Mouth-spout-equipped paper container

Abstract

In order to obtain a mouth-spout-equipped paper container capable of reducing the size of a mouth spout and effectively preventing the wave of a liquid flowing through the mouth spout at the time of pouring the liquid, provided is a mouth-spout-equipped gable-top-type paper container 1, in which one of a pair of gable-top-forming panels 10, 11 forming a top portion 16 has a mouth spout 18 attached thereon, wherein the inclination angle of the pair of gable-top-forming panels forming the top portion is set to 35-55 degrees.

Description

Paper container with spout

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper container with a spout for containing liquids such as milk and juice.

[0002] A widely used paper container for holding liquids such as milk or juice is a gable roof-type stoppered paper container made of paperboard material laminated with thermoplastic resin on both sides, with four body panels, the edges of which are joined by vertical seal panels to form the body, with a pair of opposing gable roof-forming panels each having an outer top seal panel at its upper end and a pair of opposing gable wall-forming panels each having an inner top seal panel at its upper end, the pair of gable wall-forming panels folded between the pair of gable roof-forming panels, and the outer and inner top seal panels heated and sealed in place to form a top, with a stopper attached to one of the pair of gable roof-forming panels (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such stoppered paper containers, the stopper is generally made of resin.

[0003] Currently, there is a strong demand to reduce the use of resin as much as possible in resin products from the standpoint of environmental pollution caused by their disposal, and there is a demand for smaller spouts in paper containers as well. Conventional spouted paper containers generally have a body angle of around 70 mm and a top inclination angle of around 30 degrees, and the spouts in wide use have a diameter (the diameter of the part of the spout through which the liquid flows) of 20 mm to 30 mm.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-226755

[0005] As mentioned above, even in spouted paper containers, miniaturization of the stoppers is desirable from the viewpoint of environmental pollution, but miniaturizing the stopper also reduces the diameter of the stopper. However, if the diameter of the stopper is small, the liquid that flows toward the stopper when the liquid is being dispensed is likely to fill and block the inside of the stopper, and the liquid trying to come out of the stopper and the air trying to enter the paper container through the stopper push against each other, and the liquid flowing inside the stopper is pushed by the air trying to enter the paper container, causing the liquid dispensed from the stopper to have irregular wavy motions, which can lead to spills from a cup or the like, making it impossible to expect normal liquid dispensing, and also restricting the amount of liquid that can be dispensed.

[0006] As a result of extensive testing and research to resolve the above-mentioned problems while making the plug smaller, the inventors focused on the inclination angle of the gable roof forming panel that forms the top to which the plug is attached, and completed the present invention.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a paper container with a spout that has a small spout and that can effectively prevent rippling of liquid flowing inside the spout when the liquid is poured out.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 provides a gable roof-type stoppered paper container made of paperboard material laminated with thermoplastic resin on both sides, with four body panels, the edges of which are joined by vertical seal panels to form the body, with a pair of opposing gable roof forming panels each having an outer top seal panel at its upper end and a pair of opposing gable wall forming panels each having an inner top seal panel at its upper end connected to the upper ends of the body panels, the pair of gable wall forming panels being folded between the pair of gable roof forming panels, and the outer top seal panel and the inner top seal panel being heated and sealed at predetermined positions to form the top, and a stopper being attached to one of the pair of gable roof forming panels, characterized in that the inclination angle of the pair of gable roof forming panels that form the top is between 35 degrees and 55 degrees.

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, the pair of gable roof forming panels that form the top are inclined at an angle of 35 degrees or more, which is greater than that of a conventional paper container with a top inclination angle of approximately 30 degrees, and the angle between the pair of gable roof forming panels and the body panel to which the pair of gable roof forming panels are connected is gentler.This means that when tilting the spouted paper container to pour liquid, the container must be tilted at a greater angle than a conventional spouted paper container.As a result, liquid is prevented from flowing suddenly near the spout, making it easier for air to enter the spouted paper container.This effectively prevents rippling of liquid poured from the spout, making it possible to reduce the diameter of the spout and thereby make the spout more compact.

