POUCH CONTAINER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING POUCH CONTAINER
A pouch container as one example of an embodiment is equipped with wall-surface sheets and a grip part, said wall-surface sheets constituting at least a first surface and a second surface that face each other. The grip part comprises an interior sheet that is joined to the inner surface of the first surface and/or the second surface and openings that are formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is joined at positions where the wall-surface sheet overlaps with the interior sheet.
The present invention relates to a pouch container and a manufacturing method of a pouch container.
BACKGROUNDPouch containers have superior characteristics such as light weight and ease of discard, and thus are used widely particularly for refilling containers for various toiletry products or the like. For example, in the use of pouch containers for refilling containers, it is desired that the container can be easily held when the contents are refilled. In particular, this need become higher as the capacity of the container is increased.
In consideration of such circumstances, pouch containers in which the ease of holding of the container is improved have been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2). The pouch containers disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have hand-grabbing holes into which a hand can be inserted, in a heat seal portion of the container formed by pasting films.
CITATION LIST Patent LiteraturePatent Document 1: JP 2004-359258 A
Patent Document 2: JP 2004-359259 A
SUMMARY Technical ProblemIn the pouch containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, however, it is necessary to form the sealing portion in a large area in order to provide the hand-grabbing hole, resulting in a reduced capacity of the container. Alternatively, the outer shape of the container must be made large in order to secure the container capacity. In addition, for the pouch containers of the related art including the pouch containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there still remains room for improvement for the ease of holding.
Solution to ProblemAccording to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pouch container comprising: at least one of wall-surface sheets that form at least a first surface and a second surface which oppose each other; and a holding portion, wherein the holding portion comprises: at least one of an interior sheet that is bonded to an inner surface of at least one of the first surface and the second surface; and an opening formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is bonded, at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a pouch container comprising a first surface sheet, a second surface sheet that opposes the first surface sheet, a top gusset sheet that connects an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet, a bottom gusset sheet that connects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of the second surface sheet, and a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, the method comprising: an opening forming step in which an opening is formed on the second surface sheet; a first bonding step in which an interior sheet is bonded on an inner surface of the second surface sheet, at a position overlapping the opening; and a second bonding step in which the sheets forming the pouch container are bonded together after the first bonding step.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAccording to an aspect of the present invention, there can be provided a pouch container having a holding portion with a structure which does not affect the container capacity. In addition, the pouch container according to the present invention can be stably held using the holding portion, and, for example, a superior refilling operation can be enabled even when the pouch container is applied for a refilling container having a large container capacity. Moreover, the pouch container according to the present invention can be easily manufactured by an existing bag production process.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings referred to in the description of the preferred embodiments are schematically shown, and a size, a ratio, or the like of the constituting elements drawn therein may differ from the actual size, ratio, or the like. The specific size, ratio, or the like should be determined in consideration of the following description.
In the description of the preferred embodiments, a part of the container where a pouring outlet is formed is described as an “upper part” of the container. A direction of lamination of the sheets is described as a “front-and-back direction” of the container, and a direction orthogonal to an up-and-down direction (or vertical direction) and the front-and-back direction is called a “lateral direction” of the container. In the following, the directions may be simply referred to as the up-and-down direction, the front-and-back direction, and the lateral direction.
The preferred embodiments are described with the contents filled into the pouch container being liquid-form substances such as shampoo, liquid detergent, etc. However, the contents are not limited to the liquid-form substances, and may alternatively be, for example, solid-form substances such as powders and particulates, or a semi-solid form substance such as jerry-form and gel-form substances. In addition, in the description of the preferred embodiments, outlet plugs 20 and 54 are exemplified as examples of the pouring outlet for the contents, but the pouring outlet is not limited to the outlet plug. For example, the pouring outlet may be formed using members other than the outlet plugs 20 and 54, or may be a flow path formed by a heat seal portion.
In the description of the preferred embodiments, a standing pouch is described having at least a pair of wall-surface sheets forming a first surface and a second surface which oppose each other, and a bottom gusset is exemplified. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to other pouch forms such as a flat pouch having no bottom gusset sheet, a side gusset pouch having a side gusset sheet, a one-seam pouch in which the first surface and the second surface are formed using one wall surface sheet, and a pouch having both the bottom gusset sheet and the side gusset sheet.
