Bag with spout

Abstract

The invention relates to a pouch with a spout that prevents the main body of the pouch from tearing starting from the vicinity of the outer edge of the flange. In the pouch with a spout (110), the spout-attached membrane (130) comprises the flange-facing region (131), where the flange (171) of the spout (170) is opposite the spout-attached membrane (130). The main body of the pouch (120) comprises a shape-controlling seal (127)(128) made by melting a portion of the spout-attached membrane (130) lying inward of the spout-attached seal (122) in the horizontal direction (Xa) and the side membrane. The shape-controlling seal (127)(128) comprises the portion lying between the flange-facing region (131) and the spout-attached seal (122) in the horizontal direction (Xa).

Description

Pouch with spout

[0001] The present invention relates to a spout-equipped pouch having a spout attached to a pouch body.

[0002] Conventionally, as containers for storing liquid contents such as drinking water or liquid detergent, it has been known to use spout-equipped pouches in which a spout serving as a pouring outlet is attached to a pouch body formed by heat-welding a plurality of resin films, or spout-equipped pouches in which a spout is attached horizontally to a side gusset film of a pouch body formed by heat-welding a plurality of films (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] Furthermore, a commonly known method of attaching a spout to such a spout-equipped pouch is to position the flange of the spout facing the spout-attaching film and then fix the flange to the spout-attaching film by means such as heat welding.

[0004] JP 2012-121611 A JP 2020-132177 A

[0005] However, the conventional spouted pouches known from Patent Documents 1 and 2 have had the problem that if the spouted pouch is dropped, for example, the weight of the contents can cause damage to the spout-mounted film near the outer periphery of the flange, resulting in the pouch body breaking starting from near the outer periphery of the flange.

[0006] It is presumed that the tearing of the pouch body occurs when the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, causing the spout to rotate (tilt) relative to the spout-mounted film, applying a moment load near the outer periphery of the flange, and causing the outer periphery of the flange with this moment load to strike the floor or the like.

[0007] Furthermore, in the conventional spout-equipped pouch disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the pouch is lifted to dispense the liquid contents, the spout can move unexpectedly due to the weight of the liquid contents that enters the spout when dispensing the liquid contents, which results in the problem that it is difficult to determine the orientation of the dispensing tube part of the spout, making it difficult to dispense the liquid contents.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve these problems and provide a pouch with a spout that has a simple configuration, improves the ease of pouring out the liquid contents through the spout, and prevents the pouch body from breaking starting near the outer peripheral edge of the flange.

[0009] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a spout-equipped pouch having a spout attached to a pouch body, the pouch body having a spout-attached film to which the spout is attached, and side films connected to the spout-attached film by connection seals formed on both lateral sides of the spout-attached film, the spout-attached film having flange-facing regions where flanges of the spout are arranged opposite each other, the pouch body having a shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-attached film located laterally inward of the connection seal to the side film, and the shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located in the lateral direction in the region between the flange-facing region and the connection seal. Also, there is provided a spout-equipped pouch comprising a front film, a back film, side gusset films disposed between the front film and the back film at the sides of the pouch and heat-sealed to the front film and the back film by side seals, and a spout attached to the side gusset films, wherein the side gusset films have a front-side sealed region heat-sealed to the front film at the side seals, a back-side sealed region heat-sealed to the back film at the side seals, and a non-sealed region which is a region inside the front-side sealed region and the back-side sealed region. the non-sealed area has a front outer edge that is the boundary with the front sealed area, and a back outer edge that is the boundary with the back sealed area, the front outer edge and the back outer edge each having a base edge portion that is spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back direction, and an upper inclined edge portion that extends from the upper end of the base edge to an upper end connecting portion that connects the upper ends of the front outer edge and the back outer edge, and at least a portion of the flange of the spout is arranged opposite the area between the upper inclined edge portion of the front outer edge and the upper inclined edge portion of the back outer edge, thereby solving the above problem.The above problem is also solved by a spout-equipped pouch having a spout attached to a pouch body, wherein the pouch body has a spout-attaching film to which the spout is attached, the spout has a flange arranged opposite the spout-attaching film, and the flange has a flange-attaching portion that is fixed to the spout-attaching film, and a flange buffer portion that is formed in at least a partial area of ​​the outer periphery of the flange-attaching portion and is not fixed to the spout-attaching film.

[0010] According to the invention of claim 1, the pouch body has a shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-attached film located laterally inward of the connection seal to the side film, and the shape-controlling seal portion has a portion located in the flange-facing region and the region between the connection seal.By forming the shape-controlling seal portion and making the lateral spacing between the seal portions on both sides in the lateral direction narrower than in the surrounding areas, the state of the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange, where bag tearing is likely to occur, can be adjusted so that it is recessed toward the inside of the pouch, making it less likely that the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange will hit the floor, etc., and it is also possible to loosen the tension of the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange.As a result, even if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, tearing of the pouch body starting from near the outer peripheral edge of the flange can be prevented.

[0011] According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3, the spout is attached to the spout-attaching film at a position closer to the second of the first and second sides in the longitudinal direction than the longitudinal center thereof, and the pouch body is provided with a first shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located in the region between the first opposing region and the connection seal in the transverse direction as a shape-controlling seal portion, thereby making it possible to prevent tearing of the pouch body originating near a portion of the flange outer periphery facing the first side in the longitudinal direction, which is a location where tearing is likely to occur if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, etc. Furthermore, if the spout is attached closer to the second side than the longitudinal center of the spout-attaching film, the spout-attaching film will swell outward due to the weight of the content liquid, causing the spout to tilt toward the second side; however, the formation of the first shape-controlling seal portion makes it possible to adjust the tilt of the flange so that the spout faces the first side, thereby correcting the posture (orientation) of the spout. According to the invention of claim 4, the second shape-controlled seal portion has a portion located in the region between the second opposing region and the connection seal, which not only prevents bag rupture near the portion of the flange outer periphery facing the second side in the vertical direction, which is a location where bag rupture is likely to occur if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, but also makes it possible to adjust the inclination of the flange so that the spout faces the second side by forming the second shape-controlled seal portion, thereby correcting the posture of the spout, for example, by preventing the spout from facing too far toward the first side by forming the first shape-controlled seal portion, and thereby ensuring design freedom for the width, etc. of the first shape-controlled seal portion. According to the invention of claim 5, the lateral dimension from the connection seal to the innermost apex of the first shape-controlled seal portion is set to be equal to or greater than the lateral dimension from the connection seal to the innermost apex of the second shape-controlled seal portion, so that the posture of the spout can be appropriately maintained by forming the first shape-controlled seal portion and the second shape-controlled seal portion.According to the invention of claim 6, the vertical position of the second side end of the first shape-controlling seal portion is set to a position to the side of the flange-facing region in the horizontal direction, so that if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, for example, it is possible to induce deformation of the spout-equipped film by folding the spout-equipped film and connecting seal starting from near the second side end of the first shape-controlling seal portion and rotating the spout towards the second side around an axis extending horizontally so as to pass through the flange.Therefore, if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, for example, it is possible to guide the spout-equipped pouch into a state where the spout can escape inside the pouch and prevent strong forces from acting on the spout due to contact with the floor, etc. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the pouch body includes a second shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located in the region between the second opposing region and the connection seal in the horizontal direction, thereby preventing tearing of the pouch body originating near a portion of the flange outer peripheral edge facing the second side in the vertical direction, which is a location prone to tearing when the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, etc. According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the shape-controlling seal portion is formed on both sides of the flange-facing region, thereby effectively preventing tearing of the pouch body originating near the flange outer peripheral edge. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the shape-controlling seal portion is formed continuously with the connection seal, thereby preventing content liquid from remaining between the connection seal and the shape-controlling seal portion, which is likely to occur when the shape-controlling seal portion is formed independently of the connection seal.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 10, at least a portion of the flange of the spout is positioned opposite the area between the upper inclined edge portions of the side gusset film, so that it is possible to narrow the gap between the inner edge of the sealing area (side seal) of the side gusset film and the outer peripheral edge of the flange and restrict the movement of the spout without affecting the self-standing ability of the pouch body, thereby making it possible to properly determine the orientation of the spout's dispensing tube portion and improve the ease of dispensing the contents through the spout. In other words, by arranging the flange of the spout in the region between the upper inclined edges, which has a narrower width in the front-to-back direction than the region between the base edges, not only can the distance between the inner edge of the sealing region (side seal) of the side gusset film and the outer peripheral edge of the flange be narrowed, but the region between the upper inclined edges is the part of the side gusset film that is located at the upper side when the spout-equipped pouch is placed on a loading surface, and even if the edge shape is changed in design, it is a part that does not affect the independence of the pouch body, etc., so the edge shape can be freely changed in design to effectively restrain the movement of the spout. Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 10, the region between the upper inclined edge portions of the side gusset film is a portion that, when the spout-equipped pouch is placed on the placing surface, inclines so that it approaches the inside of the pouch body as it goes upward. Therefore, even if the position of the spout flange is recessed inside the pouch body and the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, it is easy to make the side gusset film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange less likely to hit the floor, etc., thereby preventing the pouch body from breaking starting from near the outer peripheral edge of the flange, and also, compared to when the spout is attached in the region between the base edge portions of the side gusset film, the tip position of the spout's pouring tube portion can be retracted toward the inside of the pouch body.

