Pouch container and production method thereof

Abstract

This pouch container comprising a gusset part to which a spout is fixed by welding has improved durability against falling thereof.　A pouch container 1 comprises a barrel, a gusset 20, and a spout 80. The spout 80 has: a cylindrical part 81 inserted into an opening 21 of the gusset 20; and a flange part 82 disposed in a manner so as to face the inner surface of a portion, of the gusset 20, surrounding the opening 21. A facing region FR, which comprises the flange part 82 and the facing portion of the gusset 20, is provided with a weld part formed by welding the flange part and the facing portion. The weld part includes: an annular main weld portion 200 which seals a gap between the flange part and the gusset 20 by surrounding the opening 21; and an auxiliary weld portion 300 which is located on the outer side as compared to the main weld portion in the radial direction of the cylindrical part 81. The thickness of the gusset 20 in the portion where the auxiliary weld portion 300 is formed is greater than the thickness of the gusset 20 in the portion where the main weld portion 200 is formed.

Description

Pouch container and manufacturing method thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to a pouch container and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] Conventionally, pouch containers have been widely used in which a flange portion provided on a spout is overlapped with and welded to a crotch portion, thereby fixing the spout to the crotch portion. Documents disclosing this type of pouch container include, for example, International Publication No. 2022 / 215625 (Patent Document 1), International Publication No. 2008 / 096392 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-3056 (Patent Document 3).

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 215625 International Publication No. 2008 / 096392 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-3056

[0004] Here, when a pouch container as described above is dropped from the gusset side where the spout is fixed while the contents are contained, the impact load caused by the drop is concentrated at the welded part between the gusset and the spout, which can easily cause the bag to break starting from the welded part.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to improve the durability against dropping of a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding, and to provide a method for manufacturing such a pouch container.

[0006] A pouch container according to a first aspect of the present invention has a storage space for storing contents, and includes a body portion and a gusset portion that define the storage space, and a spout. A joint is provided at the boundary between the body portion and the gusset portion, joining the sheet-like members that form the body portion and the gusset portion together. The spout has a tubular portion inserted through an opening in the gusset portion, and an annular flange portion that extends radially outward from the tubular portion and faces the inner surface of the gusset portion at a portion that surrounds the opening. A weld portion formed by welding the gusset portion and the flange portion is provided in an opposing region between the flange portion and the gusset portion at a portion that faces the flange portion. The weld portion includes an annular main weld portion that surrounds the opening and seals the gap between the flange portion and the gusset portion, and an auxiliary weld portion located radially outward of the main weld portion. In the pouch container according to the first aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the crotch portion where the auxiliary weld is formed is greater than the thickness of the crotch portion where the main weld is formed.

[0007] A pouch container according to a second aspect of the present invention has a storage space for storing contents, and includes a body portion and a gusset portion that define the storage space, and a spout. A joint is provided at the boundary between the body portion and the gusset portion, joining the sheet-like members that form the body portion and the gusset portion together. The spout has a tubular portion inserted through an opening in the gusset portion, and an annular flange portion that extends radially outward from the tubular portion and faces the inner surface of the gusset portion at a portion that surrounds the opening. A weld portion is provided in the opposing region between the flange portion and the gusset portion at a portion that faces the flange portion, formed by welding the gusset portion and the flange portion. The weld portion includes an annular main weld portion that surrounds the opening and seals the gap between the flange portion and the gusset portion, and an auxiliary weld portion that is located radially outward of the main weld portion. In the pouch container according to the second aspect of the present invention, the welding strength between the crotch portion and the flange portion at the auxiliary welding portion is lower than the welding strength between the crotch portion and the flange portion at the main welding portion.

[0008] A method for manufacturing a pouch container according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a pouch container having a body portion and a gusset portion that define a storage space, and a spout, and includes the steps of: preparing a film member for a gusset portion that includes at least a portion that will become the gusset portion and has an opening in one portion; preparing the spout that includes a tubular portion and an annular flange portion that extends radially outward from the tubular portion; inserting the tubular portion into the opening so that the flange portion is positioned opposite to the surface of the film member for the gusset portion in a portion that surrounds the opening; and, with the tubular portion inserted into the opening, welding the flange portion and the film member for the gusset portion in an opposing region consisting of the flange portion and the portion of the film member for the gusset portion that faces the flange portion to form a main weld portion and an auxiliary weld portion. In the method for manufacturing a pouch container based on the present invention, in the process of providing the main weld portion and the auxiliary weld portion, the flange portion and the crotch film member are ultrasonically welded to each other in the opposing area surrounding the opening, thereby forming the main weld portion, and the flange portion and the crotch film member are pressed and heat-welded by a heated mold to form the auxiliary weld portion in the opposing area radially outward of the area where the main weld portion is formed.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the drop resistance of a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding, and to provide a method for manufacturing the pouch container.

[0010] 1 is a perspective view of a pouch container according to an embodiment in a state where contents are placed in the pouch container and the pouch container stands upright. FIG. 2 is a front view of the pouch container shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state with no contents placed in it. FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining a method for fixing a spout to a top gusset. FIG. 4 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the opposing region shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic view for explaining the welding strength of main welds and auxiliary welds. FIG. 7 is a schematic view for explaining an example of a method for forming the main welds and auxiliary welds shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a first modified example. FIG. 8 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a second modified example. FIG. 9 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a third modified example. FIG. 10 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a fourth modified example. FIG. 11 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a fifth modified example. FIG. 12 is a front view of an enlarged top gusset of a pouch container according to a sixth modified example. 10 is an enlarged front view of a top gusset portion of a pouch container according to a seventh modified example. FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view of a top gusset portion of a pouch container according to an eighth modified example. FIG. 12 is a table showing the results of verification tests 1 and 2.

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or common parts are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0012] (Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pouch container according to an embodiment, containing contents and standing upright. Fig. 2 is a front view of the pouch container shown in Fig. 1 in a folded state, with no contents contained therein. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for fixing a spout to a top gusset. First, the general configuration of a pouch container 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

[0013] 2, the first body portion joining portion 61a, the second body portion joining portion 61b, the first top crotch portion joining portion 62a, the second top crotch portion joining portion 62b, and the first bottom crotch portion joining portion 63a, which will be described later, are colored. Also, the main welded portions, which will be described later, are colored with light dot hatching, and the auxiliary welded portions, which will be described later, are colored with dark dot hatching.