A pouch container 10 according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to
As shown in
In the pouch container 10, the bottom gusset sheet 13 is inserted between the front and back surface sheets, and a seal portion which bonds the ends of the sheets is formed in this state. In the present embodiment, as the seal portion, an upper end seal portion 15, a bottom seal portion 16, and a side seal portion 17 are formed. The front and back surface sheets have an approximate quadrangular shape viewed from the front, with the up-and-down direction extending longer than the lateral direction (hereinafter the lateral direction may also be referred to as a width direction and a length in the width direction may be referred to as a width). The bottom gusset sheet 13 is provided, for example, at a position ⅙-¼ of the length in the up-and-down direction of the sheet from the lower end of the front and back surface sheets.
The pouch container 10 includes, as a pouring outlet which establishes communication between the inside and the outside of the container, an outlet plug 20 having a spout 18 having an approximate tubular shape formed from a hard resin and a cap 19 screwed to the spout 18. The spout 18 is inserted between the front and back surface sheets, and bonded to the front and back surface sheets by the upper end seal portion 15. The spout 18 is attached to an upper end of a container body (portion other than the outlet plug 20) in a state where an axial direction of the spout 18 is along the up-and-down direction.
The upper end seal portion 15 is formed by bonding the upper ends of the front and back surface sheets. In the present embodiment, as described above, the upper end seal portion 15 is formed in a state sandwiching an attachment portion of the spout 18 formed in an approximate ship shape between the front and back surface sheets. In other words, the spout 18 is provided on the upper end seal portion 15 which is a bonding section between the upper end of the front surface sheet 11 and the upper end of the back surface sheet 12.
The bottom seal portion 16 is a seal portion formed at an end of the bottom gusset sheet 13, and bonds the bottom gusset sheet 13 and the front and back surface sheets. The bottom seal portion 16 is formed in a manner such that, when the container is filled with the contents, the front and back surface sheets are separated from each other and the bottom gusset sheet 13 is expanded. In addition, preferably, a cut-out 21 is formed on ends in the lateral direction on the bottom gusset sheet 13. With this configuration, the front surface sheet 11 and the back surface sheet 12 are directly bonded, and a stabilized self-standing characteristic can be obtained. The side seal portion 17 is formed by bonding the front surface sheet 11 and the back surface sheet 12 at ends in the width direction of the container. A part of the side seal portion 17 is formed in a state where ends in a width direction of an interior sheet 26 to be described later are sandwiched between the front and back surface sheets.
The pouch container 10 has a holding portion 25. The holding portion 25 includes the interior sheet 26 bonded to an inner surface of at least one of a front surface portion and a back surface portion of the container body, and an opening 29 formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet 26 is bonded, at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26. The opening 29 functions as an insertion hole for fingers. The opening 29 may alternatively be used when the container is hooked on a hook or the like. In the pouch container 10, the interior sheet 26 is bonded only to the inner surface of the front surface sheet 11 forming the front surface of the container, and the opening 29 is formed on the front surface sheet 11, at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26.
The holding portion 25 is preferably provided at a lower side of the container in relation to the outlet plug 20 even in the case where the outlet plug 20 is attached to a location other than the upper end of the container body. The holding portion 25 has, for example, an approximate quadrangular shape viewed from the front, with the width direction extending longer than the up-and-down direction. Alternatively, two holding portions 25 may be formed, but in the present embodiment, one holding portion 25 is provided on the front surface portion side, and the interior sheet 26 is bonded only to the inner surface of the front surface sheet 11. In other words, the opening 29 which is an opening into which the finger can be inserted is formed on the front surface sheet 11. Alternatively, two interior sheets may be bonded respectively to the inner surfaces of the front and back surface sheets, an opening may be formed on one of the front and back surface sheets, and the holding portion may be formed on one side.
The sheets forming the pouch container 10 are normally formed from resin films. The resin films forming the sheets are required to exhibit basic capabilities as a wrapping structure, such as impact endurance, wear endurance, and heat endurance. In addition, as the seal portions are normally formed by heat sealing, heat seal characteristic is also required for the sheet. As the sheet, a multiple-layer sheet having a base film layer and a sealant layer that gives the heat seal characteristic is preferable, and, when a high gas barrier characteristic is required, a gas barrier layer is preferably formed between the base film layer and the sealant layer.
Alternatively, the barrier characteristic may be given to the base film layer itself. In this case, the barrier layer is used as the base film layer, resulting in a multiple-layer sheet having the barrier layer and the sealant layer. When the heat seal characteristic is to be given to both surfaces of the sheet, a single-layer film forming the sealant layer to be described later may be employed, or, in the case of the multi-layer sheet, two sealant layers of the same type or different types may be included (in this case, structurally, one of the sealant layers is used as the base film layer), or a sheet having sealant layers on both surfaces of the base film layer may be employed.