[0013] According to the present invention, the upper inclined edge portion is composed of at least two inclined portions with different inclination angles relative to the vertical direction, and by adjusting the inclination angles of these portions and adjusting the edge shape of the upper inclined edge portion, it is possible, with a simple configuration, to narrow the gap between the inner edge of the sealing area (side seal) of the side gusset film and the outer peripheral edge of the flange, the gap between the upper inclined edge portions (side seals), and to properly adjust the inclination angle of the flange. According to the present invention, the upper inclined edge portion has a gently inclined portion connecting a point located above and inside the upper end of the base edge portion to the upper end of the base edge, and a steeply inclined portion connecting the upper end of the gently inclined portion to the upper end connecting portion, and at least a portion of the flange of the spout is positioned opposite the area between the gently inclined portion of the front outer edge and the gently inclined portion of the back outer edge. This prevents the space above the spout attachment position in the content liquid storage section within the pouch body from becoming larger in the vertical direction, while narrowing the gap between the inner edge of the sealing area (side seal) of the side gusset film and the outer peripheral edge of the flange, effectively restricting the movement of the spout, and narrowing the gap between the upper inclined edge portions (side seals) of the side gusset film in the area where the spout is attached, allowing the spout to be positioned deeper inside the pouch body. In the invention according to claim 12, by attaching the spout to a region between the gently sloping portions, which have a gentler inclination angle that leans more inwardly toward the inside of the pouch body as it extends upward, the inclination angle of the flange with respect to the up-and-down direction of the pouch body can be reduced and the extending direction of the spout's pouring tube portion can be adjusted downward, thereby increasing the volume of the content liquid that can be accommodated in the pouch body while suppressing so-called leakage of the content liquid (a phenomenon that occurs when the pouring tube portion of the spout is facing obliquely upward after pouring of the content liquid has finished, in which the content liquid leaking from the tip of the pouring tube portion runs down the underside of the outer periphery of the pouring tube portion). According to the inventions according to claims 13 and 14, at least one of the front seal region and the back seal region has a control seal portion located inside the first imaginary line in the front-back direction, and the control seal portion has a portion located in a region between the lower half of the flange-facing region and the front seal region or the back seal region in the front-back direction.This narrows the gap between the inner edge of the seal area (side seal) of the side gusset film and the outer peripheral edge of the flange in the lower half of the flange-facing region, not only making it possible to more reliably restrain the movement of the spout, but also making it possible to adjust the inclination of the flange so that the tip of the spout's dispensing tube faces downward by forming a control seal portion. According to the invention of claim 15, when the unopened pouch is viewed from the front to back, the content liquid containing portion of the spout-equipped pouch contains a volume of content liquid that is less than the capacity of the portion of the content liquid containing portion that is below an imaginary line extending along the direction of the lower edge of the inner peripheral surface of the spout's dispensing hole. This makes it possible to prevent the dispensing tube of the spout from facing obliquely upward when dispensing of the content liquid is completed, thereby preventing the content liquid that has leaked from the tip of the dispensing tube from running down the underside of the outer peripheral surface of the dispensing tube when dispensing of the content liquid is completed.

[0014] According to the inventions of claims 16 to 19, the flange has a flange cushioning portion that is formed in at least a partial area of ​​the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion and that is not fixed to the spout-attached film. Therefore, when the spout-attached film moves relative to the flange toward either the inside or outside of the pouch, the spout-attached film can be bent at a location corresponding to the outer periphery of the flange, and when the spout-attached film moves relative to the flange toward the other side of the pouch, the spout-attached film can be bent at a location corresponding to the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion. This makes it possible to avoid film damage caused by repeated bending loads being applied to specific locations of the spout-attached film near the outer periphery of the flange, for example, when a user grasps the spout to lift the spout-equipped pouch, and thereby makes it possible to suppress tearing of the pouch body starting from near the outer periphery of the flange.

[0015] According to the inventions of claims 20 to 23, the formation of the flange cushioning portion makes it possible to prevent tearing of the pouch body starting from a portion of the flange outer peripheral edge facing the first side or the second side in the longitudinal direction, which is a portion where tearing is likely to occur. According to the inventions of claims 24 and 25, the flange cushioning portion has a retracted portion where its outer peripheral tip is located on the side away from the spout-mounted film, making it possible to prevent excessive force from being applied to the spout-mounted film due to contact with the flange outer peripheral edge. According to the invention of claim 26, the pouch body has a first shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-attached film located laterally inward of the connection seal to the side film, and the first shape-controlling seal portion has a portion located laterally in the region between the flange-facing region and the connection seal.By forming the first shape-controlling seal portion and making the lateral spacing between the seal portions on both sides in the lateral direction narrower than the surrounding areas, the state of the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange, where bag tearing is likely to occur, can be adjusted so that it is recessed toward the inside of the pouch, making it less likely that the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange will hit the floor, etc., and it is also possible to loosen the tension of the spout-attached film near the outer peripheral edge of the flange.As a result, even if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, tearing of the pouch body starting from near the outer peripheral edge of the flange can be prevented.

[0016] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a spout-equipped pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention placed on a placing surface in a usable state. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing each film constituting the spout-equipped pouch. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a spout-attached film. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram explaining the dimensional relationship between each part of the spout-attached film. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of deformation of the spout-equipped pouch when dropped. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram explaining the attachment of the spout to the spout-attached film. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram explaining the effect of a flange buffering part. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified embodiment of the attachment of the spout. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified flange with a retracted part formed therein. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram explaining the effect of the retracted part. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram explaining the attachment of the spout. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a spout-equipped pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention placed on a placing surface. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing each film constituting the spout-equipped pouch. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram explaining each part of the side gusset film. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a first modified example of the side gusset film. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a second modified example of the side gusset film. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the spouted pouch when the liquid content is being poured out.

[0017] A spouted pouch 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] The spouted pouch 110 is used to store liquid contents such as drinking water or liquid detergent, and as shown in FIG. 1, when in use, the pouch is placed with its bottom part 120a facing downwards, and the liquid contents are poured out from a spout 170 attached to the side of the pouch body 120.

[0019] 1, spout-equipped pouch 110 has a pouch body 120 formed into a bag shape by heat-welding flexible films 130, 140, and 150 to form a bag-making seal portion, an inner film 160 placed inside pouch body 120, and a spout 170 attached to pouch body 120. Spout-equipped pouch 110 is stored in an exterior case (not shown) when in use, on display, or during transportation.

[0020] The pouch body 120 is configured as a so-called horizontal gusset-type pouch with gusset portions formed on both sides, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has a spout-mounted film 130 to which a spout 170 is attached, two side films 140 connected to the spout-mounted film 130 by first connection seals 122 formed on both sides of the spout-mounted film 130 in the horizontal direction Xa, and a second film 150 arranged opposite the spout-mounted film 130 across the content liquid storage section 121 and connected to the side films 140 by second connection seals 123 formed on both sides of the spout-mounted film 130 in the horizontal direction Xa.

[0021] Each of the films 130, 140, 150, and 160 is formed as a resin film having a heat-sealed layer on at least one side thereof, and is arranged so that the heat-sealed layers face each other at the locations where they are heat-sealed to each other. Note that in Figure 2 and other figures, the heat-sealed areas of each of the films 130, 140, 150, and 160 are indicated by solid lines.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 3, spout-mounted film 130 has a flange-facing region 131 to which flange 171 of spout 170 is disposed opposite. Flange-facing region 131 has a first facing region 131a, which is a portion closer to a first side (upper side in this embodiment) than the center in the vertical direction Ya (up-down direction in this embodiment), and a second facing region 131b, which is a portion closer to a second side (lower side in this embodiment) than the center in the vertical direction. Spout-mounted film 130 also has a spout through-hole 132 formed to penetrate in the front-to-back direction.

[0023] 1 and 2, the pouch body 120 has a first connection seal 122 formed by heat-welding both sides of the spout-mounted film 130 in the lateral direction Xa to the side film 140, a second connection seal 123 formed by heat-welding both sides of the second film 150 in the lateral direction Xa to the side film 140, a top seal 124 formed by heat-welding the films 140 and 160 together at a position corresponding to the top of the pouch body 120 facing the bottom seal 125 with the content liquid storage section 121 in between, a bottom seal 125 formed by heat-welding the films 140 and 160 together at a position corresponding to the pouch bottom 120a of the pouch body 120, and an intermediate seal 126 formed by heat-welding the side film 140 and the inner film 160 together. These seals 122 to 126 constitute a bag-making seal section.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the connecting seals 122, 123 each have a band-shaped seal base 122a, 123a extending in the vertical direction Ya, a first inclined portion 122b, 123b formed on a first side (upper side) of the seal base 122a, 123a in the vertical direction Ya, and a second inclined portion 122c, 123c formed on a second side (lower side) of the seal base 122a, 123a in the vertical direction Ya.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, the seal bases 122a, 123a have inner edges that extend linearly along the longitudinal direction Ya. As shown in Fig. 2, the first inclined portions 122b, 123b have inner edges that are inclined (45° in this embodiment) with respect to the longitudinal direction Ya so as to move inward in the lateral direction Xa toward the first side (upper side). As shown in Fig. 2, the second inclined portions 122c, 123c have inner edges that are inclined (45° in this embodiment) with respect to the longitudinal direction Ya so as to move inward in the lateral direction Xa toward the second side (lower side).

[0026] Furthermore, at predetermined locations (for example, location Aa shown in FIG. 1 ) on both sides of pouch body 120 where the gusset portions are formed, films 130, 140 are partially removed to form areas where side films 140 are heat-sealed together, thereby preventing side films 140 from separating at the predetermined locations (for example, location Aa shown in FIG. 1 ).

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the pouch body 120 has a first shape-controlling seal portion 127 as a shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-mounting film 130 that is located more inward in the lateral direction Xa than the first connecting seal 122 to a portion of the side film 140.