[0010] Furthermore, since the inclination angle of the pair of gable roof forming panels is set to 55 degrees or less, it is possible to prevent the angle at which the spouted paper container must be tilted too deeply before the liquid flows into the spout, making it difficult to pour the liquid, or the height of the top becoming too high, resulting in wasted space inside the spouted paper container, and even increasing the amount of paper material used.

[0011] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in order to fold the pair of gable wall forming panels between the pair of gable roof forming panels described in claim 1, the folding lines formed on the pair of gable wall forming panels are arc-shaped and curve inward.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 2, the folding lines formed on the pair of gable wall forming panels are arc-shaped and curve inward. Therefore, when the paper container is formed from paperboard material, the arc-shaped folding edges of the pair of gable wall forming panels folded from the folding lines protrude toward the stopper. When liquid is poured out, this protruding portion guides the liquid in the stopper-equipped paper container toward the stopper, making it easier to pour the liquid from the stopper.

[0013] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the pair of gable wall forming panels and the upper ends of the body panel described in claim 1 or 2 are connected via a top horizontal fold line, and the top horizontal fold line is in the shape of a downward arc.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 3, the pair of gable wall forming panels and the upper ends of the body panel are connected via a top horizontal fold line, and the top horizontal fold line is in the shape of a downward arc.Therefore, the angle between the pair of gable wall forming panels and the body panel to which the pair of gable wall forming panels are connected is larger and gentler than when the top horizontal fold line is straight.As a result, when pouring liquid, it is easier to guide the liquid in the spout-equipped paper container toward the spout, making it easier to pour the liquid from the spout.

[0015] The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the depth from an imaginary line connecting the upper ends of both sides of the body panel to which the gable wall forming panel is connected at the top horizontal fold line described in claim 3 is 5% or more and 15% or less of the horizontal width of the body panel.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 4, the depth from an imaginary line connecting the upper ends of both sides of the body panel to which the pair of gable wall forming panels are connected at the top horizontal fold line is 5% or more of the width of the body panel, so that the angle formed by the pair of gable wall forming panels and the body panel is a more preferable angle for guiding the liquid in the spout-equipped paper container toward the spout when the liquid is poured.

[0017] Furthermore, since the depth from the virtual line at the top horizontal fold line is 15% or less of the width of the body panel, the protrusion with the top horizontal fold line as its apex between the pair of gable wall forming panels and the body panel is not large, and there is almost no risk of it interfering with adjacent paper containers during transportation, for example, and the interfering parts rubbing against each other and causing scratches.

[0018] As described above, the spouted paper container according to the present invention can reduce the size of the spout and effectively prevent rippling of the liquid flowing inside the spout when the liquid is poured out.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an example of an embodiment of a spouted paper container according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an explanatory development view of the spouted paper container shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an explanatory view showing the folded end of the gable wall forming panel visible in the opening of the spout attached to the gable roof forming panel. Fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing another example of the top horizontal fold line shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an explanatory view comparing the inclination of the spouted paper container shown in Fig. 1 and a conventional spouted paper container when liquid pouring begins.

[0020]

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a spouted paper container according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 5 show an example of an embodiment of a spouted paper container according to the present invention, with Figure 1 being a front view of the spouted paper container of this example, Figure 2 being a side view of Figure 1, Figure 3 being an explanatory view of the spouted paper container shown in Figure 1 in an expanded state, Figure 4 being an explanatory view showing the folded end of the gable wall forming panel visible in the opening of the spout attached to the gable roof forming panel, Figure 5 being an explanatory view showing another example of the top horizontal fold line shown in Figure 3, and Figure 6 being an explanatory view comparing the inclination of the spouted paper container shown in Figure 1 with that of a conventional spouted paper container when liquid pouring begins.