Example constituting materials of the base film layer, the sealant layer, and the gas barrier layer will now be described. The lamination of these layers may be realized by well-practiced laminating methods such as, for example, dry lamination by an adhesive, thermal lamination to adhere the layers by heat with a thermal adhesion layer therebetween, or the like.
As films forming the base film layer, there may be exemplified drawn or undrawn films of one or two or more layers formed from polyesters (such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), or the like), polyolefins (such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or the like), polyamides (such as Nylon-6, Nylon-66, or the like), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyether sulfone (PES), or the like.
As films forming the sealant layer, there may be exemplified drawn or undrawn films of one or two or more layers formed from low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), a copolymer of ethylene-propylene (EP), cast polypropylene (CPP), oriented nylon (ON), a copolymer of ethylene-olefin, a copolymer of ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA), a copolymer of ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMAA), a copolymer of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like.
As the gas barrier layer, there may be exemplified metal thin films such as aluminum, resin films such as polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), a copolymer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH), or the like, and films in which aluminum, inorganic oxides such as aluminum oxide and silica, or the like is vapor-deposited (or sputtered) on an arbitrary synthetic resin film (for example, the film may be the base film layer).
On the sheet, a printing layer (not shown) may be provided for displaying a product name of the contents, product explanation such as materials and cautions on use, and various other designs. For example, the printing layer can be formed on a surface on an inner side of the base film layer by known methods such as gravure printing.
The structure of the holding portion 25 will now be described in further detail.
The holding portion 25 is formed from the interior sheet 25 bonded to, for example, the inner surface of the front surface sheet 11, and the opening 29 formed on the front surface sheet 11. The holding portion 25 has an internal space 27 which is not in communication with the filling portion 14 and which is a space independent from the filling portion 14. The interior sheet 26 is preferably bonded to the front surface sheet 11 only at a peripheral edge thereof by an end edge seal portion 28, and a center portion thereof is preferably not bonded to the front surface sheet 11. With such a configuration, there is formed a bag-shaped holding portion 25 is provided in which the internal space 27 independent from the filling portion 14 and into which the finger can be inserted, and the portions other than the opening 29 are closed. A user can insert the finger in the space (internal space 27) between the front surface sheet 11 and the interior sheet 26, for example, from the opening 29, and grip a part of the front surface sheet 11 (for example, a band portion 31 to be described later), so that the user can hold the pouch container 10. The holding portion 25 is provided at a lower side of the container in relation to the outlet plug 20, and is provided, for example, at approximately the same height as the center of gravity of the pouch container 10.
The interior sheet 26 is preferably provided over the entire length in the lateral direction of the pouch container 10; that is, the entire width of the front surface sheet 11. A size of the interior sheet 26 is not particularly limited so long as the internal space 27 into which the finger is inserted can be formed between the front surface sheet 11 and the interior sheet 26, but in consideration of the productivity, the interior sheet 26 is preferably provided over the entire width of the front surface sheet 11. In other words, the widths of the front and back surface sheets and the width of the interior sheet 26 are equal to each other. By setting the widths of the sheets to be the same value, the pouch container 10 can be manufactured easily and inexpensively by an existing bag production process using a long-length sheet. In addition, by providing the holding portion 25 by inserting the interior sheet 26 between the front and back surface sheets, the pouch container 10 can be manufactured using typical front and back surface sheets having a sealant layer on one surface.
The opening 29 is preferably provided by forming a cut-in line 30 on the front surface sheet 11. The cut-in line 30 is formed on the front surface sheet 11 at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26. Alternatively, in place of the cut-in line 30, a perforation line (line including a cut section and a non-cut section) or a half-cut line may be formed. In this case, the front and back surface sheets can be cut along the perforation line or the like during use, to form the opening.
In the example configuration shown in
Next, an example manufacturing method of the pouch container 10 will be described with reference to
In the layering step of the long-length structures, the long-length structures 11z and 12z are laminated such that the sealant layers thereof oppose each other, and the long-length structure 13z is mountain-folded in the upward direction so that the sealant layer opposes the long-length structures 11z and 12z. Preferably, a hole that is to become the cut-out 21, and the cut-in line 30 for providing the opening 29 of the holding portion 25 are formed before the sheets are laminated. In addition, preferably, after the long-length structure 26z and the long-length structure 11z are heat-sealed and bonded, the other long-length structures are laminated.