[0014] 1 and 2, the pouch container 1 mainly comprises a body 10, a top gusset 20, and a bottom gusset 30. The pouch container 1 has a storage space 40 therein for storing the contents. In this embodiment, the top gusset 20 corresponds to the gusset.

[0015] The body 10 is composed of a pair of sheet-shaped body film members facing each other. One of the pair of body film members constitutes the front wall 11. The other of the pair of body film members constitutes the rear wall 12. The widthwise edges of the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 are overlapped and joined to the widthwise edges of the body 10 to form a first body joint 61a and a second body joint 61b.

[0016] The top crotch portion 20 is made of a sheet-like top crotch film member that is generally octagonal in front view when no contents are stored in the storage space 40 (see FIG. 2). The top crotch portion 20 has a generally hexagonal shape in front view due to the formation of a first top crotch joint 62a and a second top crotch joint 62b (described later).

[0017] At the boundary between the front wall 11 and the top crotch 20, a first top crotch joint 62a is provided as a joint that joins the edge of the front wall 11 in the height direction intersecting the width direction with the edge of the top crotch 20. The first top crotch joint 62a extends along the extension direction of the edge of the front wall 11. The first top crotch joint 62a is formed so that one end reaches the first body joint 61a and the other end reaches the second body joint 61b.

[0018] A second top crotch joint 62b is provided at the boundary between the rear wall 12 and the top crotch 20 as a joint that joins the edge of the rear wall 12 in the height direction intersecting the width direction to the edge of the top crotch 20. The second top crotch joint 62b extends along the extension direction of the edge of the rear wall 12. The second top crotch joint 62b is formed so that one end reaches the first body joint 61a and the other end reaches the second body joint 61b.

[0019] The top gusset portion 20 has six protruding corners 25 adjacent to the first top gusset joint 62a and the second top gusset joint 62b. For ease of explanation, of these six protruding corners 25, four protruding corners 25 located on the inner side in the width direction of the pouch container 1 will be referred to as first to fourth inner protruding corners 25a1 to 25a4, and two protruding corners 25 located on the outer side in the width direction will be referred to as first outer protruding corner 25b1 and second outer protruding corner 25b2. When contents are contained in the storage space 40, the first to fourth inner protruding corners 25a1 to 25a4 are located outward in the height direction of the pouch container 1 from the first outer protruding corner 25b1 and the second outer protruding corner 25b2 (see particularly FIG. 1 ). In this embodiment, the first inner protruding corner portion 25a1 corresponds to the first protruding corner portion, the second inner protruding corner portion 25a2 corresponds to the second protruding corner portion, the third inner protruding corner portion 25a3 corresponds to the third protruding corner portion, and the fourth inner protruding corner portion 25a4 corresponds to the fourth protruding corner portion.

[0020] The spout 80 is fixed to the top grommet portion 20 by welding, which will be described in detail later.

[0021] The bottom crotch portion 30 is made of a sheet-like bottom crotch film member. A first bottom crotch joint 63a is provided at the boundary between the front wall portion 11 and the bottom crotch portion 30, joining the heightwise edge of the front wall portion 11 to the edge of the bottom crotch portion 30. A second bottom crotch joint 63b is provided at the boundary between the rear wall portion 12 and the bottom crotch portion 30, joining the heightwise edge of the rear wall portion 12 to the edge of the bottom crotch portion 30.

[0022] The pair of body film members, top and bottom film members, and bottom film members are each made of, for example, a resin film. The resin film member may be, for example, a laminate of a base film layer that provides the basic properties of a package (e.g., impact resistance, abrasion resistance, heat resistance) and a sealant layer that enables bonding. In some cases, the resin film member may be a laminate that includes, in addition to the base film layer and sealant layer, a barrier layer between the base film layer and the sealant layer that provides additional properties such as high gas barrier properties and light blocking properties. Examples of materials that can be used for the base film layer include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide resins such as nylon, polypropylene resins such as propylene-ethylene copolymers, and polyethylene resins such as high-density polyethylene and linear low-density polyethylene. Examples of materials that can be used for the sealant layer include polyethylene resins such as low-density polyethylene and linear low-density polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, and ionomer resins. Examples of materials that can be used for the barrier layer include metal foil such as aluminum, films of polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, etc., on which metals such as aluminum, metal oxides such as aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, etc. are vapor-deposited, and barrier resins such as ethylene vinyl alcohol resin, vinylidene chloride resin, etc. In addition to the base film layer, sealant layer, and barrier layer, a reinforcing layer or the like may be further provided as an intermediate layer.

[0023] A stretched film is preferably used as the base film layer. More specifically, for example, a biaxially stretched polyethylene terephthalate film, a biaxially stretched nylon film, a biaxially stretched polypropylene film, or a uniaxially or biaxially stretched polyethylene resin film is preferably used as the base film layer. A non-stretched film such as linear low-density polyethylene or polypropylene, or a co-extruded film consisting of multiple layers of these, or an extrusion coating layer of these, is preferably used as the sealant layer.

[0024] Examples of a method for joining the above-mentioned film members to each other include heat welding of the sealant layers with a heat seal bar, ultrasonic welding, high-frequency welding, and the like.

[0025] The resin film member is not limited to being formed of such a laminated film, but may be formed of a single layer film.

[0026] The storage space 40 of the pouch container 1 is defined by the body 10, the top crotch 20, and the bottom crotch 30. The storage space 40 is airtightly sealed from the outside by the first body joint 61a, the second body joint 61b, the first top crotch joint 62a, the second top crotch joint 62b, the first bottom crotch joint 63a, and the second bottom crotch joint 63b.

[0027] The pouch container 1 further includes a spout 80. The spout 80 has a cylindrical portion 81 and a flange portion 82 extending radially outward from the cylindrical portion 81. The spout 80 is fixed by welding to the center of the top hem portion 20 when viewed from above. The spout 80 is used to pour out, fill, or extrude the contents contained in the storage space 40, or to attach a pump, etc.

[0028] The cylindrical portion 81 is a cylindrical portion inserted into the opening 21 (see FIG. 3) provided in the top hem portion 20. The flange portion 82 is an annular portion disposed facing the inner surface of the top hem portion 20 surrounding the opening 21. As shown in FIG. 1, a cap is attached to the spout of the cylindrical portion 81 to close it. Note that FIGS. 2 to 4, which will be described later, and 8 to 15 show the cylindrical portion 81 without the cap attached.