[0021] The spouted paper container 1 of this example is made of a paperboard material with a thermoplastic resin laminated on the front and back surfaces, and has four body panels 2, 3, 4, and 5, the edges of which are joined by a vertical seal panel 6 to form a body 7. In this example shown in Figures 1 to 5, the width of the body panels 2, 3, 4, and 5 is 70 mm, which is a common body square dimension, and in the present invention, panels with a square dimension of 40 to 75 mm are preferably used.

[0022] A pair of gable roof forming panels 10, 11, each having outer top seal panels 8, 9 at its upper part, are connected to the upper ends of the body panels 2, 4, and a pair of opposing gable wall forming panels 14, 15, each having inner top seal panels 12, 13 at its upper part, are connected to the upper ends of the body panels 3, 5, and the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are folded between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11, and the outer top seal panels 8, 9 and the inner top seal panels 12, 13 are heated and sealed in predetermined positions to form a gable roof apex 16. One of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that forms the apex 16, in this example gable roof forming panel 11, is formed with a plug mounting hole 17 and a plug 18 is attached.

[0023] In this example, the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that form the top 16 is between 35 degrees and 55 degrees.

[0024] The gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are also formed with folding lines 19, 20, 21, and 22 for folding the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11. In this example, the folding lines 19, 20, 21, and 22 are arc-shaped and curve inward. The curvature of the arc-shaped folding lines 19, 20, 21, and 22 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the curvature be such that when the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are folded along the folding lines 19, 20, 21, and 22, the folded end A formed by the folding lines 19, 20, 21, and 22 is positioned near the opening of the plug 18 attached to the gable roof forming panel 11 or is slightly visible within the opening (i.e., the folded end A can be seen by 5 mm or less when viewed from the front). In this example, the arcuate curvature of the folding lines 19, 20, 21, 22 is such that the folded end A of the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 is slightly visible inside the opening of the spout 18 (see Figure 4).

[0025] In this example, the adjacent gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 4 are separated by top horizontal fold lines 23, 24, which are downward arcs that curve downward. This creates a protrusion with the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 as its apex between the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 4 (see FIG. 1).

[0026] In conventional paper containers, the bottom of the carton swells due to the weight of the liquid after filling (the so-called "bulging"), which causes a loss of appearance, but the presence of this protrusion prevents deformation of the body 7. In recent years, there have been cases where a reduction in the basis weight of the paperboard material is required from the viewpoint of resource conservation, but this protrusion has the advantage of making it possible to suppress bulging even if the basis weight of the base paper is reduced. In conventional paper containers, the basis weight is 300 g / m 2 Generally, a paperboard material with a basis weight of 300 g / m or more has been used. 2 In this example, a paperboard material with a basis weight of less than 200 g / m can be used. 2 More than 400g / m 2 A paperboard stock of less than 250 g / m may be used, more preferably 2 350g / m or more 2 A paperboard stock of less than 250 g / m may be used, with a basis weight of 250 g / m being particularly preferred. 2 More than 300g / m 2 On the other hand, if there are protrusions, the container may come into contact with adjacent containers during transportation or when displayed for sale, which may result in scratches or scuff marks on the contacting parts.

[0027] In this example, the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 are continuous downward arcs from their start point to their end point, but this is not limited thereto, and the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 may be discontinuous at their centers as shown in Figure 5. This reduces the occurrence of protrusions with the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 as apexes between the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 4.

[0028] The depth D from the imaginary line L connecting the upper ends of both sides of the body panels 3, 5 to which the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are connected at the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 is 5% or more and 15% or less of the horizontal width S of the body panels 3, 5.

[0029] Furthermore, in this example, as described above, the body panels 3, 5 and the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 connected to the upper ends of the body panels 3, 5 are separated by top horizontal fold lines 23, 24, but there are no top horizontal fold lines between the body panels 2, 4 and the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 connected to the upper ends of the body panels 2, 4, and they are connected without a partition.

[0030] Therefore, the boundary between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that form the top 16 formed by folding the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 and the body panels 2, 4 that form the body 7 has an arc-shaped bend at the part where the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 are connected to the upper ends of the body panels 2, 4 (see Figure 1).

