 70 has a top seal base 71 extending in a band shape along the left-right direction, and left and right seal bulge portions 72 that bulge downward from the lower edge of the top seal base 71 extending (straightly) along the left-right direction in the left and right gusset areas 21 where the gusset film 50 is arranged.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, when viewed from the front to back direction (when the gusseted pouch 10 is viewed in a plane), the seal bulge portion 72 is formed outside (on the outer periphery) of an imaginary inscribed circle S that is inscribed in the inner edges of the left and right side film connection portions 62 (side seal portions 62) that connect the front film 30, the back film 40, and the gusset film 50 on both the left and right sides, and the lower edge of the top seal base 71 (i.e., the lower surface of the spout mounting portion 82).

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the seal bulge portion 72 has, as its inner edge facing the content storage portion 12, a straight portion 72b extending obliquely in a straight line from the lower edge of the top seal base 71, a curved portion 72c continuing from the lower end of the straight portion 72b and curving away from the imaginary inscribed circle S, and a second straight portion 72d extending straight in the left-right direction from the other end (the outer end in the left-right direction) of the curved portion 72c.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the linear portion 72b has an inclination angle θ relative to the vertical direction set to 40 to 50 degrees. Furthermore, a portion of the curved portion 72c on the side of the straight portion 72b (which functions as the forming guide edge 72a described below) has an inclination angle θ (the inclination angle θ of the tangent) with respect to the vertical direction set to 40 to 50°. In this embodiment, the radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c is set to 20 mm, but the radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c may be set arbitrarily. In this embodiment, the curved portion 72c is set as the portion of the inner edge of the seal bulge portion 72 on the content-accommodating portion 12 side that is closest to the imaginary inscribed circle S. The straight portion 72b, the curved portion 72c, and the second straight portion 72d are smoothly connected to each other so as not to form any corners therebetween.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the seal bulge portion 72 has a forming guide edge portion 72a extending downward from the lower edge of the top seal base 71 on the inner edge side facing the content storage portion 12, and in this embodiment, the forming guide edge portion 72a is composed of a straight portion 72b and a part of the curved portion 72c on the straight portion 72b side.

[0023] 1, this forming guide edge 72a extends obliquely downward from the inner edge 51 in the left-right direction of the gusset region 21 (i.e., the fold line 51 of the gusset film 50) so as to be closer to the left-right outer side in the downward direction and form an angle θ of 40 to 50° with respect to the up-down direction. As a result, the forming guide edge 72a functions as a region for forming folds in each of the films 30, 40, 50 so as to prevent the pouch from closing due to the reaction force of the film when air is blown into the pouch body 20 from the spout 90 before filling the contents, thereby accommodating a predetermined content amount in the pouch. The forming guide edge portion 72a also functions as a portion for guiding the contents in the contents-accommodating portion 12 toward the spout 80 when the contents are poured out.

[0024] The spout 80 is formed from an olefin-based synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and as shown in FIG. 1, is composed of a spout body 81 that is attached to the pouch body 20, and a cap portion (not shown) that is detachably attached to the spout body 81 by screw engagement.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, spout body 81 integrally comprises a spout mounting portion 82 that is positioned between front film 30 and back film 40 and is heat-pressed to films 30, 40, a pouring tube portion 83 that extends upward from spout mounting portion 82, and a downward extension portion 84 that extends downward from spout mounting portion 82 and is positioned inside pouch body 20. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the spout mounting portion 82 is boat-shaped (specifically, a shape in which approximately triangular protrusions are formed that protrude outward in the left-right direction from near both ends of the cylindrical portion in the left-right direction).

[0026] Next, an example of an experiment conducted to confirm the relationship between the state of the seal bulge 72 and whether or not the gusseted pouch 10 breaks when dropped onto the floor or the like will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0027] First, in this experimental example, three test pieces 1 to 4 were prepared, each with different conditions for forming the curved portion 72c (radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c, position of the curved portion 72c relative to the imaginary inscribed circle S). Each test piece 1 to 4 was filled with 180g of water and stored at 5°C for 24 hours. After that, each test piece 1 to 4 was dropped horizontally from a height of 120cm 10 times (i.e., dropped with the films 30, 40 approximately parallel to the floor) to confirm whether the bag would break starting from the inner edge of the seal bulge portion 72.

[0028] The configurations of test samples 1 to 4 are as follows: <Common configuration for test items 1 to 4> Pouch form: A horizontal gusseted pouch similar to the form shown in FIG. 1 Layer structure of each film 30, 40, 50: From the outside, PET (12 μm (thickness: same below)) / aluminum foil (7 μm) / nylon (15 μm) / polyethylene (LLDPE) (60 μm) Configuration of the inner edge of the seal bulge 72: a straight portion 72b, a curved portion 72c, and a second straight portion 72d, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. <Test item 1> The radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c is set to 20 mm, and the curved portion 72c is located 4 mm inward from the imaginary inscribed circle S (i.e., the part of the curved portion 72c that is located most inward in the radial direction of the imaginary inscribed circle S is located 4 mm inward from the imaginary inscribed circle S). <Test item 2> The radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c is set to 5 mm, and the curved portion 72c is located 1 mm inward from the imaginary inscribed circle S (i.e., the part of the curved portion 72c that is located most inward in the radial direction of the imaginary inscribed circle S is located 1 mm inward from the imaginary inscribed circle S). <Test item 3> The radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c is set to 20 mm, and the curved portion 72c is circumscribed on the imaginary inscribed circle S (that is, the distance of the curved portion 72c from the imaginary inscribed circle S is set to 0 mm). <Test item 4> The radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c is set to 5 mm, and the curved portion 72c is set at a position 3 mm outward from the imaginary inscribed circle S (i.e., the part of the curved portion 72c that is located most inward in the radial direction of the imaginary inscribed circle S is located at a position 3 mm outward from the imaginary inscribed circle S).