[0028] 2 and 3, the first shape-controlling seal portions 127 are formed so as to continuously protrude inward in the lateral direction Xa from each first connection seal 122 (seal base portion 122a) on both sides in the lateral direction Xa of the flange-facing region 131 (flange 171). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first shape-controlling seal portions 127 have a portion located in the region between the flange-facing region 131 and the first connection seal 122 in the lateral direction Xa, and more specifically, have a portion located in the region between the first facing region 131a and the first connection seal 122 on a first side (upper side) of the flange-facing region 131 in the lateral direction Xa, but do not have a portion located in the region between the second facing region 131b and the first connection seal 122 on a second side (lower side) of the flange-facing region 131 in the lateral direction Xa. By forming first shape-controlled seal portion 127 in this manner, first opposing region 131a of flange 171 fixed to spout-mounted film 130 can be moved toward the inside of the pouch, and second opposing region 131b of flange 171 can be moved toward the outside of the pouch, thereby adjusting the inclination of flange 171 so that spout 170 faces the first side (upper side). Furthermore, by adjusting the inclination of flange 171 in this manner, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of buckling-inducing points that tend to form near the end of seal base 122a of first connection seal 122 on the second side (lower side). Although not shown, the first shape control seal portion 127 may be formed to have, in addition to a portion located in the region between the first opposing region 131a on the first side (upper side) of the flange opposing region 131 in the horizontal direction Xa and the first connecting seal 122, a further portion located in the region between the second opposing region 131b on the second side (lower side) of the flange opposing region 131 in the horizontal direction Xa and the first connecting seal 122.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the first shape control seal portion 127 has an innermost apex 127a located at the innermost position in the horizontal direction Xa, a first inner edge portion 127b formed continuously with a first side (upper side) of the innermost apex 127a in the vertical direction Ya, and a second inner edge portion 127c formed continuously with a second side (lower side) of the innermost apex 127a in the vertical direction Ya.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the first inner edge 127b is inclined so as to move outward in the horizontal direction Xa toward a first side (upper side) in the vertical direction Ya. As shown in Fig. 3, the second inner edge 127c is inclined so as to move outward in the horizontal direction Xa toward a second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya.

[0031] In this embodiment, the innermost apex 127a is formed in a dotted (vertex-like) shape. However, the innermost apex 127a may be formed to have a length in the longitudinal direction Ya, i.e., to have an inner edge extending linearly along the longitudinal direction Ya. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the inner edge near the innermost apex 127a is formed in a curved shape that convexly extends inward in the transverse direction Xa, it is preferable to set the radius of curvature (R) of the inner edge near the innermost apex 127a to 20 mm or more to prevent pouch rupture. In this embodiment, the inner edges 127b, 127c are formed in a curved shape that convexly extends inward in the transverse direction Xa, but any specific form may be used. For example, the inner edges 127b, 127c may be formed in a linear shape, or may be formed in a curved shape that convexly extends outward in the transverse direction Xa. They may also be formed by any combination of one or more of the above-described convex or concave curves or straight lines. When the inner edge portions 127b, 127c are formed in a curved shape that is convex inward in the lateral direction Xa, it is preferable to set the radius of curvature (R) to 20 mm or more.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pouch body 120 has a second shape-controlling seal portion 128, which is a shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-mounting film 130 that is located more inward in the horizontal direction Xa than the first connecting seal 122 and a portion of the side film 140, closer to the second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya than the first shape-controlling seal portion 127.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 3 , the second shape-control seal portion 128 is formed with a gap between it and the first shape-control seal portion 127 in the vertical direction Ya. As shown in Figures 2 and 3 , the second shape-control seal portion 128 is formed by continuously protruding inward in the horizontal direction Xa from each first connection seal 122 (seal base portion 122 a) on both sides of the flange-facing region 131 (flange 171) in the horizontal direction Xa. As shown in Figures 2 and 3 , the second shape-control seal portion 128 has a portion located in the region between the second facing region 131 b on the second side (lower side) of the flange-facing region 131 and the first connection seal 122 in the horizontal direction Xa, but does not have a portion located in the region between the first facing region 131 a on the first side (upper side) of the flange-facing region 131 and the first connection seal 122 in the horizontal direction Xa. By forming second shape-controlled seal portion 128 in this manner, the first facing region 131a side of flange 171 fixed to spout-mounted film 130 can be moved toward the outside of the pouch, and the second facing region 131b side of flange 171 can be moved toward the inside of the pouch, thereby adjusting the inclination of flange 171 so that spout 170 faces the second side (lower side). Although not shown, second shape-controlled seal portion 128 may be formed to have a portion located in a region between first facing region 131a and first connection seal 122 on the first side (upper side) of flange-facing region 131 in the lateral direction Xa, in addition to a portion located in a region between second facing region 131b on the second side (lower side) of flange-facing region 131 and first connection seal 122.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the second shape control seal portion 128 has an innermost apex 128a located at the innermost position in the horizontal direction Xa, a first inner edge portion 128b formed continuously with a first side (upper side) of the innermost apex 128a in the vertical direction Ya, and a second inner edge portion 128c formed continuously with a second side (lower side) of the innermost apex 128a in the vertical direction Ya.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, the first inner edge 128b is inclined so as to move outward in the horizontal direction Xa toward a first side (upper side) in the vertical direction Ya. As shown in Fig. 3, the second inner edge 128c is inclined so as to move outward in the horizontal direction Xa toward a second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya.

[0036] In this embodiment, the innermost apex 128a is formed in a point-like (vertex-like) shape, but the innermost apex 128a may be formed to have a length in the vertical direction Ya, in other words, to have an inner edge that extends linearly along the vertical direction Ya. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, when the inner edge near the innermost apex 128a is formed in a curved shape that convexly curves inward in the horizontal direction Xa, it is preferable to set the R (radius of curvature) of the inner edge near the innermost apex 128a to 20 mm or more in terms of preventing the pouch from breaking. In this embodiment, the second shape-control seal portion 128 is described as being formed with a predetermined distance between it and the first shape-control seal portion 127 in the vertical direction Ya. However, the first shape-control seal portion 127 and the second shape-control seal portion 128 may be formed continuously in the vertical direction Ya. In this case, the shape-control seal portions 127, 128 may be formed so that the inner edge of the connection between the first shape-control seal portion 127 and the second shape-control seal portion 128 is positioned more inward in the horizontal direction Xa than the first connecting seal 122 (seal base 122a). In this embodiment, the inner edges 128b, 128c are formed in a curved shape that convexly extends inward in the horizontal direction Xa. However, any specific form may be used. For example, the inner edges 128b, 128c may be formed in a straight line, or may be formed in a curved shape that convexly extends outward in the horizontal direction Xa. They may also be formed by any combination of one or more of the above-described convex or concave curves or straight lines. When the inner edge portions 128b, 128c are formed in a curved shape that is convex inward in the lateral direction Xa, it is preferable to set the radius of curvature (R) to 20 mm or more.

[0037] Spout 170 is made of a synthetic resin or the like, and is attached to pouch body 120 to function as a spout for the liquid content. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, spout 170 is attached to spout-attaching film 130 at a position closer to the second side (lower side) than the center in the longitudinal direction Ya.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 6, spout 170 has flange 171 arranged opposite spout-mounted film 130, and in this embodiment, flange 171 is formed as a disk-shaped portion with a through-hole formed in its center and a circular outer periphery, and is arranged inside pouch body 120 and fixed by heat welding to the inner surface of spout-mounted film 130. Note that Figs. 1 and 6 show only a portion of spout 170, and most of spout 170 is arranged outside pouch body 120.

[0039] As shown in Figure 6, the flange 171 has an annular (circular in this embodiment) flange fixing portion 172 that is fixed to the spout-mounted film 130 by heat welding, a flange buffer portion 173 that is formed in at least a partial area of ​​the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 and is not fixed to the spout-mounted film 130, an outer periphery unfixed portion 174 that is formed in a partial area of ​​the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 and is not fixed to the spout-mounted film 130, and an annular (circular in this embodiment) inner periphery unfixed portion 175 that is set on the inner periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 and is not fixed to the spout-mounted film 130.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 6, the flange buffer portion 173 has a radial width Wa3 of the portion of the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 that is not fixed to the spout-mounted film 130, the radial width Wa3 of which is 20 to 80% (more preferably 30 to 80%, and even more preferably 45 to 80%) of the radial width Wa1 of the flange-facing region 131 at the position (circumferential position) where the flange buffer portion 173 is formed (i.e., in the example shown in FIG. 6, the total value of the radial width Wa2 of the flange fixing portion 172 and the radial width Wa3 of the flange buffer portion 173), 2 mm or more (more preferably 3 mm or more), and / or or a portion formed to be 650% or more (more preferably 1000% or more) of the thickness (60 μm to 300 μm) of the spout-mounted film 130, and based on the above-mentioned settings (the radial width Wa3 is 20% or more of the radial width Wa1, 2 mm or more, and / or 650% or more of the thickness of the spout-mounted film 130), this portion has the effect of preventing a bending load from acting on a specific portion of the spout-mounted film 130 when the spout-mounted film 130 moves relative to the flange 171 toward the inside or outside of the pouch, as shown in Fig. 7. That is, as shown in Figs. 7(c) and 7(d), if the flange 171 is not provided with a flange buffer portion 173, a bending load will act on a specific portion of the spout-mounted film 130 when the spout-mounted film 130 moves relative to the flange 171 toward the inside or outside of the pouch, and film damage may occur at that specific portion. In contrast, if a flange buffer portion 173 is provided on flange 171, as shown in Figure 7 (a), when spout-mounted film 130 moves relative to flange 171 toward the inside of the pouch, spout-mounted film 130 bends at a location corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of flange 171, and when spout-mounted film 130 moves relative to flange 171 toward the outside of the pouch, spout-mounted film 130 bends at a location corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of flange fixing portion 172, so it is possible to avoid bending loads acting on specific locations of spout-mounted film 130.If the radial width Wa3 of the flange buffer portion 173 is greater than 80% of the radial width Wa1, the radial width Wa2 of the flange fixing portion 172 becomes too narrow, making it impossible to ensure sufficient adhesion strength of the flange 171 to the spout-mounted film 130 and making the fixing portion more susceptible to peeling due to impact, etc., which is undesirable. To ensure adhesion strength, the radial width Wa2 of the flange fixing portion 172 is preferably set to 2 mm or more (more preferably 3 mm or more). Regarding the relationship between the thickness of the spout-mounted film 130 and the radial width Wa3 of the flange buffer portion 173, it is preferable to set the radial width Wa3 larger when the spout-mounted film 130 is thicker. The reason for this is not clear, but it is assumed that when the thickness of the spout-mounted film 130 is small, the proportion of the spout-mounted film 130 that is subjected to bending through elastic deformation rather than plastic deformation is relatively large, resulting in high film durability against bending, whereas when the thickness of the spout-mounted film 130 is large, the proportion of the spout-mounted film 130 that is subjected to bending through elastic deformation is relatively small, resulting in low film durability against bending.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 6(a), the flange buffer portion 173 is formed at a position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 that includes a portion facing the first side (upper side) in the vertical direction Ya at the center in the horizontal direction Xa. Also, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the flange buffer portion 173 is formed at another position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 that includes a portion facing the second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya at the center in the horizontal direction Xa.