[0031] According to the spouted paper container 1 configured as described above, the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that form the top 16 is set to 35 degrees or more, so that the inclination angle is larger than, for example, a conventional spouted paper container 100 in which the inclination angle θ2 of the gable roof forming panels 102, 103 that form the top 101 is about 30 degrees, and the angle between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 and the body panels 2, 4 to which the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 are connected is gentler. Therefore, when tilting the spouted paper container 1 to pour liquid, the liquid must be tilted to a deeper angle than in the conventional spouted paper container 100 (see Figure 6). Figure 6 compares the tilt angle (pour start angle) θ3 of the spouted paper container 1 of this example when the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 is 50 degrees with the spouted paper container 100 when the top inclination angle θ2 is 30 degrees, with the tilt angle (pour start angle) θ4 of the conventional spouted paper container 100 when tilted until the liquid is poured from the spout 18.

[0032] As a result, the liquid content is prevented from flowing all at once near the spout, effectively preventing the inside of the spout 18 from being filled and blocked by the liquid flowing toward the spout 18 when the liquid is being poured, and it becomes easier for air to be taken in from the spout 18 into the spouted paper container 1. This effectively prevents the liquid poured from the spout 18 from rippling, making it possible to reduce the diameter of the spout 18, which in turn allows the spout 18 to be made smaller, and in addition, the area of ​​the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 is larger than that of conventional containers, making it easier for consumers to take it out of the display shelf when purchasing.

[0033] Specifically, with regard to the diameter of the stopper 18, for example, even when a stopper with a diameter of 25 mm or less is used, rippling of the liquid can be effectively suppressed in the present invention. If the diameter is too small, rippling of the liquid occurs, so in the present invention, a stopper with a diameter of 15 mm to 25 mm is preferably used, and a stopper with a diameter of 20 mm to 25 mm is more preferably used.

[0034] If the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that form the top 16 is less than 35 degrees, the angle at which the spouted paper container 1 is tilted (the pouring start angle) until the liquid flows into the spout 18 becomes shallow, making it easier for the liquid to flow all at once near the spout 18, making it difficult to reduce the diameter of the spout 18.

[0035] The angle at which the spouted paper container 1 is tilted until the liquid is poured from the spout 18, i.e., the pouring start angle, is determined by the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11, and the pouring start angle θ3 is preferably 55 degrees or more and less than 70 degrees, and particularly preferably 55 degrees or more and less than 65 degrees. Even when a relatively small diameter spout of 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less is used, rippling and splashing are less likely to occur, improving ease of pouring.

[0036] The ease of pouring liquid was tested for the examples of the present invention and the comparative examples below, and the test results are shown in Table 1. Evaluation of ease of pouring: ○: Easy to pour. △: Difficult to pour.

[0037]

[0038] Furthermore, the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 that form the top 16 is set to 55 degrees or less, which prevents the angle at which the spouted paper container 1 is tilted too deeply before the liquid flows into the spout 18, making it difficult to pour the liquid, and also prevents the height of the top 16 from becoming too high, resulting in wasted space within the spouted paper container 1 and, further, increasing the amount of paper material used.

[0039] If the inclination angle θ1 of the gable roof forming panels 10, 11 exceeds 55 degrees, it becomes difficult to pour the liquid, wasteful space is generated inside the spouted paper container 1, and more paper material is used.

[0040] In addition, in this example, in order to fold the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 between the gable roof forming panels 10, 11, the folding lines 19, 20, 21, 22 formed on the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are arc-shaped and curve inward, so that the arc-shaped folding edge portion A of the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 folded from the folding lines 19, 20, 21, 22 protrudes toward the stopper 18, and this protruding portion guides the liquid in the spout-equipped paper container 1 toward the stopper 18 when the liquid is poured, making it easier to pour the liquid from the stopper 18.

[0041] In addition, in this example, the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 connecting the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 5 are downward arc-shaped, so the angle between the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 5 is larger and gentler than if the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 were straight lines.As a result, when pouring liquid, it is easier to guide the liquid in the spout-equipped paper container 1 toward the spout 18, making it easier to pour the liquid from the spout 18.