[0029] 2 and 3, when fixing the spout 80 to the top crotch portion 20, first, the tubular portion 81 is inserted into the opening 21 of the top crotch portion 20. Next, the top crotch portion 20 and the flange portion 82 are welded together in the facing region FR, which is made up of the flange portion 82 and the portion of the top crotch portion 20 facing it, to form a welded portion 100 in the facing region FR. In this way, the spout 80 is fixed to the top crotch portion 20. The configuration of the welded portion 100 will be described in detail later.

[0030] The method for welding the top crotch portion 20 and the flange portion 82 is not particularly limited, and may be ultrasonic welding or heat welding. The main weld portion 200 and auxiliary weld portion 300, which are included in the weld portion 100 and will be described later, do not necessarily have to be formed by the same welding method. For example, the main weld portion 200 may be formed by ultrasonic welding, and the auxiliary weld portion 300 may be formed by heat welding. Here, heat welding refers to welding the welded objects by pressing a heated mold against them to melt them.

[0031] In order to firmly fix the spout 80 to the top crotch portion 20, it is preferable that the main welding portion 200 is formed by ultrasonic welding and the auxiliary welding portion 300 is formed by thermal welding, which allows the welding strength to be easily adjusted so that the welding portion can be peeled off.

[0032] At least the portion of the flange 82 of the spout 80 that is welded to the top crotch 20 is formed from a resin that can be heat-sealed to the sealant layer that constitutes the film member for the top crotch. Such a spout 80 can be formed by injection molding a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin, or a polyester resin. The spout 80 may be a foamed resin molded product containing fine bubbles, or may be a product in which a barrier resin or the like is mixed or layered by two-color molding, or may be a product in which a separate member is insert-molded.

[0033] FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the top crotch portion shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the facing region taken along line V-V shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the weld strength of the main welds and auxiliary welds. FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating strong welds, which will be described later. FIG. 6(C) is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating weak welds, which will be described later. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a method for forming the main welds and auxiliary welds shown in FIG. 5. Next, the detailed configuration of welded portion 100 and its vicinity will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

[0034] In Fig. 4, when the top gusset portion 20 is viewed from the front, a virtual line connecting the center position of the opening 21 of the top gusset portion 20 and the first inner corner portion 25a1 is shown as a reference line BL1. Also, in Fig. 4, when the top gusset portion 20 is viewed from the front, a virtual line obtained by rotating the reference line BL1 clockwise by an angle α around the center position is shown as a first line L1, and a virtual line obtained by rotating the reference line BL1 counterclockwise by an angle α around the center position is shown as a second line L2. In this embodiment, the angle α is set to 40 degrees. From the viewpoint of preventing breakage of the pouch container 1, which will be described in detail later, the angle α is more preferably set to 30 degrees, and even more preferably set to 20 degrees.

[0035] In addition, in Figure 4, the imaginary line connecting the center position of the opening 21 of the top crotch portion 20 and the second inner protruding corner portion 25a2, the imaginary line connecting the center position of the opening 21 of the top crotch portion 20 and the third inner protruding corner portion 25a3, and the imaginary line connecting the center position of the opening 21 of the top crotch portion 20 and the fourth inner protruding corner portion 25a4 are shown by dashed dotted lines.

[0036] 4 and 5, the weld 100 includes a main weld 200 and an auxiliary weld 300. The main weld 200 has an annular shape. The auxiliary weld 300 has a circular spot shape.

[0037] The main welded portion 200 surrounds the opening 21 of the top crotch portion 20 to seal the gap between the flange portion 82 and the top crotch portion 20 .

[0038] Auxiliary welds 300 are arranged in the facing region FR at positions radially outward of tubular portion 81 relative to main welds 200, and spaced apart from main welds 200. In the present embodiment, four auxiliary welds 300 are provided in facing region FR. Hereinafter, of these four auxiliary welds 300, the one located closest to first inner protruding corner 25a1 will be referred to as first auxiliary weld 301, the one located closest to second inner protruding corner 25a2 will be referred to as second auxiliary weld 302, the one located closest to third inner protruding corner 25a3 will be referred to as third auxiliary weld 303, and the one located closest to fourth inner protruding corner 25a4 will be referred to as fourth auxiliary weld 304.

[0039] The number of auxiliary welds 300 is not limited to four, and may be one or a number other than four. The shape of auxiliary welds 300 is not limited to a spot shape, and may be variously modified.

[0040] When the top crotch portion 20 is viewed from the front, the first auxiliary welding portion 301 is located within the area mutually partitioned by the above-mentioned first line L1 and second line L2, which is located on the side of the first inner corner portion 25a1.

[0041] Furthermore, this relationship between the center position of the opening 21 and the position of the first inner protruding corner 25a1 and the position of the first auxiliary welded portion 301 also holds true for the relationship between the center position of the opening 21 and the position of the second inner protruding corner 25a2 and the position of the second auxiliary welded portion 302, the relationship between the center position of the opening 21 and the position of the third inner protruding corner 25a3 and the position of the third auxiliary welded portion 303, and the relationship between the center position of the opening 21 and the position of the fourth inner protruding corner 25a4 and the position of the fourth auxiliary welded portion 304.

[0042] Here, the outer edge of first auxiliary weld 301, which is located on the side opposite to cylindrical portion 81, has a curved shape that juts out toward the side opposite to cylindrical portion 81. More specifically, the outer edge of first auxiliary weld 301, which is located on the side of first inner projected corner 25a1, has a curved shape that juts out toward first inner projected corner 25a1. This also applies to second to fourth auxiliary welds 302 to 304.

[0043] The thicknesses of the main welded portion 200 and the auxiliary welded portion 300 are reduced by heating the sealant layer of the top crotch portion 20 and the surface of the flange portion 82 facing the top crotch portion 20, and then crimping the sealant layer in a melted or softened state. As shown in FIG. 5 , the thickness of the top crotch portion 20 where the auxiliary welded portion 300 is formed (see thickness t2 in the figure) is greater than the thickness of the top crotch portion 20 where the main welded portion 200 is formed (see thickness t1 in the figure). The thickness t1 of the top crotch portion 20 where the main welded portion 200 is formed corresponds to the distance from the surface of the flange portion 82 facing the top crotch portion 20 to the outer surface of the top crotch portion 20 where the main welded portion 200 is formed (i.e., the surface opposite the flange portion 82). The same applies to the thickness t2 of the top crotch portion 20 where the auxiliary welded portion 300 is formed.