[0042] 6( a), the flange buffer portion 173 is formed so that its radial width is not constant, and the flange buffer portion 173 has a wide portion 173a that is the widest in the radial direction of the flange buffer portion 173. In the first (upper) flange buffer portion 173, this wide portion 173a is formed at a position that includes a portion of the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 at the center in the horizontal direction Xa that faces the first (upper) side in the vertical direction Ya. Similarly, in the second (lower) flange buffer portion 173, the wide portion 173a is formed at a position that includes a portion of the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172 at the center in the horizontal direction Xa that faces the second (lower) side in the vertical direction Ya. In this embodiment, the wide portion 173a of the flange buffer portion 173 on the first side (upper side) and the wide portion 173a of the flange buffer portion 173 on the second side (lower side) are formed with the same radial width, but they may also be formed with different radial widths.

[0043] In the example shown in Fig. 6(a), flange fixing portion 172 is set in a portion of flange 171 that is formed to have a thinner outer peripheral thickness. Furthermore, outer peripheral unfixed portion 174 is a portion of the outer periphery of flange fixing portion 172 that is not fixed to spout-mounted film 130, and does not achieve the effect of flange buffer portion 173 described above (the effect of avoiding bending load from acting on specific locations of spout-mounted film 130), and is formed with a narrower radial width than flange buffer portion 173. When flange 171 is fixed to spout-mounted film 130 with an adhesive, outer peripheral unfixed portion 174 functions to prevent adhesive from leaking (squeezing out) beyond the outer peripheral edge of flange 171, and to prevent spout-mounted film 130 from being fixed to flange 171 in a state where wrinkles have occurred in spout-mounted film 130 near the outer peripheral edge of flange 171.

[0044] 6, the flange buffer portion 173 is formed in two locations, a first side (upper side) and a second side (lower side), on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172. However, the specific form of the flange buffer portion 173 is not limited to the above, and the flange buffer portion 173 may be formed in any manner depending on the embodiment. For example, the flange buffer portion 173 may be formed in only one of the two locations, the first side (upper side) and the second side (lower side), on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8A, the flange buffer portion 173 may be formed over the entire outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172. In the modified example shown in FIG. 8A, the flange buffer portion 173 is formed with a uniform radial width over the entire outer periphery of the flange fixing portion 172. Furthermore, as shown in the modified example in Figure 8 (b), a region in which the outer peripheral unbonded portion 174 is not formed may be formed in a partial region on the outer periphery of the flange-bonded portion 172 (i.e., a region in which the spout-mounted film 130 is bonded up to the outer peripheral edge of the flange 171).

[0045] Next, a modified example of the spout 170 in which a retracted portion 176 is formed in the flange 171 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0046] First, in the example shown in Figure 6 etc., the flange 171 of the spout 170 is described as being formed in a flat plate shape, but in the modified example shown in Figure 9, the flange buffer portion 173 has a retraction portion 176 whose outer peripheral tip is located on the side away from the spout-mounted film 130 in the thickness direction (the right side in Figure 9) than the flange fixing portion 172.

[0047] In the example shown in Fig. 9 , retraction section 176 is formed by curving the outer periphery of flange 171 toward the side away from spout-mounted film 130 (the right side in Fig. 9 ), and has curved surface 176a on the side facing spout-mounted film 130 that curves toward the side away from spout-mounted film 130 (the right side in Fig. 9 ) as it approaches the outer periphery. As shown in Fig. 9 , curved surface 176a is curved so as to be convex toward the side facing spout-mounted film 130 (the left side in Fig. 9 ).

[0048] By forming such a retreat section 176 in the flange 171, as shown in Figure 10, even if the contact point between the spout-mounted film 130 and the outer edge of the flange 171 hits the ground or the like when the spout-equipped pouch 110 is dropped, excessive force is prevented from acting on the spout-mounted film 130 at that point, and that point is prevented from becoming the starting point for the pouch to break.

[0049] The retracted portion 176 may be formed in an annular shape around the entire outer periphery of the flange 171, or may be formed only in a partial region of the outer periphery of the flange 171. Furthermore, when the retracted portion 176 is formed only in a partial region of the outer periphery of the flange 171, the retracted portion 176 may be formed at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0050] Furthermore, with regard to the circumferential dimensional (width) relationship and positional relationship between the flange buffer portion 173 and the retraction portion 176, the circumferential dimensions (width) and positions of the flange buffer portion 173 and the retraction portion 176 can be set so that the flange buffer portion 173 and the retraction portion 176 overlap circumferentially in at least a portion of the outer periphery of the flange 171.

[0051] 11(a), the radial dimension (width) of the flange buffer portion 173 and the retracted portion 176 may be set to be the same, or as shown in Fig. 11(b), the radial dimension (width) of the retracted portion 176 may be set to be larger than that of the flange buffer portion 173, or as shown in Fig. 11(c), the radial dimension (width) of the retracted portion 176 may be set to be smaller than that of the flange buffer portion 173. In the examples shown in Figs. 11(a) to 11(c), the outer peripheral edge position of the flange buffer portion 173 and the outer peripheral edge position of the retracted portion 176 are the same.

[0052] In addition, in the example shown in Figure 9, the retraction section 176 has a shape in which the outer circumferential side of the flange 171 is curved toward the side away from the spout-mounted film 130 (the right side in Figure 9), but the specific shape of the retraction section 176 may be any shape as long as it is formed so that its outer circumferential tip is positioned further away from the spout-mounted film 130 (the right side in Figure 9) than the flange fixing section 172.For example, as shown in Figure 11 (d), the retraction section 176 may be formed by bending the flange 171 partway in the radial direction rather than curving the flange 171.

[0053] 1 and 2, the inner film 160 is folded in half and placed inside the pouch body 120 (content liquid storage section 121), with predetermined locations heat-sealed to the side films 140. As shown in Fig. 2, the inner film 160 has a plurality of film perforations formed as holes that penetrate through the film in the thickness direction.

[0054] Furthermore, at the portion where the films 140 and 160 overlap in the bag-making seal portion on the top side of the spouted pouch 110, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a handle hole 129 is formed through the overlapping portion of the films 140 and 160 to allow the user to hold the spouted pouch 110 with their hand or fingers.

[0055] Next, specific settings of each part of the spouted pouch 110 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0056] 4, the lateral dimension ba1 from the first connection seal 122 (seal base 122a) to the innermost apex 127a of the first shape-controlling seal portion 127 is preferably set to 6 to 10% of the lateral spacing aa between the first connection seals 122 (seal bases 122a) in the lateral direction Xa. Also, the lateral dimension ba1 is preferably set to 20 to 50% of the lateral dimension ca from the first connection seal 122 (seal base 122a) to the point 131c located outermost (on the first connection seal 122 side) in the lateral direction Xa of the outer peripheral edge of the flange-facing region 131 (flange 171). By setting it in this manner, it is possible to avoid the movement of the spout 170 being excessively restricted by the spout-mounted film 130, while still being able to effectively obtain the effects of forming the first shape-controlling seal portion 127 (the effect of recessing the spout-mounted film 130 near the outer peripheral edge of the flange 171 toward the inside of the pouch, the effect of relaxing the tension of the spout-mounted film 130 near the outer peripheral edge of the flange 171, and the effect of adjusting the inclination of the flange 171).

[0057] 4, the lateral dimension ba2 from the first connection seal 122 (seal base 122a) to the innermost apex 128a of the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 is preferably set to 4 to 10% of the lateral spacing aa. Furthermore, the lateral dimension ba2 is preferably set to 10 to 50% of the lateral dimension ca. Setting it in this manner prevents the movement of the spout 170 from being excessively restricted by the spout-attaching film 130, while still achieving the effects of forming the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 (the effect of recessing the spout-attaching film 130 near the outer peripheral edge of the flange 171 toward the inside of the pouch, the effect of relaxing the tension of the spout-attaching film 130 near the outer peripheral edge of the flange 171, and the effect of adjusting the inclination of the flange 171).