In the long-length structures after the laminating step, the seal portions are formed in a heat seal step. In the heat seal step, the ends of the long-length structures are heat sealed, for example, except for the portion which is to become the upper end of the container body, to form the seal portions. Then, using a die-cut roll or the like, for example, the long-length structures are cut at a planned cut line 22, to be divided into individual container size. Finally, after the filling portion 14 is filled with the contents from the upper end of the container body, the upper end seal portion 15 is formed in a state where the attachment portion of the spout 18 of the outlet plug 20 is sandwiched between the upper ends of the front and back surface sheets, to obtain the pouch container 10.
As described above, the pouch container 10 is stably held by the holding portion 25. Because of this, even when the pouch container 10 is applied for a refilling container having a large container capacity, a superior refilling operation can be enabled. In addition, the holding portion 25 of the pouch container 10 has a structure which does not affect the container capacity. In other words, the container capacity is not reduced with the provision of the holding portion 25, and it is not necessary to enlarge the outer shape of the container in order to secure the container capacity.
In a pouch container 10u exemplified in
When an end surface 26a of the interior sheet 26 of the three-layer structure contacts the contents (for example, liquid), the contents may intrude into the portion between the layers, and layer detachment (delamination) may occur. In addition, in many cases, the barrier layer includes aluminum or inorganic oxides such as aluminum oxide and silica. Depending on the type of the contents, the inorganic oxides may contact the contents and may be altered. In this case, there is a possibility of problems such as reduction in the light-shielding characteristic and gas barrier characteristic, or alteration of the contents itself.
Thus, when the interior sheet 26 is to have a smaller size than the front surface sheet 11; that is, when there is a possibility that the upper and lower end surfaces of the interior sheet 26 contact the contents, it is preferable to isolate the end surface 26a of the interior sheet 26 from the internal space of the pouch container 10 (filling portion 14). As a method of isolating the end surface 26a of the interior sheet 26, various methods may be employed. For example, as shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
In a pouch container 10v exemplified in
A pouch container 10w exemplified in
As shown in
As shown in
The holding portions 25A and 25B are preferably provided at positions which oppose each other, and overlap in the front-and-back direction. In other words, the interior sheets 26A and 26B are bonded to positions on the inner surfaces of the front and back surface sheets at positions opposing each other. With such a configuration, a superior holding characteristic can be realized, and the productivity can be improved. The holding portions 25A and 25B have an approximate quadrangular shape as viewed from the front, elongated longer in the width direction than the up-and-down direction, and have the same shape and same size as each other. Structures common in the holding portions 25A and 25B will be described by exemplifying the holding portion 25A.
Similar to the case of the pouch container 10, the holding portion 25A is formed in a bag form having an internal space 27A which is independent from the filling portion 14, and in which portions other than the opening 29A are closed. With such a configuration, it becomes difficult for the finger to slip out from the holding portion 25A, and a superior holding characteristic can be obtained. The internal space 27A preferably has a size which can house a plurality of fingers, for example, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger of the right hand. In order to enable stable holding of the pouch container 10w, the size of the internal space 27A is preferably set to a degree to entirely house the finger from the root to the tip. The interior sheet 26A forming the holding portion 25A is preferably provided over the entire widths of the front and back surface sheets, from the viewpoint of the productivity or the like.
The opening 29A is an opening that enables insertion of the finger into the internal space 27A from the width direction, and is preferably provided at a second end side in relation to the center in the width direction of the holding portion 25A. The opening 29B is preferably provided at an exact back side of the opening 29A. The opening 29A is designed such that the finger is inserted from the second end side, and the finger inserted from the opening 29A is housed in the internal space 27A with the fingertip directed toward the first end side. The internal space 27A is a space extending longer in the width direction, in order to facilitate housing of the finger. The opening 29A is preferably provided by forming a cut-in line 30A on the front surface sheet 11w. The cut-in line 30A is formed on the front surface sheet 11w at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26A. A cut-in line 30B is formed on the back surface sheet 12w at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26B, and preferably overlaps the cut-in line 30A in the front-and-back direction.