[0044] The welding strength between the top crotch portion 20 and the flange portion 82 at the auxiliary welded portion 300 is lower than the welding strength between the top crotch portion 20 and the flange portion 82 at the main welded portion 200. In other words, the auxiliary welded portion 300 is made up of a weak welded portion with a relatively low welding strength, and the main welded portion 200 is made up of a strong welded portion with a relatively high welding strength.

[0045] Here, a strong weld is a weld having such strength that, when an impact tensile load is applied to the top crotch portion 20 in a direction away from the welded portion (see the main weld 200 in Figures 6(A) and 6(B)), material failure occurs in the portion of the top crotch portion 20 adjacent to the welded portion without peeling at the interface of the welded portion, as shown in Figure 6(A), or cohesive failure occurs in the portion of the flange portion 82 adjacent to the welded portion without peeling at the interface of the welded portion, as shown in Figure 6(B). A weak weld is a weld having such strength that, when an impact tensile load is applied to the top crotch portion 20 in a direction away from the welded portion (see the auxiliary weld 300 in Figure 6(C)), peeling occurs at the interface between the top crotch portion 20 and the flange portion 82 in the welded portion, as shown in Figure 6(C).

[0046] An example of a method for forming the main welded portion 200 and the auxiliary welded portion 300 configured in this manner will be described below.

[0047] First, a sheet-like film member for the top crotch portion, part of which has an opening 21, and a spout 80 are prepared. Next, the tubular portion 81 is inserted into the opening 21 so that the flange portion 82 faces the surface of the film member for the top crotch portion in a portion surrounding the opening 21.

[0048] Next, with tubular portion 81 inserted through opening 21, flange portion 82 and the top crotch film member are welded to each other in an area consisting of flange portion 82 and the opposing portion of the top crotch film member, thereby forming main weld portion 200 and auxiliary weld portion 300. More specifically, in the area surrounding opening 21, flange portion 82 and the top crotch film member are ultrasonically welded together by sandwiching them between a horn and an anvil that have an annular tip portion corresponding to main weld portion 200 and transmits ultrasonic vibrations, thereby forming main weld portion 200. Furthermore, in the area outside the area where main weld portion 200 is formed, auxiliary weld portion 300 is formed by pressing flange portion 82 and the top crotch film member with a heated mold that has a circular tip portion and is heat-welded.

[0049] 7 , when main weld 200 and auxiliary weld 300 are both formed by thermal welding, if the thermal welding is performed using an integrated mold as shown in FIG. 7 , the pressing force is adjusted by configuring the protrusion length from reference surface 1001 of first protrusion 1002 formed on a portion of heated mold 1000 corresponding to main weld 200 to be greater than the protrusion length from reference surface 1001 of second protrusion 1003 formed on a portion of mold 1000 corresponding to auxiliary weld 300. This allows the welding strength of auxiliary weld 300 to be smaller than the welding strength of main weld 200. The difference between the protrusion length of first protrusion 1002 and the protrusion length of second protrusion 1003 (see dimension A in the figure) is, for example, 0.02 mm or more and 0.15 mm or less. When the main welding portion 200 and the auxiliary welding portion 300 are formed by thermal welding using different molds, the welding strength of the auxiliary welding portion 300 can be made smaller than the welding strength of the main welding portion 200 by appropriately adjusting the pressure or temperature of each mold.

[0050] By using the pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to improve the durability against dropping of a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding.

[0051] That is, if the pouch container 1 is dropped from the top gusset portion 20 side to which the spout 80 is fixed, the spout 80 (more specifically, the top surface side of the cap provided on the spout 80) protruding from the top gusset portion 20 hits the ground, and the top gusset portion 20 is deformed so that the spout 80 is pushed into the storage space 40. Therefore, the impact load caused by the drop is concentrated on the main welded portion 200 that seals the gap between the flange portion 82 of the spout 80 and the top gusset portion 20, making it more likely that the bag will break starting from the main welded portion 200. Breaking the bag starting from the main welded portion 200 may cause the contents to leak.

[0052] In this regard, in the pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the auxiliary weld 300 is disposed in a position in the facing region FR that is further outward than the main weld 200. The thickness of the top crotch portion 20 where the auxiliary weld 300 is formed is configured to be greater than the thickness of the top crotch portion 20 where the main weld 200 is formed. The welding strength between the top crotch portion 20 and the flange 82 at the auxiliary weld 300 is configured to be lower than the welding strength between the top crotch portion 20 and the flange 82 at the main weld 200.

[0053] With this configuration, part of the impact load is dispersed to the auxiliary welded portion 300, and as a result, the impact load applied to the main welded portion 200 can be effectively reduced.

[0054] Furthermore, the impact load described above acts to peel the top grommet portion 20 from the flange portion 82, and is therefore applied to the auxiliary welded portion 300, which is positioned radially outward of the main welded portion 200, before the main welded portion 200. As a result, the auxiliary welded portion 300 also functions as a buffer portion that absorbs the impact load applied to the main welded portion 200.

[0055] Therefore, by configuring it as described above, if the pouch container 1 is dropped, it is possible to prevent the bag from breaking starting from the main welded part 200, and it is possible to make the pouch container 1 more durable against being dropped.

[0056] Furthermore, in the pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the portion of the outer edge of the first auxiliary weld 301 that is located on the side opposite to the cylindrical portion 81 has a curved shape that juts out toward the side opposite to the cylindrical portion 81. This also applies to the second to fourth auxiliary welds 302 to 304. By configuring in this manner, the function of the auxiliary weld 300 as a buffer can be further dramatically improved.

[0057] Furthermore, in the pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the main weld 200 is formed by ultrasonic welding, which can form a weld with excellent weld strength, and the auxiliary weld 300 is formed by heat welding, which makes it easy to adjust the weld strength of the peelable weld. With this configuration, the auxiliary weld 300 can effectively reduce the risk of the pouch container 1 breaking due to the impact load caused by the above-mentioned drop.