[0058] Furthermore, it is preferable that the horizontal dimension ba1 be set to be equal to or greater than the horizontal dimension ba2. It is also preferable that the horizontal dimension ba2 be set to be equal to or greater than 30% of the horizontal dimension ba1. By setting the dimensions in this manner, the inclination of the spout 170 can be properly adjusted, that is, the inclination of the spout 170 to the first side (upper side) or the second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya can be properly adjusted.

[0059] 4, the vertical position of innermost apex 127a of first shape-controlled seal portion 127 (when innermost apex 127a is formed to have a length in the vertical direction Ya, the vertical position of the second-side end of innermost apex 127a) is preferably set within a range of ±10 mm in the vertical direction Ya from the vertical position of point 131d, which is located closest to the first side (upper side) in the vertical direction Ya, on the outer peripheral edge of flange-facing region 131 (flange 171). By setting it in this manner, the state of spout-attaching film 130 can be adjusted so that the part of spout-attaching film 130 near point 131d is recessed toward the inside of the pouch, and the tension of spout-attaching film 130 near point 131d can be relaxed. From the viewpoint of loosening the tension of the spout-mounted film 130 near the aforementioned point 131d, it is preferable to shift the vertical position of the innermost top 127a of the first shape control seal portion 127 from the vertical position of the aforementioned point 131d to either the first side (upper side) or the second side (lower side).

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the vertical position of the end (lower end) on the second side (lower side) of the first shape control seal portion 127 (second inner edge portion 127c) is preferably set to a position to the side of the flange facing region 131 (flange 171) in the horizontal direction Xa, and more preferably set within a range of ±10 mm in the vertical direction Ya from the center position of the flange facing region 131 (flange 171) in the vertical direction Ya, and more preferably set to coincide with the center position of the flange facing region 131 (flange 171) in the vertical direction Ya. By setting the spout-mounted pouch 110 in this manner, if the spout-mounted pouch 110 is dropped, for example, the spout-mounted film 130 (first connection seal 122) is folded starting from the lower ends of the first shape-controlled seal portions 127 (second inner edge portions 127c) on both sides in the lateral direction Xa at location B shown in Fig. 5 , and deformation of the spout-mounted film 130 can be induced so that the spout 170 is rotated (tilted) toward the second side around axis L extending in the lateral direction Xa so as to pass through the flange-facing region 131 (flange 171). Furthermore, in order to guide the spout-mounted film 130 to the state shown in Fig. 5(b), it is preferable to set the vertical position of the end (upper end) on the first side (upper side) of the second shape-controlled seal portion 128 (first inner edge portions 128b) below the center position in the vertical direction Ya of the flange-facing region 131 (flange 171). By setting the spout 170 in this manner, as shown in FIG. 5( b), the first connection seal 122 near the second shape-control seal portion 128 can be biased inward in the lateral direction Xa, guiding the spout 170 to rotate (tilt) toward the second side about the axis La. At this time, the spout-mounted film 130 (first connection seal 122) is folded at location D shown in FIG. 5, starting from the lower ends of the second shape-control seal portions 128 (second inner edge portions 128 c) on both sides in the lateral direction Xa. Furthermore, in order to guide the spout 170 to rotate (tilt) toward the second side about the axis L, it is more preferable to set the vertical position of the end (upper end) on the first side (upper side) of the second shape-control seal portion 128 (first inner edge portion 128 b) to a position located to the side of the flange-facing region 131 (second facing region 131 b) in the lateral direction Xa, as shown in FIG. 5( a).Furthermore, if the spout-equipped pouch is dropped, for example, the spout-mounted film 130 and the spout 170 can be guided to the state shown in Figure 5 (b), allowing the spout 170 to escape inside the pouch and preventing strong forces from acting on the spout 170 due to contact with the floor or the like.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, it is preferable that the vertical dimension sa from the innermost apex 127a of the first shape control seal portion 127 to the end (upper end) of the first side (upper side) of the first shape control seal portion 127 (first inner edge 127b) (the vertical dimension sa of the first inner edge 127b) be set larger than the vertical dimension ta from the innermost apex 127a of the first shape control seal portion 127 to the end (lower end) of the second side (lower side) of the first shape control seal portion 127 (second inner edge 127c) (the vertical dimension ta of the second inner edge 127c). 4, the vertical dimension sa and the horizontal dimension ba1 are preferably set so that the angle between the first connection seal 22 and an imaginary line connecting the innermost apex 127a of the first shape-controlling seal portion 127 (if the innermost apex 127a is formed to have a length in the vertical direction Ya, the first side end of the innermost apex 127a) to the first side (upper side) end (top end) of the first shape-controlling seal portion 127 (first inside edge 127b) is 5 to 10 degrees. By setting them in this way, it is possible to prevent the formation of a portion of the spout-attached film 130 that is prone to bag tearing near the first connection seal 122.

[0062] 4, the vertical position of innermost apex 128a of second shape-controlled seal portion 128 (when innermost apex 127a is formed to have a length in the vertical direction Ya, the vertical position of the first-side end of innermost apex 128a) is preferably set within a range of ±5 mm in the vertical direction Ya from the vertical position of point 131e of the outer peripheral edge of flange-facing region 131 (flange 171) that is located closest to the second side (lower side) in the vertical direction Ya (or from the point of the outer peripheral edge of flange fixing portion 172 that is located closest to the second side in the vertical direction Ya). By setting it in this manner, the state of spout-attaching film 130 can be adjusted so that the part of spout-attaching film 130 near point 131e is recessed toward the inside of the pouch, and the tension of spout-attaching film 130 near point 131e can be relaxed. From the viewpoint of reducing the tension on the spout-mounted film 130 near the aforementioned point 131e, it is preferable to set the vertical position of the innermost apex 128a of the second shape-controlled seal portion 128 so that it is shifted to either the first side (upper side) or the second side (lower side) from the vertical position of the aforementioned point 131e. Also, as described above, by setting the vertical position of the innermost apex 128a of the second shape-controlled seal portion 128 within a range of ±5 mm from point 131e in the vertical direction Ya, it is possible to smoothly guide the spout-mounted film 130 and the spout 170 to the state shown in FIG. 5(b) described above.

[0063] 4, the vertical position of the second-side (lower) end (bottom end) of the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 (second inner edge portion 128c) is preferably set closer to the first side (upper side) than the second inclined portion 122c of the first connection seal 122. This setting prevents the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 from affecting the shape of the pouch bottom 120a. That is, when the spout-equipped pouch 110 is placed on a support surface, the second inclined portion 122c forms part of the pouch bottom 120a. However, by setting the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 closer to the first side (upper side) than the second inclined portion 122c, it is possible to prevent the second shape-controlling seal portion 128 from affecting the shape of the pouch bottom 120a.

[0064] 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 scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, spouted pouch 110 may be constructed by arbitrarily combining the respective configurations of the above-described embodiments and the modified examples described below.

[0065] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the spouted pouch 110 is described as being housed in an outer case (not shown) when in use, on display, or transported, but the spouted pouch 110 itself may be used, displayed, or transported without being housed in an outer case (not shown).

[0066] Furthermore, as for the specific aspects of each film 130, 140, 150, and 160, as long as the film has a heat-sealable layer on at least one side, such as an olefin-based film (e.g., low-density polyethylene or polypropylene) or a polyester-based film (e.g., PET (polyethylene terephthalate)), any layer may be laminated to the heat-sealable layer. Any material may be used for the laminate, and any desired layer may be laminated, such as known polyesters (e.g., PET or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)), polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene, or aluminum foil. In the above-described embodiment, the pouch body 120 is described as being formed from four films (e.g., films 130, 140, and 150). However, the specific aspects of the pouch body 120, such as the number of films constituting the pouch body 120, are not limited to the above. For example, a separate bottom gusset film may be provided at a position corresponding to the pouch bottom 120a. Furthermore, the inner film 160 may not be provided. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, spouted pouch 110 is configured as a large-capacity pouch with a capacity of 2 to 5 L, and spout 170 is also configured as a large spout with flange 171 having an outer diameter of 50 to 70 mm, but the sizes of spouted pouch 110 and spout 170 are not limited to these and may be set arbitrarily depending on the embodiment.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the spout-attaching film 130 to which the spout 170 is attached is described as being a gusset film that constitutes the gusset portion (gusset portion) of the horizontal gusset-type pouch, but the specific form of the spout-attaching film 130 is not limited to this, and for example, the spout-attaching film 130 may be a gusset film that is placed at the top or bottom of the pouch, or the spout-attaching film 130 may be a film other than a gusset film.

[0068] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the shape-controlling seal portions 127, 128 are described as being formed continuously with the first connection seal 122, but the shape-controlling seal portions 127, 128 may also be formed independently (at a position separate from) the first connection seal 122.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, the first shape-control seal portion 127 is formed on each side of the flange-facing region 131. However, the first shape-control seal portion 127 may be formed on only one of the two sides of the flange-facing region 131 in the horizontal direction Xa. Similarly, the second shape-control seal portion 128 may be formed on only one of the two sides of the flange-facing region 131 in the horizontal direction Xa. In the above-described embodiment (and modified examples), as shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, the shape-control seal portions 127, 128 on both sides of the horizontal direction Xa are formed line-symmetrically (bilaterally symmetrically) with respect to an imaginary line extending along the vertical direction Ya through the center of the spout-mounted film 130 in the horizontal direction Xa. However, this is not a limitation. Similarly, the first connection seals 122 on both sides of the horizontal direction Xa are formed line-symmetrically (bilaterally symmetrically) with respect to the imaginary line.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first shape-control seal portion 127 and the second shape-control seal portion 128 are described as being formed, but it is also possible to form only the first shape-control seal portion 127 without forming the second shape-control seal portion 128. Note that, when only the first shape-control seal portion 127 is formed, the dimensional relationship of the various parts related to the first shape-control seal portion 127 is the same as that described above using FIG. 4. Also, it is also possible to form only the second shape-control seal portion 128 without forming the first shape-control seal portion 127. Note that, when only the second shape-control seal portion 128 is formed, the dimensional relationship of the various parts related to the second shape-control seal portion 128 is the same as that described above using FIG. 4.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, flange 171 has been described as being formed in a disk shape with a circular outer periphery, but the specific shape of flange 171 may be any, such as one with an outer periphery of a shape other than a circle, such as a rectangular or polygonal shape. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, flange 171 has been described as being fixed to the inner surface of spout-mounted film 130, but flange 171 may also be fixed to the outer surface of spout-mounted film 130. Furthermore, the method of fixing flange 171 to spout-mounted film 130 may be any method other than heat welding, such as adhesion.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, flange 171 is described as being provided with flange buffer portion 173, but the manner in which flange 171 is fixed to spout-mounted film 130 may be any, and flange 171 may not be provided with flange buffer portion 173; for example, the entire area of ​​flange 171 may be fixed to spout-mounted film 130. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, first connection seal 122 is described as having first shape-controlling seal portion 127 and second shape-controlling seal portion 128 formed thereon, but these shape-controlling seal portions 127, 128 may not be formed.