[0029] In this experimental example carried out as described above, for test samples 1 and 2, one of the three test samples prepared was found to have been torn starting from the curved portion 72c. In addition, in test samples 3 and 4, no bag breakage originating from the curved portion 72c was observed.

[0030] From this, it was found that regardless of the setting of the radius of curvature of the curved portion 72c (5 mm, 20 mm), when the seal bulge portion 72 (curved portion 72c) is formed outside the imaginary inscribed circle S, bag rupture starting from the inner edge of the seal bulge portion 72 (curved portion 72c) can be avoided. In this test example, tests were conducted on test pieces 1 to 4 with the layer structure described above, but it is believed that similar results can be obtained with pouches made by arbitrarily combining the various films shown in the following paragraphs, taking into account the rigidity values ​​of each film, etc.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims.

[0032] For example, in a specific embodiment of each of the films 30, 40, and 50 constituting the pouch body 20, as long as it has a heat-sealable layer on at least one side, such as an olefin-based low-density polyethylene or polypropylene, or a polyester-based material such as PET, the heat-sealable layer may be a single layer, or any layer may be laminated on the heat-sealable layer. Any material may be used to form the laminate, and any desired layer may be formed by laminating known polyesters, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene, polybutylene terephthalate, aluminum foil, etc. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the gusseted pouch 10 has been described as being formed as a so-called horizontal gusset-type pouch having gusset portions formed on both the left and right sides thereof, but the specific form of the gusseted pouch 10 is not limited to the above, and for example, a gusset portion may also be formed on the bottom side of the gusseted pouch 10.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the front film 30, the back film 40, and the gusset film 50 are each described as separate members, as shown in Figure 4(a), but as shown in Figures 4(b), 4(c), 4(d), and 4(e), at least one of the gusset films 50 may be a single film that is continuous with at least one of the front film 30 and the back film 40. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4(c), the front film 30, the back film 40, and the gusset film 50 may be a single continuous film. That is, the gusseted pouch 10 can be made by folding a portion of at least one of the front film 30 or the back film 40 inward to form a gusset portion (corresponding to the gusset film 50), and welding the connection points of the films to form a seal portion. In the examples shown in Figures 4(b), 4(c), 4(d) and 4(e), the part where a continuous piece of film is folded on the outside in the left-right direction becomes the side film connection part 62 that connects the front film 30, the back film 40 and the gusset film 50. Furthermore, although terms indicating up, down, left, and right, such as "top," "bottom," "both left and right sides," "top seal portion," "side seal portion," and "bottom seal portion," are used in this specification, these terms do not limit the orientation of the gusseted pouch 10 when in use, on display, transport, etc.

[0034] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the curling guide edge 72a is described as being set on the left-right inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21, but the upper end of the curling guide edge 72a may also be set near the left-right inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21 (i.e., at a position shifted within ±2 mm in the left-right direction from the left-right inner edge 51). In the above-described embodiment, the forming guide edge 72a has been described as being composed of a straight portion 72b and a portion of a curved portion 72c. However, the specific form of the forming guide edge 72a may be any form, as long as it extends obliquely from the inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21 in the left-right direction or in the vicinity of the inner edge 51 of the gusset region 21 at an angle of 40 to 50° with respect to the up-down direction and moves outward in the left-right direction as it extends downward, for example, a form formed by combining a straight portion and a curved portion in any form, a form formed by combining a plurality of curved portions with different radii of curvature, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Gusseted Pouches 11 Pouch intermediate 12 Contents storage section 20 Pouch body 21 Gusset area 30 ··· Front film 40 ··· Back film 50 ··· Gusset film 51 ··· Fold line (inner edge of gusset area) 60 Seal part 61 Bottom seal part 62 Side seal part (side film connection part) 70 Top seal part 71 Top seal base 72 Seal bulge 72a ··· Sharpening guide edge 72b ··· Straight section 72c ··· curved section 80 ··· Spout 81 Spout body 82 Spout mounting part 83 ··· Pour cylinder part 84 ... Downward extension part S ··· Imaginary inscribed circle

Claims

1. A gusseted pouch in which a gusset film is disposed in a folded state between a front film and a back film on both the left and right sides, and a spout is attached between the front film and the back film at a top seal portion formed on the top side of the gusset film, The top seal portion has a top seal base portion extending along the left-right direction, and left and right seal bulging portions bulging downward from the top seal base portion in the left and right gusset regions where the gusset film is arranged, The seal bulge has a forming guide edge portion extending downward from a lower end edge of the top seal base on an inner edge side facing the content-accommodating portion, The forming guide edge portion extends obliquely downward from the inner edge of the gusset region in the left-right direction or near the inner edge of the gusset region in the left-right direction, forming an angle of 40 to 50 degrees with respect to the up-down direction, and approaching the outer side in the left-right direction as it extends downward, The imaginary inscribed circle is based on the inner edges of the left and right side film connection portions that connect the front film, the back film, and the gusset film on both the left and right sides, and is inscribed in the lower edge of the top seal base, The seal bulge is formed outside the imaginary inscribed circle when viewed from the front to back direction, the forming guide edge portion has a straight portion extending obliquely in a straight line from the lower end edge of the top seal base, and a curved portion that is continuous with the lower end of the straight portion and curves away from the imaginary inscribed circle, A gusseted pouch, wherein the curved portion is a portion of the edge of the seal bulge portion on the content-accommodating portion side that is closest to the imaginary inscribed circle.

2. 2. The gusseted pouch according to claim 1, wherein the side film connection portions are side seal portions formed by heat-welding the front film, the back film, and the gusset film on both the left and right sides.

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