The holding portion 25A preferably has tongue pieces 34A and 35A formed at an edge of the opening 29A. The cut-in line 30A exemplified in
When it is desired to further block the light for the contents, a light-shielding sheet may be used for the interior sheets 26A and 26B, or the opening may be formed by only the linear portion L. However, in order to facilitate checking of the opening 29A and to facilitate insertion of the finger, the opening 29A is preferably partially opened. Alternatively, in place of the cut-in line 30A, a perforation line or a half-cut line may be formed. In this case, the front and back surface sheets may be cut along the perforation line or the like during the use, to form the opening.
As shown in
Next, with reference to
In the laminating step of the long-length structures, the long-length structures 13z, 26Az, and 26Bz are inserted between the long-length structures 11wz and 12wz which are overlapped with each other. In addition, the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz are inserted in a state of being overlapped with each other and at a position above the long-length structure 13z and below a portion in which the outlet plug 20 is attached. With such a configuration, the holding portions 25A and 25B are provided at positions opposing each other; that is, positions overlapping in the front-and-back direction.
In the laminating step of the long-length structures, the long-length structures 11wz and 12wz are laminated in a manner such that the sealant layers thereof oppose each other, and the long-length structure 13z is mountain-folded in the upward direction so that the sealant layer thereof opposes the long-lengths structures 11wz and 12wz. Preferably, a hole that forms the cut-out 21 and the cut-in lines 30A and 30B for providing the openings 29A and 29B are formed before the sheets are laminated. In addition, preferably, after the long-length structure 26Az and the long-length structure 11wz are heat-sealed and bonded, and the long-length structure 26Bz and the long-length structure 12wz are heat-sealed and bonded, there long-length structures are laminated with the long-length structure 13z.
In the long-length structures after the laminating step, the seal portions are formed in the heat seal step. In the heat seal step, for example, the seal portions are formed by heat sealing an end edge of each long-length structure except for the upper end. Then, using a die-cut roll or the like, for example, the long-length structure is cut at a planned cut line 22w, to divide into individual container size and to form the slanted side portion 23. Finally, the outlet plug 20 is attached to the slanted side portion 23, to obtain the pouch container 10w. Preferably, a part of the upper end seal portion 15w is formed after the container is filled with the contents.
In the above-described example manufacturing process, there is described an example method which uses the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz, but alternatively, in place of the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz, long-length gusset sheets may be used. In this case, the long-length gusset sheet is supplied to a bag-producing device, and the gusset sheet is cut along a fold line before or after the sheet is heat-sealed to the wall-surface sheet, to separate the holding portions 25A and 25B.
Next, with reference to
Because the fingers inserted into the internal spaces 27A and 27B are covered by the front and back surface sheets down to the root, even if the contents are spilled by an unintentional movement, contact of the contents with the fingers can be prevented. For example, even when direct contact of the contents on the skin is not preferable, such as in the case where the contents are poisonous substances such as chemicals, it is possible to execute the extraction operation safely.
The pouch container 10w is stably held with the holding portions 25A and 25B. Because of this, even when the pouch container 10w is applied for a refilling container having a large container capacity, a superior refilling operation is possible. In addition, the holding portions 25A and 25B of the pouch container 10w have a structure which does not affect the container capacity. In other words, the container capacity is not reduced by the provision of the holding portions 25A and 25B, and the outer shape of the container does not need to be enlarged in order to secure the container capacity.
In the pouch container 10x exemplified in
In a pouch container 10y exemplified in
In a pouch container 10z exemplified in
A pouch container 50 according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to
As shown in
The container body 52 has an approximate cylindrical shape with a thickness corresponding to the sizes of the gusset sheets 62 and 64, and is a standing pouch which can self-stand. The container body 52 may be formed with the above-described sheets being different sheets, or alternatively may be formed by folding one sheet. In the following description, the container body is assumed to be formed from different sheets. The outlet plug 54 has a structure similar to the outlet plug 20 used in the first preferred embodiment, has an approximate tubular structure made of a hard resin, and is attached to the upper end of the container body 52. When the contents of the pouch container 50 are to be poured out, the pouch container 50 is held and tilted. In order to facilitate the pour-out process, in the present embodiment, a holding portion 68 held by the user is provided only on the side of the front surface sheet 60 of the pouch container 50. The holding portion 68 is provided at a lower side of the container in relation the outlet plug 54. Structures of the portions of the pouch container 50 will now be described in detail.