[0073] In this specification, terms indicating up and down, such as "top," "bottom," and "side," are used, but these terms do not limit the orientation of spouted pouch 110 when it is displayed or transported. For example, when it is displayed or transported, spouted pouch 110 may be placed on a placing surface with its side or top facing down.

[0074] Next, a spouted pouch 210 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0075] The spouted pouch 210 contains liquid contents such as drinking water or liquid detergent, and is configured to allow the liquid contents to be poured out from a spout 280 attached to the side of the pouch body 220, as shown in Figures 12 and 18.

[0076] As shown in Figure 12, the spout-equipped pouch 210 has a pouch body 220 formed into a bag shape by heat-welding flexible films 230, 240, 250, and 260 to form a bag-making seal portion, an inner film 270 placed inside the pouch body 220, and a spout 280 attached to the pouch body 220.

[0077] The pouch body 220 is configured as a so-called horizontal gusset-type pouch with gusset portions formed on both sides, and as shown in Figures 12 and 13, has a front film 230 and a back film 240 arranged opposite each other in the front-to-back direction Xb, with the content liquid storage section 221 in between, a side gusset film 250 arranged between the front film 230 and the back film 240 on one side of the pouch and heat-sealed to the front film 230 and the back film 240 by a first side seal 222, and a second gusset film 260 arranged opposite the side gusset film 250 in the front-to-back direction Zb, with the content liquid storage section 221 in between, and heat-sealed to the front film 230 and the back film 240 by a second side seal 223 on the other side of the pouch.

[0078] Each of the films 230, 240, 250, 260, and 270 is formed as a resin film having a heat-sealed layer on at least one side thereof, and is arranged so that the heat-sealed layers face each other at the locations where they are heat-sealed to each other. Note that in Figure 13 and other figures, the heat-sealed areas of each of the films 230, 240, 250, 260, and 270 are indicated by solid lines.

[0079] 12 and 13 , the pouch body 220 has a first side seal 222 formed by heat-sealing both lateral sides of the side gusset film 250 to the films 230, 240, a second side seal 223 formed by heat-sealing both lateral sides of the second gusset film 260 to the films 230, 240, a top seal 224 formed by heat-sealing the films 230, 240, 260 at a position corresponding to the top of the pouch body 220 facing the bottom seal 225 across the content liquid storage section 221, a bottom seal 225 formed by heat-sealing the films 230, 240, 260 at a position corresponding to the pouch bottom 220a of the pouch body 220, and an intermediate seal 226 formed by heat-sealing the films 230, 240 and an inner film 270. These seals 222 to 226 constitute a bag-making seal section.

[0080] Furthermore, at a predetermined location (for example, location Ab shown in FIG. 12 ) on the side of pouch body 220 where the gusset portion is formed, a portion is formed by partially removing second gusset film 260, and films 230 and 240 are heat-sealed together. This prevents films 230 and 240 from separating from each other at the predetermined location (for example, location A shown in FIG. 12 ).

[0081] As shown in Figure 14, the side gusset film 250 has a front seal area 251 that is heat-sealed to the front film 230 at the first side seal 222, a back seal area 252 that is heat-sealed to the back film 240 at the first side seal 222, and a non-seal area 253 that is the area inside the front seal area 251 and the back seal area 252.

[0082] 14, the non-sealed area 253 has a front outer edge 254 which is the boundary with the front sealed area 251, and a back outer edge 255 which is the boundary with the back sealed area 252. The side gusset film 250 is formed symmetrically (left-right symmetrically) with respect to an imaginary line extending along the up-down direction Yb through the center of the side gusset film 250 in the front-to-back direction Xb. In other words, the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255 are formed symmetrically (left-right symmetrically) with respect to the imaginary line.

[0083] As shown in Figure 14, the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255 each have base edges 254a, 255a arranged at a distance from each other in the front-to-back direction Xb, lower inclined edges 254b, 255b extending from the lower ends of the base edges 254a, 255a to the lower end connecting portion 253a that connects the lower ends of the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255, and upper inclined edges 254c, 255c extending from the upper ends of the base edges 254a, 255a to the upper end connecting portion 253b that connects the upper ends of the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255.

[0084] The base edges 254a, 255a are formed to extend linearly in the vertical direction Yb, as shown in Fig. 14. The lower inclined edges 254b, 255b extend linearly and are inclined in the vertical direction Yb (at an inclination angle of 45° in this embodiment) so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as they extend downward, as shown in Fig. 14.

[0085] The upper inclined edge portions 254c, 255c are composed of at least two inclined portions having different inclination angles relative to the up-down direction Yb. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the upper inclined edge portions 254d, 255d connect the upper ends of the base edges 254a, 255a to a point located above and inside the front-to-back direction Xb, and the upper ends of the base edges 254a, 255a, and the upper ends of the gently inclined portions 254d, 255d connect the upper ends of the gently inclined portions 254d, 255d to the upper end connecting portion 253b.

[0086] In the example shown in Figure 15, each gently sloping portion 254d, 255d is composed of a single straight portion that extends at an inclination in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward, and each steeply sloping portion 254e, 255e is composed of a single straight portion that extends at an inclination in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward (at an inclination angle of 45° in this embodiment).

[0087] As shown in Fig. 15 , a first virtual line Lb1 passing through the upper and lower ends of the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d extends at an inclination in the up-down direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward. As shown in Fig. 15 , a second virtual line Lb2 passing through the upper and lower ends of the steeply sloping portions 254e, 255e extends at an inclination in the up-down direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward. As shown in Fig. 15 , the inclination angle θ1 of the first virtual line Lb1 with respect to the up-down direction Yb is smaller than the inclination angle θ2 of the second virtual line Lb2 with respect to the up-to-down direction Yb. In other words, the second virtual line Lb2 (steeply sloping portions 254e, 255e) moves more inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward than the first virtual line Lb1 (gentlely sloping portions 254d, 255d).

[0088] 14 and 15, the side gusset film 250 has a flange-facing region 256 to which the flange 281 of the spout 280 is disposed opposite. In this embodiment, the flange-facing region 256 is formed in an annular shape with a circular outer periphery. The side gusset film 250 also has a circular spout through-hole 257 formed to penetrate the film thickness direction and through which the spout tubular portion 282 of the spout 280 is inserted.

[0089] The spout 280 is formed from a synthetic resin or the like, and is attached to the pouch body 220 to function as an outlet for the liquid contents. As shown in Figures 12 and 18, the spout 280 has a flange 281 arranged opposite the side gusset film 250, a dispensing tube portion 282 extending perpendicular to the disk-shaped flange 281 and having a dispensing hole 282a formed therein, and a cap 283 removably attached to the tip of the dispensing tube portion 282.

[0090] In the present embodiment, flange 281 is formed as a disk-shaped (annular) portion having a through-hole formed in its center and a circular outer periphery (flange outer periphery), and is disposed inside pouch body 220, with at least a portion thereof fixed by heat welding to the inner surface of side gusset film 250. Note that Fig. 12 shows only flange 281 of spout 280, and most of spout 280, such as pouring tube portion 282 and cap 283, is disposed outside pouch body 220, as shown in Fig. 18 .

[0091] At least a portion (most of the portion in the example shown in FIG. 15 ) of the flange 281 (flange-facing region 256), including the center of the flange 281 (flange-facing region 256), is positioned opposite the region between the upper inclined edge portion 254 c of the front outer edge 254 and the upper inclined edge portion 255 c of the back outer edge 255, as shown in FIG. 15 , and more specifically, is positioned opposite the region between the gently inclined portion 254 d of the front outer edge 254 and the gently inclined portion 255 d of the back outer edge 255.

[0092] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 15, the flange 281 (flange facing region 256) is positioned at the center of the side gusset film 250 in the front-to-back direction Xb, and the distance between the front outer edge 254 and the outer edge of the flange 281 (flange facing region 256) and the distance between the back outer edge 255 and the outer edge of the flange 281 (flange facing region 256) in the front-to-back direction Xb are equal.

[0093] 12 , the region between the upper inclined edge 254c of the front outer edge 254 and the upper inclined edge 255c of the back outer edge 255, to which (at least a part of) the flange 281 is attached, is a portion that inclines so as to move upward toward the inside of the pouch body 220 in the front-to-back direction Zb when viewed in the front-to-back direction Xb with the spout-equipped pouch 210 placed on a placing surface with the pouch bottom 220a facing downward. Therefore, when the spout-equipped pouch 210 is placed on a placing surface, the pouring tube portion 282 of the spout 280 attached to the above region is oriented obliquely upward extending obliquely with respect to the up-down direction Yb (and the front-to-back direction Zb) when viewed in the front-to-back direction Xb, as can be seen from FIG. 12 and FIG. 18 . In other words, the pouring tube portion 282 is inclined so as to move upward toward the outside of the pouch body 220 in the front-to-back direction Zb.