[0058] Here, the areas near the first to fourth inner corners 25a1 to 25a4 are reinforced by the first top crotch joint 62a and the second top crotch joint 62b adjacent to these areas, making them highly rigid against tension from the spout 80. Therefore, the impact load caused by a drop is not easily absorbed in these areas, which makes the bag more likely to break.

[0059] In this regard, in the pouch container 1 according to this embodiment, as described above, when the top gusset portion 20 is viewed in a plane, the first auxiliary welding portion 301 is located within the area located on the side of the first inner corner portion 25a1 within the area mutually partitioned by the first line L1 and the second line L2.

[0060] This configuration effectively reduces the impact load on the side of the first inner projected corner portion 25a1, thereby preventing breakage of the pouch container 1. This effect is also achieved by the second to fourth auxiliary welded portions 302 to 304.

[0061] Bag breakage is less likely to occur at first outer corner 25b1 and second outer corner 25b2 because these corners are located away from spout 80 and therefore are more likely to absorb the impact load caused by a drop.

[0062] The effect of improving the durability of the pouch container 1 against dropping as described above has been confirmed by verification tests 1 and 2 described below.

[0063] 8 to 10 are enlarged front views of the top gusset of pouch containers according to first to third modified examples, respectively. Pouch containers 1A to 1C according to first to third modified examples based on the above-described embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0064] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the pouch containers 1A to 1C according to the first to third modified examples differ in the configuration of the auxiliary welding portion 300 when compared with the pouch container 1 according to the above-described embodiment.

[0065] More specifically, in the pouch container 1A according to the first modification, when the top gusset portion 20 is viewed from the front, two first auxiliary welds 301 are located in the area located on the first inner corner portion 25a1 side of the area defined by the first line L1 and the second line L2. These two first auxiliary welds 301 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the reference line BL1. The same is true for the second to fourth auxiliary welds 302 to 304.

[0066] In the pouch container 1B according to the second modification, the first to fourth auxiliary welded portions 301 to 304 have a linear shape that follows part of the outer edge of the flange portion 82.

[0067] In the pouch container 1C of the third modified example, the first to fourth auxiliary welding portions 301 to 304 are located outside the main welding portion 200 in the facing region FR, but a portion of them abuts against the main welding portion 200.

[0068] Even when configured in this manner, the same effects as those described in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained, and the durability against dropping can be improved in a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding.

[0069] 11 is an enlarged front view of a top gusset of a pouch container according to a fourth modification. A pouch container 1D according to the fourth modification based on the embodiment described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 11, a pouch container 1D according to the fourth modification differs from the pouch container 1 according to the above-described embodiment in the arrangement of the spout 80 and the auxiliary welded portion 300.

[0071] More specifically, in the pouch container 1D according to the fourth modification, the spout 80 is fixed at a position closer to the first outer projected corner 25b1 than to the center of the top gusset portion 20 when viewed from the front. Accordingly, the first to fourth auxiliary welds 301-304 are also positioned generally away from the center of the top gusset portion 20 toward the first outer projected corner 25b1. As a result, in the pouch container 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the first to fourth auxiliary welds 301-304 are arranged approximately evenly around the spout 80 along the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 81, whereas in the pouch container 1D according to this modification, the first to fourth auxiliary welds 301-304 are arranged biased toward the second outer projected corner 25b2.

[0072] Even when configured in this manner, the same effects as those described in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained, and the durability against dropping can be improved in a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding.

[0073] 12 to 16 are enlarged front views of the top gusset of pouch containers according to fifth to eighth modifications, respectively. Pouch containers 1E to 1H according to fifth to eighth modifications based on the above-described embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0074] As shown in Figures 12 to 16, the pouch containers 1E to 1H relating to the fifth to eighth modified examples differ from the pouch container 1 relating to the above-mentioned embodiment in the shapes of the first top gusset joint 62a, the second top gusset joint 62b, the top gusset 20 and the flange portion 82, and the configuration of the auxiliary welding portion 300.

[0075] More specifically, in the pouch containers 1E to 1H according to the fifth to eighth modifications, the first top crotch joint 62a and the second top crotch joint 62b are formed so that the top crotch 20 has a generally octagonal shape in a front view. As a result, the top crotch 20 has eight protruding corners 25 in the portions adjacent to the first top crotch joint 62a and the second top crotch joint 62b as joints. All of the eight protruding corners 25 have rounded corners.

[0076] In the pouch containers 1E to 1H according to the fifth to eighth modifications, two first outer projected corners 25b1 are located at one end in the width direction of the pouch containers 1E to 1H, and two second outer projected corners 25b2 are located at the other end. When the top gusset portion 20 is viewed from the front, the two first outer projected corners 25b1 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a virtual line that extends along the width direction and passes through the center of the opening 21 of the top gusset portion 20. The same is true for the two second outer projected corners 25b2.

[0077] In addition, in the pouch containers 1E to 1H, the flange portion 82 is configured so that the outer edge thereof is substantially rectangular.

[0078] In the pouch container 1E, when the top gusset portion 20 is viewed from the front, three first auxiliary welds 301 are located in the area located on the first inner corner portion 25a1 side of the area defined by the first line L1 and the second line L2. One of these three first auxiliary welds 301 is located on the reference line BL1. The other two are located symmetrically with respect to the reference line BL1. The same applies to the second through fourth auxiliary welds 302-304.

[0079] In pouch container 1F, auxiliary welded part 300 has a single annular shape that follows the outer edge of flange part 82. Main welded part 200 is located within the area closed by auxiliary welded part 300.

[0080] In the pouch container 1G, the auxiliary welding portion 300 is composed of two linear portions that follow the outer edge of the flange portion 82. These two portions are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the opening 21 of the top hem portion 20.

[0081] In pouch container 1H, first auxiliary weld 301 has an annular shape. First auxiliary weld 301 is configured so that its inner and outer edges are generally triangular. Main weld 200 is located outside the area enclosed by auxiliary weld 300. The same is true for second through fourth auxiliary welds 302-304.

[0082] Even when configured in this manner, the same effects as those described in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained, and the durability against dropping can be improved in a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding.

[0083] (Verification Test 1) In Verification Test 1, the effect of improving durability against drops achieved by using the pouch container according to the present embodiment was verified by comparing the bag breakage rates when a pouch container having a weld including both a main weld and an auxiliary weld was dropped with a pouch container having a weld including only a main weld. Figure 16 is a table showing the results of Verification Test 1 and Verification Test 2, which will be described later. In addition to verifying the durability of the pouch container against drops, as will be described below, in this verification test, the thickness of the top gusset was measured and the weld strength of the weld was evaluated using samples prepared separately from the samples used in this verification test.