[0042] In addition, in this example, the depth D from the imaginary line L connecting the upper ends of both sides of the body panels 3, 5 to which the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 are connected at the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 is 5% or more of the width S of the body panels 3, 5, so the angle formed by the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 5 is a more preferable angle for guiding the liquid in the spouted paper container 1 toward the spout 18 when the liquid is poured.

[0043] If the depth D from the imaginary line L at the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 is less than 5% of the width S of the body panels 3, 5, it will be close to the angle formed by the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 5 when the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 are straight, and this will not be a satisfactory angle for guiding the liquid in the spouted paper container 1 toward the spout 18 when the liquid is poured.

[0044] Furthermore, since the depth D from the imaginary line L at the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 is 15% or less of the width S of the body panels 3, 5, there is almost no risk that the protrusion with the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 as its apex between the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 5 will interfere with the adjacent spouted paper container 1 during transportation, for example, and cause scratches due to rubbing at the interfering parts.

[0045] If the depth D from the imaginary line L at the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 exceeds 15% of the width S of the body panels 3, 5, the protrusion with the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 as its apex becomes large, and may interfere with the adjacent stoppered paper container 1, causing the interfering parts to rub and cause scratches.

[0046] In this example, the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 are downward arc-shaped and continuous from their starting point to their end point. However, by making the central portions of the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 discontinuous as shown in Figure 5, the occurrence of protrusions with the top horizontal fold lines 23, 24 as apexes between the gable wall forming panels 14, 15 and the body panels 3, 4 is alleviated, thereby further reducing interference with adjacent spout-equipped paper containers 1 during transportation.

[0047] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper container with spout 2, 3, 4, 5 Body panel 6 Vertical seal panel 7 Body 8, 9 Outer top seal panel 10, 11 Gable roof forming panel 12, 13 Inner top seal panel 14, 15 Gable wall forming panel 16 Top 17 Spout mounting hole 18 Spout 19, 20, 21, 22 Folding line 23, 24 Top horizontal fold line 100 Conventional paper container with spout 101 Top 102, 103 Gable roof forming panel L Imaginary line D Depth from imaginary line at top horizontal fold line S Width of body θ1 Inclination angle of gable roof forming panel of the present invention θ2 Inclination angle of conventional gable roof forming panel θ3 Inclination angle of paper container with spout of the present invention when liquid starts to be poured θ4 The tilt angle of a conventional paper container with a stopper when liquid begins to pour

Claims

1. It is made of a paperboard material with a thermoplastic resin laminated on both the front and back surfaces, and is provided with four body panels. The edges are joined by vertical seal panels to form the body. At the upper end of the body panel, a pair of gable roof forming panels with an outer top seal panel on the upper part and facing each other, and a pair of ridge wall forming panels with an inner top seal panel on the upper part and facing each other are continuously provided. The pair of ridge wall forming panels are folded between the pair of gable roof forming panels, and the outer top seal panel and the inner top seal panel are heated and sealed at a predetermined position to be sealed, thereby forming the top. In a gable roof type paper container with a stopper attached to any one of the pair of gable roof forming panels, the inclination angle of the pair of gable roof forming panels forming the top is 35 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less, in order to fold the pair of ridge wall forming panels between the pair of gable roof forming panels, the folding fold lines formed on the pair of ridge wall forming panels are in an arc shape that curves inward, and the paper container with a stopper is characterized by this.

2. The pair of ridge wall forming panels and the upper ends of the body panels are continuously provided via a top horizontal fold line. The top horizontal fold line is in a downward arc shape, and a bulge with the top horizontal fold line between the pair of ridge wall forming panels and the body panels as the vertex is formed. The paper container with a stopper according to Claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The depth from the virtual line connecting the upper ends of both sides of the body panel where the ridge wall forming panel is continuously provided in the top horizontal fold line is 5% or more and 15% or less of the width of the body panel. The paper container with a stopper according to Claim 2 is characterized by this.