[0094] Inner film 270 is formed as a rectangular (or nearly rectangular) flexible resin film having a heat-sealed layer on at least one side thereof, and as can be seen from Figures 12 and 13, it is folded in half and placed inside pouch body 220 (content liquid storage section 221), with predetermined locations heat-sealed to films 230 and 240. Inner film 270 has a plurality of film perforations formed as holes that penetrate through the film in the thickness direction, as shown in Figure 13.

[0095] 12 and 13, a handle hole 227 is formed in the region where the films 230, 240, and 260 overlap (top seal 224) in the bag-making seal section on the top side of the spouted pouch 210. The handle hole 227 penetrates the region where the films 230, 240, and 260 overlap, allowing the user to hold the spouted pouch 210 with their hand or fingers. For ease of understanding the technology, FIG. 13 shows the handle hole 227 as being formed before the films 230, 240, and 260 are heat-sealed together, but in this embodiment, the handle hole 227 is formed by punching out predetermined locations after the films 230, 240, and 260 are heat-sealed together.

[0096] 18(a), when the spout-equipped pouch 210 is unopened (i.e., the liquid content has not yet been poured out) and the spout-equipped pouch 210 is held up by supporting (gripping) the top seal 224 (top side of the pouch) having the handle hole 227 formed therein, the liquid content storage section 221 contains a volume of liquid content equal to or less than the volume of the portion of the liquid content storage section 221 below the imaginary line Lb3, which is drawn along the extension direction of the lower edge of the inner circumferential surface of the spout hole 282a of the spout 280 (specifically, the lower edge of the inner circumferential surface of the spout hole 282a at the tip side of the spouting tube portion 282). Note that FIG. 18(a) shows a state in which the liquid content storage section 221 contains the same amount of liquid content as the volume of the portion of the liquid content storage section 221 below the imaginary line Lb3. In this way, by setting the amount of content liquid to be stored in content liquid storage section 221, when spout-equipped pouch 210 is tilted and lifted so that dispensing tube portion 282 of spout 280 is oriented sideways (by gripping the top side of the pouch where handle hole 227 is formed, etc.) to dispense the content liquid, as in the position shown in Figure 18(a), it is possible for dispensing tube portion 282 to extend horizontally or to be oriented diagonally downward (i.e., in a state inclined downward from the horizontal). Therefore, it is possible to avoid the so-called leakage of content liquid as shown in Figure 18(b), that is, the phenomenon in which the content liquid leaking from the tip of dispensing tube portion 282 trickles down the underside of the outer circumferential surface of dispensing tube portion 282, which occurs when dispensing tube portion 282 of spout 280 is oriented diagonally upward (i.e., in a state inclined upward from the horizontal) after dispensing of the content liquid has been completed. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of increasing the volume of the liquid contents that can be contained within the pouch body 220 while suppressing such leakage of the liquid contents, it is desirable to reduce the angle of inclination of the flange 281 relative to the vertical direction Yb of the pouch body 220 by reducing the angle of inclination of the flange 281 relative to the vertical direction Yb of the side gusset film 250 in the area where the flange 281 is attached (the area between the gently inclined portions 254d, 255d), and to adjust the extension direction of the pouring tube portion 282 of the spout 280 (the direction in which the virtual line Lb3 extends) downward (to approach a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Yb).

[0097] Next, modified examples of the upper inclined edges 254c, 255c of the side gusset film 250 will be described below with reference to Figures 16 and 17. Note that the modified examples described below are identical to the above-described embodiment except for some configurations, and therefore, description of the configurations other than the differences will be omitted.

[0098] First, in the example shown in Figure 15 above, the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d have been described as being composed of one straight line portion extending at an incline in the vertical direction Yb, but the specific form of the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d is not limited to the above, and may be composed of at least one straight line portion, at least one curved line portion, or a combination of these.

[0099] In the example shown in Figure 16, the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d are composed of multiple (three) straight line portions, specifically, a first straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the base edge portion 254a, 255a at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward, a second straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the first straight line portion along the vertical direction Yb, and a third straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the second straight line portion at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward.

[0100] In the example shown in Figure 17, the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d are composed of multiple (three) straight line portions, specifically, a first straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the base edge portion 254a, 255a at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward, a second straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the first straight line portion at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move outward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward, and a third straight line portion that extends from the upper end of the second straight line portion at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as it extends upward.

[0101] As can be seen from the examples shown in Figures 16 and 17, the straight line portions (or curved line portions) constituting the gently sloping portions 254d, 255d may be of any type, such as those that extend at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction Xb as they extend upward, those that extend along the vertical direction Yb, or those that extend at an incline in the vertical direction Yb so as to move outward in the front-to-back direction Xb as they extend upward.

[0102] Similarly, in the examples shown in Figures 15 to 17, the steeply inclined portions 254e and 255e are each composed of one straight line portion extending at an incline in the vertical direction Yb, but the specific form of the steeply inclined portions 254e and 255e is not limited to the above, and may be composed of at least one straight line portion, at least one curved line portion, or a combination of these.

[0103] 17, at least one of the front seal region 251 and the rear seal region 252 (both in the example shown in FIG. 17) has control seal portions 251a, 252a located inside the first imaginary line L1 in the front-to-back direction Xb. As shown in FIG. 17, the control seal portions 251a, 252a have portions located in the area between the lower half of the flange-facing region 256 (flange 281) and the front seal region 251 or the rear seal region 252 in the front-to-back direction Xb, and are formed so as not to have portions located above the center of the flange-facing region 256 (flange 281) in the up-down direction Yb. Furthermore, the portions of the control seal portions 251a, 252a located closest to the inside in the front-to-back direction Xb are located in the area between the lower half of the flange-facing region 256 (flange 281) and the front seal region 251 or the rear seal region 252 in the front-to-back direction Xb, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, the control seal portions 251a and 252a have a portion located below the flange facing region 256 (flange 281).

[0104] 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 scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, spouted pouch 210 may be constructed by arbitrarily combining the respective configurations of the above-described embodiments and the modified examples described below.

[0105] For example, the spouted pouch 210 may be housed in an outer case (not shown) when in use, on display, or transported, or the spouted pouch 210 itself may be used, displayed, or transported without being housed in an outer case (not shown).

[0106] Furthermore, as for the specific aspects of each film 230, 240, 250, 260, and 270, as long as at least one side of the film has a heat-sealable layer made of an olefin-based material such as low-density polyethylene or polypropylene, or a polyester-based material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the film may be a single heat-sealable layer, or an optional layer may be laminated on the heat-sealable layer. Any material may be used for the laminate, and any desired layer may be formed by laminating known polyesters such as PET or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene, aluminum foil, etc. In the above-described embodiment, the pouch body 220 is described as being formed from four films, namely, films 230, 240, 250, and 260. However, the specific aspects of the pouch body 220, such as the number of films constituting the pouch body 220, are not limited to the above. For example, a separate bottom gusset film may be provided at a position corresponding to the pouch bottom 220a. Furthermore, the inner film 270 may not be provided. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, spouted pouch 210 is configured as a large-capacity pouch with a capacity of 2 to 5 L, and spout 280 is also configured as a large spout with flange 281 having an outer diameter of 50 to 70 mm, but the sizes of spouted pouch 210 and spout 280 are not limited to these and may be set arbitrarily depending on the embodiment.

[0107] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255 are described as being formed in line symmetry (bilateral symmetry) with respect to a virtual line extending along the vertical direction Yb through the center of the front-to-back direction Xb of the side gusset film 250, but the front outer edge 254 and the back outer edge 255 may also be formed asymmetrically.

[0108] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the control seal portions 251a, 252a are described as being formed continuously with the seal areas 251, 252, but the control seal portions 251a, 252a may also be formed independently (at a position separated from) the seal areas 251, 252.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the flange 281 has been described as being formed in a disk shape with a circular outer periphery, but the specific shape of the flange 281 may be any, such as one having an outer periphery (flange outer periphery) of a shape other than a circle, such as a rectangular or polygonal shape. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the flange 281 has been described as being fixed to the inner surface of the side gusset film 250, but the flange 281 may be fixed to the outer surface of the side gusset film 250. Furthermore, the method of fixing the flange 281 to the side gusset film 250 may be any method other than heat welding, such as adhesive bonding.

[0110] In this specification, terms indicating up and down such as "top," "bottom," and "side" are used, but these terms do not limit the orientation of spouted pouch 210 when it is displayed, transported, etc. For example, when it is displayed, transported, etc., spouted pouch 210 may be placed on a placing surface with its side or top facing down.

[0111] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the liquid contents are poured out while the top side of the pouch is grasped and spouted pouch 210 is lifted up, but the specific manner of pouring out the liquid contents is not limited to the above, and for example, the liquid contents may be poured out while spouted pouch 210 is lifted up by supporting or grasping a part other than the top of the pouch, such as pouch bottom 220a, or the liquid contents may be poured out while spouted pouch 210 is placed on a supporting surface.