[0084] In this verification test, a pouch container having a main weld and an auxiliary weld was prepared as Example S1. The configuration of Example S1 conforms to the configuration of the pouch container 1 according to the above-described embodiment. In addition, a pouch container was prepared as Comparative Example T1, whose configuration differed from Example S1 only in that it did not have an auxiliary weld. The number of samples for both Example S1 and Comparative Example T1 was five.

[0085] The sheet-like members constituting the body, top and bottom gussets of the pouch container samples according to Example S1 and Comparative Example T1 were fabricated by gravure printing a design onto a 12 μm-thick base film layer made of biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate, followed by dry lamination of a 15 μm-thick biaxially oriented nylon film as an intermediate layer and dry lamination of a 180 μm-thick linear low-density polyethylene film as a sealant layer. The spout had a tubular portion and a flange and was injection-molded from high-density polyethylene. The pouch containers as samples according to Example S1 and Comparative Example T1 had a height dimension (dimension D1 in FIG. 2) of 170 mm, a width dimension (dimension D2 in FIG. 2) of 120 mm, a height dimension (dimension D3 in FIG. 2) of the bottom gusset portion when the pouch container was folded, of 35 mm, and a dimension (dimension D4 in FIG. 2) of the top gusset portion in the direction perpendicular to the width direction when the pouch container was folded, of 70 mm. The thickness of the flange portion of the spout was 0.5 mm.

[0086] The main welds in Example S1 and Comparative Example T1 were formed by ultrasonic welding. More specifically, the main welds were formed in the facing region of the sheet-like member constituting the top gusset, facing the flange, by pressing the horn of an ultrasonic welding machine against the portion for 0.7 seconds. The main welds thus formed had an annular shape with an inner diameter of 30 mm and a width of 1.5 mm. Furthermore, the weld strength evaluation described below confirmed that the main welds were strong welds.

[0087] The auxiliary welds in Example S1 were formed by thermal welding. More specifically, the auxiliary welds were formed in the facing area of ​​the sheet-like member constituting the top gusset, facing the flange, by pressing a die of a thermal welding machine heated to 180°C against the portion for 1.2 seconds. The auxiliary welds thus formed had a spot-like shape with a diameter of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, the fact that these auxiliary welds were composed of weak welds was confirmed by the welding strength evaluation described below.

[0088] The average thickness of the top crotch portions before welding was 211.7 μm. The average thickness of the top crotch portions where the main welds were formed (see thickness t1 in FIG. 5 ) was 115.3 μm, and the average thickness of the top crotch portions where the auxiliary welds were formed (see thickness t2 in FIG. 5 ) was 173.8 μm. Therefore, the thinning rate, calculated by dividing the thickness of the top crotch portions where the main welds or auxiliary welds were formed by the thickness of the top crotch portions before they were formed, was 46% for the main welds and 18% for the auxiliary welds. The thicknesses of the top crotch portions were measured using samples prepared separately from the samples used in the drop durability test described below. The flanges and top crotch portions were cut at predetermined positions after the welds were formed, and the exposed cross sections of the flanges and top crotch portions were observed.

[0089] Using the above-described Example S1 and Comparative Example T1, the durability of the pouch container against dropping was verified. To conduct this verification, first, 0.5 L of water was filled into each of the samples according to Example S1 and Comparative Example T1. Next, each of the samples according to Example S1 and Comparative Example T1 filled with water was dropped with the top gusset facing down from a position 1.2 m above the ground to check whether the pouch broke. In this verification test, this drop verification was performed a total of 20 times for each sample. However, if a sample broke, further verification was not performed on that sample.

[0090] 16, in this verification test, the bag breakage rate was determined by dividing the number of broken samples by the total number of samples, which was 5. As a result, the bag breakage rate for the sample according to Comparative Example T1 was 40%, while the bag breakage rate for the sample according to Example S1 was 0%.

[0091] The evaluation of the weld strength of the main welds and auxiliary welds was performed using samples prepared separately from the samples used in the drop test. First, the top gusset after the welds were formed was cut at a predetermined position to obtain a test piece of the top gusset with the spout fixed. Next, the test piece was placed on a support surface so that the flange of the spout abutted against the support surface (i.e., so that the inner surface of the top gusset faced the support surface). Next, with the spout pressed against the support surface, the outer edge of the top gusset constituting the test piece was pulled vertically upward at a rate of 300 mm / min using a tensile tester, applying a tensile load to the top gusset in the direction away from the flange (the peeling direction) to the portion of the top gusset constituting the facing region.

[0092] By applying this tensile load, it was confirmed that in all samples of Example S1, the top gusset portion peeled off from the interface with the auxiliary weld. Furthermore, by increasing this tensile load, it was confirmed that material failure occurred in the top gusset portion adjacent to the main weld in all samples of Example S1 and Comparative Example T1. From these results, it was confirmed that the main weld was composed of a strong weld and the auxiliary weld was composed of a weak weld.

[0093] (Verification Test 2) In Verification Test 2, as in the above-described Verification Test 1, the effect of improving durability against dropping by using pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment was verified by comparing the bag breakage rates when a pouch container whose welded parts included main welded parts and auxiliary welded parts was dropped, with a pouch container whose welded parts included only main welded parts. Note that, compared with the above-described Verification Test 1, this verification test differs in the configuration of the sheet-like members constituting the pouch containers as samples according to Example S2 and Comparative Example T2, the welding conditions for the welded parts, the dimensions of the pouch container, etc.

[0094] The sheet-like members constituting the body, top and bottom gussets of the pouch container samples according to Example S2 and Comparative Example T2 were made by gravure printing a design on a 25 μm-thick longitudinally oriented polyethylene film, followed by dry laminating a 25 μm-thick biaxially oriented polyethylene film as an intermediate layer and dry laminating a 100 μm-thick linear low-density polyethylene film as a sealant layer. The spout had a tubular portion and a flange and was injection-molded from high-density polyethylene. The pouch container samples according to Example S2 and Comparative Example T2 had a height dimension (dimension D1 in FIG. 2) of 144 mm, a width dimension (dimension D2 in FIG. 2) of 102 mm, a height dimension (dimension D3 in FIG. 2) of the bottom gusset when the pouch container was folded, of 30 mm, and a dimension (dimension D4 in FIG. 2) of the top gusset in a direction perpendicular to the width direction when the pouch container was folded. The thickness of the spout flange was 0.5 mm. Each of the samples according to Example S2 and Comparative Example T2 was filled with 0.3 L of water.