[0112] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110, 210 ... Pouch with spout 120, 220 ... Pouch body 120a, 220a ... Pouch bottom 121, 221 ... Content liquid storage section 122 ... First connecting seal (connecting seal) 222 ... First side seal (side seal) 122a ... Seal base 122b ... First inclined section 122c ... Second inclined section 123 ... Second connecting seal 223 ... Second side seal 123a ... Seal base 123b ... First inclined section 123c ... Second inclined section 124, 224 ... Top seal 125, 225 ... Bottom seal 126, 226 ... Intermediate seal 127 ... First shape-controlling seal section 227 ... Handle hole 127a... Innermost top portion 127b... First edge portion 127c... Second edge portion 128... Second shape-controlling seal portion 128a... Innermost top portion 128b... First edge portion 128c... Second edge portion 129... Handle hole 130... Spout-mounting film 230... Front film 131... Flange-facing region 131a... First facing region 131b... Second facing region 132... Spout through-hole 140... Side film 240... Back film 150... Second film 250... Side gusset film 251... Front-side seal region 251a... Controlling seal portion 252... Back-side seal region 252a... Controlling seal portion 253... Non-sealed area 253a: Lower end connecting portion 253b: Upper end connecting portion 254: Front outer edge 254a: Base edge portion 254b: Lower inclined edge portion254c... Upper inclined edge portion 254d... Gently inclined portion 254e... Steeply inclined portion 255... Back outer edge 255a... Base edge portion 255b... Lower inclined edge portion 255c... Upper inclined edge portion 255d... Gently inclined portion 255e... Steeply inclined portion 256... Flange facing region 257... Spout through hole 260... Second film 160, 270... Inner film 170, 280... Spout 171, 281... Flange 172... Flange fixed portion 173... Flange buffer portion 173a... Wide portion 174... Outer peripheral unfixed portion 175... Inner peripheral unfixed portion 176... Retracted portion 176a: Curved surface 282: Dispensing tube portion 282a: Dispensing hole 283: Cap Xa: Horizontal direction Ya: Vertical direction Lb1: First imaginary line Lb2: Second imaginary line Xb: Front-to-back direction Yb: Up-down direction Zb: Front-to-back direction

Claims

1. A spout-equipped pouch having a spout attached to a pouch body, wherein the pouch body has a spout-equipped film to which the spout is attached, and side films connected to the spout-equipped film by connection seals formed on both lateral sides of the spout-equipped film, the spout-equipped film having flange-facing regions where flanges of the spout are arranged opposite each other, the pouch body having a shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-equipped film located laterally inward of the connection seal to the side film, and the shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located lateral between the flange-facing region and the connection seal.

2. The spout-equipped pouch according to claim 1, characterized in that the spout is attached to the spout-mounted film at a position closer to the second of the first and second sides in the vertical direction than the vertical center, the flange-facing region has a first facing region that is closer to the first side than the vertical center, and a second facing region that is closer to the second side than the vertical center, and the pouch body is provided with a first shape-controlling seal portion as the shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located in the region between the first facing region and the connecting seal in the horizontal direction.

3. A spout-equipped pouch according to claim 2, characterized in that the first shape-controlling seal portion further has a portion located in the region between the second opposing region and the connecting seal in the lateral direction.

4. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the pouch body further has a second shape-controlling seal portion as the shape-controlling seal portion, which is formed by welding a portion of the spout-mounted film located laterally inward of the connecting seal to the side film, and which is located closer to a second side than the first shape-controlling seal portion in the vertical direction, and the second shape-controlling seal portion has a portion located in the region between the second opposing region and the connecting seal in the horizontal direction.

5. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 4, characterized in that the first shape-controlling seal portion and the second shape-controlling seal portion each have an innermost apex portion located furthest inside in the horizontal direction, and the horizontal dimension from the connecting seal to the innermost apex portion of the first shape-controlling seal portion is set to be equal to or greater than the horizontal dimension from the connecting seal to the innermost apex portion of the second shape-controlling seal portion.

6. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the vertical position of the second side end of the first shape-controlling seal portion is set to a position to the side of the flange-facing area in the horizontal direction.

7. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 1, characterized in that the spout is attached to the spout-mounted film at a position closer to the second of the first and second sides in the vertical direction than the vertical center, the flange opposing region has a first opposing region that is closer to the first side than the vertical center, and a second opposing region that is closer to the second side than the vertical center, and the pouch body is provided with a second shape-controlling seal portion as the shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located in the region between the second opposing region and the connecting seal in the horizontal direction.

8. A spout-equipped pouch according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the shape-controlling seal portions are formed on both sides of the flange-facing region.

9. A spout-equipped pouch according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the shape-controlling seal portion is formed continuously with the connecting seal.

10. A spout-equipped pouch comprising a front film, a back film, side gusset films disposed between the front film and the back film at the sides of the pouch and heat-sealed to the front film and the back film by side seals, and a spout attached to the side gusset films, wherein the side gusset films have a front-side sealed area heat-sealed to the front film at the side seals, a back-side sealed area heat-sealed to the back film at the side seals, and a non-sealed area which is an area inside the front-side sealed area and the back-side sealed area, and the non-sealed area has a front-side outer edge which is a boundary with the front-side sealed area and a back-side outer edge which is a boundary with the back-side sealed area, a spout-equipped pouch, characterized in that the front outer edge and the back outer edge each have a base edge portion spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back direction, and an upper inclined edge portion extending from the upper end of the base edge to an upper end connecting portion that connects the upper ends of the front outer edge and the back outer edge, and at least a portion of the flange of the spout is arranged opposite the area between the upper inclined edge of the front outer edge and the upper inclined edge of the back outer edge.

11. The spout-equipped pouch according to claim 10, wherein the upper inclined edge is composed of at least two inclined portions having different inclination angles relative to the vertical direction.

12. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 11, characterized in that the upper inclined edge portion has a gently sloping portion connecting the upper end of the base edge portion to a point located above and inward in the front-to-back direction than the upper end of the base edge portion, and a steeply sloping portion connecting the upper end of the gently sloping portion to the upper end connecting portion, a first imaginary line passing through the upper and lower ends of the gently sloping portion extends at an inclination in the vertical direction so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction as it extends upward, a second imaginary line passing through the upper and lower ends of the steeply sloping portion extends at an inclination in the vertical direction so as to move inward in the front-to-back direction as it extends upward, the inclination angle of the first imaginary line in the vertical direction is set smaller than the inclination angle of the second imaginary line, and at least a portion of the flange is arranged opposite the area between the gently sloping portion of the front outer edge and the gently sloping portion of the back outer edge.

13. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 12, characterized in that the side gusset film has a flange opposing region in which the flanges are arranged opposite each other, at least one of the front seal region and the back seal region has a control seal portion located inside the front-to-back direction from the first imaginary line, and the control seal portion has a portion located in the region between the lower half of the flange opposing region and the front seal region or the back seal region in the front-to-back direction.

14. The spouted pouch according to claim 13, wherein the control seal portion has a portion located below the flange-facing region.

15. A spout-equipped pouch according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that when unopened and viewed from front to back, the content liquid storage section of the spout-equipped pouch contains a volume of content liquid that is less than the capacity of the part of the content liquid storage section that is below an imaginary line extending along the lower edge of the inner surface of the spout's dispensing hole.

16. A spout-equipped pouch having a spout attached to a pouch body, wherein the pouch body has a spout-equipped film to which the spout is attached, the spout has a flange arranged opposite the spout-equipped film, and the flange has a flange-fixing portion fixed to the spout-equipped film, and a flange-buffering portion formed in at least a partial region of the outer periphery of the flange-fixing portion and not fixed to the spout-equipped film.

17. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 16, characterized in that the spout-mounted film has flange-facing regions where the flanges are arranged opposite each other, and the flange buffer portion is formed in a region whose radial width is 30 to 80% of the radial width of the flange-facing region at the position where the flange buffer portion is formed.

18. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 16 or claim 17, characterized in that the flange buffer portion is a portion formed so that its radial width is 650% or more of the thickness of the spout-mounted film.

19. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that the flange buffer portion is a portion formed with a radial width of 2 mm or more, and the flange fixing portion is formed with a radial width of 2 mm or more.

20. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that the pouch body further has side films connected to the spout-mounted film by connection seals formed on both lateral sides of the spout-mounted film, the spout is attached to a position closer to the second of the first and second longitudinal sides than the longitudinal center of the spout-mounted film, and the flange buffer portion is formed at a position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion that includes a portion facing the first longitudinal side at the lateral center.

21. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that the pouch body further has side films connected to the spout-mounted film by connection seals formed on both lateral sides of the spout-mounted film, the spout is attached to a position closer to the second of the first and second longitudinal sides than the longitudinal center of the spout-mounted film, and the flange buffer portion is formed at a position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion that includes a portion facing the second longitudinal side at the lateral center.

22. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 20 or claim 21, characterized in that the flange buffer portion has a wide portion that is the widest radially of the flange buffer portion, and the wide portion is formed at a position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion that includes a portion in the horizontal center facing the first side in the vertical direction.

23. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that the flange buffer portion has a wide portion that is the widest radially of the flange buffer portion, and the wide portion is formed at a position on the outer periphery of the flange fixing portion that includes a portion in the horizontal center facing the second side in the vertical direction.

24. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that the flange buffer portion has a retracted portion where its outer peripheral tip is located on the side away from the spout-mounted film.

25. A spout-equipped pouch as described in claim 24, characterized in that the retracting section has a curved surface that curves so as to move away from the spout-mounted film as it approaches the outer periphery.

26. A spout-equipped pouch as described in any one of claims 16 to 25, characterized in that the pouch body further has side films connected to the spout-mounted film by connection seals formed on both lateral sides of the spout-mounted film, the spout-mounted film having flange-facing regions where flanges of the spout are arranged facing each other, the pouch body having a first shape-controlling seal portion formed by welding a portion of the spout-mounted film located laterally inward of the connection seal to the side film, and the first shape-controlling seal portion having a portion located laterally in the region between the flange-facing region and the connection seal.

Images