[0095] The main welds in Example S2 and Comparative Example T2 were formed by heat welding. More specifically, the main welds were formed in the facing region of the sheet-like member constituting the top crotch portion, facing the flange portion, by pressing a die of a heat welding machine heated to 220°C against the portion for 1.2 seconds. The main welds formed in this manner had an annular shape with an inner diameter of 27 mm and a width of 3.5 mm. These main welds were composed of strong welds.

[0096] The auxiliary welds in Example S2 were formed by thermal welding. More specifically, the auxiliary welds were formed in the facing area of ​​the sheet-like member constituting the top gusset, facing the flange, by pressing a die of a thermal welding machine heated to 160°C against the portion for 1.2 seconds. The auxiliary welds thus formed had a spot-like shape with a diameter of 2.5 mm. The auxiliary welds were composed of weak welds.

[0097] The average thickness of the top crotch portions before welding was 173.1 μm. The average thickness of the top crotch portions where the main welds were formed (see thickness t1 in FIG. 5) was 123.9 μm, and the average thickness of the top crotch portions where the auxiliary welds were formed (see thickness t2 in FIG. 5) was 142.7 μm. Therefore, the thinning rate, obtained by dividing the thickness of the top crotch portions where the main welds or auxiliary welds were formed by the thickness of the top crotch portions before they were formed, was 28% for the main welds and 18% for the auxiliary welds.

[0098] In this verification test, the drop verification was also performed in the same manner as in the above-described verification test 1. As a result, as shown in Fig. 17, the bag breakage rate for the sample according to comparative example T2 was 80%, while the bag breakage rate for the sample according to example S2 was 0%. From this result and the result of the above-described verification test 1, it was confirmed that by configuring the pouch container 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the drop durability of a pouch container having a gusset portion to which a spout is fixed by welding.

[0099] (Additional Notes) The characteristic configurations of the pouch containers disclosed in the above-described embodiments and their modifications can be summarized as follows.

[0100] [Note 1] A pouch container having a storage space for storing contents, comprising: a body portion and a gusset portion that define the storage space; and a spout; wherein a joint portion that joins the sheet-like members that form the body portion and the gusset portion is provided at the boundary between the body portion and the gusset portion, the spout having a tubular portion inserted into an opening provided in the gusset portion, and an annular flange portion that extends radially outward from the tubular portion and is disposed opposite to an inner surface of the gusset portion at a portion that surrounds the opening, wherein a weld portion formed by welding the gusset portion and the flange portion is provided in an opposing region formed by the flange portion and the gusset portion at a portion that faces the flange portion, the weld portion including an annular main weld portion that surrounds the opening and seals a gap between the flange portion and the gusset portion, and an auxiliary weld portion that is located radially outward of the main weld portion, The pouch container has a thickness of the gusset portion where the auxiliary welded portion is formed that is greater than a thickness of the gusset portion where the main welded portion is formed.

[0101] [Supplementary Note 2] A pouch container having a storage space for storing contents, comprising: a body portion and a gusset portion that define the storage space; and a spout; wherein a joint portion that joins the sheet-like members that form the body portion and the gusset portion is provided at the boundary between the body portion and the gusset portion, the spout having a tubular portion inserted into an opening provided in the gusset portion, and an annular flange portion that extends radially outward from the tubular portion and is disposed opposite to an inner surface of the gusset portion at a portion that surrounds the opening, wherein a weld portion formed by welding the gusset portion and the flange portion is provided in an opposing region formed by the flange portion and the gusset portion at a portion that faces the flange portion, the weld portion including an annular main weld portion that surrounds the opening and seals a gap between the flange portion and the gusset portion, and an auxiliary weld portion that is located radially outward of the main weld portion, The pouch container has a lower welding strength between the crotch and the flange at the auxiliary welded portion than a welding strength between the crotch and the flange at the main welded portion.

[0102] [Supplementary Note 3] The pouch container according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary weld is located away from the main weld.

[0103] [Appendix 4] The pouch container according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, wherein the outer edge of the auxiliary welded portion located on the opposite side to the cylindrical portion has a curved shape that protrudes toward the opposite side to the cylindrical portion.

[0104] [Supplementary Note 5] The pouch container according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the gusset portion has at least four inner projected corners adjacent to the joint, and when the gusset portion is viewed from a direction perpendicular to an in-plane direction of the gusset portion when no content is contained in the storage space, at least a part of the auxiliary weld is located within at least four partitioned areas mutually partitioned by the first lines and the second lines on the side of each of the reference lines, where imaginary lines connecting the center position of the opening and each of the at least four inner projected corners are defined as respective reference lines, and imaginary lines obtained by rotating each of the reference lines 40 degrees clockwise around the center position as a rotation center are defined as respective first lines, and imaginary lines obtained by rotating each of the reference lines 40 degrees counterclockwise around the center position as a rotation center are defined as respective second lines.

[0105] [Note 6] A method for manufacturing a pouch container having a body and a gusset that define a storage space, and a spout, comprising the steps of: preparing a gusset film member that includes at least a portion that will become the gusset and has an opening provided in a portion thereof; preparing the spout that includes a tubular portion and an annular flange extending from the tubular portion toward the radially outer side of the tubular portion; inserting the tubular portion into the opening so that the flange is disposed opposite to a surface of the gusset film member in a portion that surrounds the opening; and providing a main welded portion and an auxiliary welded portion in an opposing region consisting of the flange and the portion of the gusset film member that faces the flange, by welding the flange and the gusset film member together when the tubular portion is inserted into the opening. a process for providing the main weld and the auxiliary weld, wherein the main weld is formed by ultrasonically welding the flange and the crotch film member together in an opposing region surrounding the opening, and the auxiliary weld is formed by pressing the flange and the crotch film member together with a heated mold to heat-weld them in the opposing region radially outward from the region where the main weld is formed.

[0106] (Other embodiments, etc.) The pouch containers according to the embodiments and modifications described above can significantly reduce the amount of resin used compared to containers made of resin molded products such as blow molded products. Furthermore, the pouch containers according to the embodiments and modifications described above can be folded, unlike containers made of resin molded products, and can be disposed of after reducing their volume.

[0107] Furthermore, in the pouch containers according to the embodiments and their modified examples described above, the body portion has been described as being manufactured using a pair of sheet-like film members, but the body portion may be manufactured using other methods. For example, the body portion may be manufactured by overlapping the widthwise edges of a single film sheet and then sealing them. Alternatively, the body portion, top gusset portion, and bottom gusset portion may be manufactured by folding a single film sheet, sequentially sealing the overlapping positions that will become the respective joints, and then trimming off unnecessary portions around the periphery to fit the outer shape. Furthermore, the pouch container may be configured without a bottom gusset portion.

[0108] Furthermore, the shape, configuration, size, number, material, etc. of each part shown in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0109] Furthermore, the characteristic configurations shown in the above-described embodiments of the present invention and their modifications can naturally be combined with each other within the scope of the present invention.

[0110] As such, the above-described embodiments and their modifications disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0111] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A to 1H Pouch container, 10 Body portion, 11 Front wall portion, 12 Rear wall portion, 20 Top crotch portion, 21 Opening, 25 Corner portion, 25a Inner crotch portion, 25a1 First inner crotch portion, 25a2 Second inner crotch portion, 25a3 Third inner crotch portion, 25a4 Fourth inner crotch portion, 25b1 First outer crotch portion, 25b2 Second outer crotch portion, 30 Bottom crotch portion, 40 Storage space, 61a First body portion joint portion, 61b Second body portion joint portion, 62a First top crotch portion joint portion, 62b Second top crotch portion joint portion, 63a First bottom crotch portion joint portion, 63b Second bottom crotch portion joint portion, 80 Spout, 81 Cylindrical portion, 82 Flange portion, 100 Welded portion, 200 Main welding part, 300 Auxiliary welding part, 301 First auxiliary welding part, 302 Second auxiliary welding part, 303 Third auxiliary welding part, 304 Fourth auxiliary welding part, 1000 type, 1001 Reference plane, 1002 First protrusion, 1003 Second protrusion, BL1 Reference line, FR Opposing area, L1 First line, L2 Second line.

Claims

1. A pouch container provided with an accommodation space for accommodating contents, comprising a body portion and a crotch portion that define the accommodation space, and a spout. At the boundary between the body portion and the crotch portion, a joining portion is provided for joining the sheet-like members constituting the body portion and the sheet-like members constituting the crotch portion. The spout has a cylindrical portion inserted through an opening provided in the crotch portion, and an annular flange portion that extends from the cylindrical portion toward the outside in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion and is disposed opposite to the inner surface of the crotch portion surrounding the opening. In an opposing region formed by the flange portion and the crotch portion opposing the flange portion, a welded portion formed by welding the crotch portion and the flange portion is provided. The welded portion includes an annular main welded portion that surrounds the opening to seal the gap between the flange portion and the crotch portion, and an auxiliary welded portion located more outside in the radial direction than the main welded portion. The thickness of the crotch portion at the portion where the auxiliary welded portion is formed is larger than the thickness of the crotch portion at the portion where the main welded portion is formed. A pouch container.

2. A pouch container provided with an accommodation space for accommodating contents, comprising a body portion and a crotch portion that define the accommodation space, and a spout. At the boundary between the body portion and the crotch portion, a joining portion is provided for joining the sheet-like members constituting the body portion and the sheet-like members constituting the crotch portion. The spout has a cylindrical portion inserted through an opening provided in the crotch portion, and an annular flange portion that extends from the cylindrical portion toward the outside in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion and is disposed opposite to the inner surface of the crotch portion surrounding the opening. In an opposing region formed by the flange portion and the crotch portion opposing the flange portion, a welded portion formed by welding the crotch portion and the flange portion is provided. The welded portion includes an annular main welded portion that surrounds the opening to seal the gap between the flange portion and the crotch portion, and an auxiliary welded portion located more outside in the radial direction than the main welded portion. The welding strength between the crotch portion and the flange portion in the auxiliary welded portion is lower than the welding strength between the crotch portion and the flange portion in the main welded portion. A pouch container.

3. The pouch container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary welded portion is spaced apart from the main welded portion.

4. The pouch container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an outer edge located on a side opposite to the cylindrical portion side of the auxiliary welding portion has a curved shape protruding toward the side opposite to the cylindrical portion side.

5. The pouch container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the crotch portion has at least four inner protruding corners at a portion adjacent to the joining portion, and when the crotch portion is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of the crotch portion in a state where no content is stored in the storage space, virtual lines connecting the center position of the opening and each of the at least four inner protruding corners are used as respective reference lines, and when each of the reference lines is rotated 40 degrees clockwise with the center position as the rotation center, virtual lines obtained are used as respective first lines, and when each of the reference lines is rotated 40 degrees counterclockwise with the center position as the rotation center, virtual lines obtained are used as respective second lines, at least a part of the auxiliary welding portion is located within at least four partition regions on the respective reference line sides partitioned from each other by the respective first lines and the respective second lines.

6. A method for manufacturing a pouch container including a body portion and a crotch portion that define a storage space and a spout, the method comprising: a step of preparing a film member for the crotch portion that includes at least a portion to be the crotch portion and has an opening provided therein; a step of preparing a spout including a cylindrical portion and an annular flange portion extending from the cylindrical portion toward the outer side in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion; a step of inserting the cylindrical portion through the opening such that the flange portion is disposed opposite to the surface of the film member for the crotch portion at a portion surrounding the opening; and a step of providing a main welding portion and an auxiliary welding portion by welding the flange portion and the film member for the crotch portion in an opposing region formed by the flange portion and the film member for the crotch portion at a portion opposing the flange portion in a state where the cylindrical portion is inserted through the opening, wherein in the step of providing the main welding portion and the auxiliary welding portion, the main welding portion is formed by ultrasonic welding the flange portion and the film member for the crotch portion in an opposing region at a portion surrounding the opening, and the auxiliary welding portion is formed by pressing and thermally welding the flange portion and the film member for the crotch portion with a heated mold in an opposing region at a portion radially outside the portion where the main welding portion is formed.

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