As described above, the container body 52 is made of a plurality of sheets. The front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 are placed opposing each other, the sides are pasted, and an approximate tubular shape is formed. The locations of the front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 where the sides are heat-sealed form a side seal portion 70s. The front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 have approximately the same width. In addition, for the convenience of the manufacture, a length in the up-and-down direction of the front surface sheet 60; that is, the sheet on the surface on which the holding portion 68 is formed, is shorter than a length in the up-and-down direction of the back surface sheet 58; that is, the sheet on the surface on which the outlet plug 54 is attached, and the position of the upper end of the front surface sheet 60 is lower than a position of the upper end of the back surface sheet 58.
On an inner surface of the front surface sheet 60, an interior sheet 66 is bonded. The interior sheet 66 has only its peripheral edge bonded to the front surface sheet 60, and the center portion thereof is not bonded to the front surface sheet 60. Because of this, a space independent from the internal space of the pouch container 50 is formed between the interior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60. Of the front surface sheet 60, at a location overlapping the interior sheet 66, an opening is formed. The opening becomes an opening 71 for the user to insert the fingers when the pouch container 50 is held. The user inserts the fingers from the opening 71 into the space between the front surface sheet 60 and the interior sheet 66, and grips a part of the front surface sheet 60 or hooks the fingers on the front surface sheet 60. In other words, the opening 71 formed in the interior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60 forms the holding portion 68 for holding the pouch container 50. No particular limitation is imposed on a formation position of the holding portion 68 so long as the holding portion 68 is on the side of the front surface sheet 60 and is at a lower side of the container than the top gusset sheet 64. However, in consideration of the stability when the pouch container 50 is held, the holding portion 68 is preferably provided at approximately the same height position as the height of the center of gravity of the pouch container 50.
No particular limitation is imposed on the size of the interior sheet 66 so long as a space into which the finger is inserted can be formed between the interior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60. However, in consideration of the productivity or the like, the interior sheet 66 is provided over the entire width of the front surface sheet 60. In other words, the width of the interior sheet 66 is preferably set at the same width as the front surface sheet 60. With such a configuration, the pouch container 50 can be easily and inexpensively manufactured by existing bag production processes using a long-length sheet. In addition, by providing the holding portion 68 by inserting the interior sheet 66 between the front and back surface sheets, it becomes possible to manufacture the pouch container 50 using typical front and back surface sheets having a sealant layer on one surface.
The bottom gusset sheet 62 is a sheet which connects the lower end of the front surface sheet 60 and the lower end of the back surface sheet 58. The bottom gusset sheet 62 is mountain-folded in the upward direction and sandwiched between the front and back surface sheets. In this state, the peripheral edge of the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the front and back surface sheets are bonded together. The locations where the peripheral edge of the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the lower ends of the front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 are heat-sealed become a bottom seal portion 70b. When the pouch container 50 is filled with the contents, the mountain-folded bottom gusset sheet 62 is expanded and widened, and gives a thickness to the pouch container 50.
The top gusset sheet 64 is a sheet which connects an upper end of the front surface sheet 60 and an upper end of the back surface sheet 58. The top gusset sheet 64 is mountain-folded in the downward direction, and sandwiched between the front and back surface sheets. In this state, the peripheral edge of the top gusset sheet 64 and the front and back surface sheets are bonded together. The locations where the peripheral edge of the top gusset sheet 64 and the upper ends of the front and back surface sheets are heat-sealed become a top seal portion 70t. In the present embodiment, the upper end position of the front surface sheet 60 is lower than the upper end position of the back surface sheet 58. Therefore, the top seal portion 70t on the side of the front surface sheet 60 is lower than the top seal portion 70t on the side of the back surface sheet 58.
At the top seal portion 70t which is the bonding location between the top gusset sheet 64 and the back surface sheet 58, the outlet plug 54 is attached. The outlet plug 54 is an approximate tubular structure made of a hard resin. The outlet plug 54 comprises a spout 74 bonded to the container body 52, and a cap 76 screwed to the spout 74. As shown in
The sheets forming the container body 52 are formed from, for example, resin films. For the materials forming the sheets, the lamination structure of the sheets, or the like, structures similar to the first preferred embodiment can be applied. On the sheet, a printing layer (not shown) may be provided for displaying the product name of the contents, product explanation such as materials and cautions on use, various other designs, or the like.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the container body 52 has a form having the bottom gusset and the top gusset, the outlet plug 54 is provided on the side of the back surface sheet 58, and the holding portion 68 for holding the pouch container 50 is provided on the side of the front surface sheet 60. Such a configuration is employed for the following reason.
When the contents of the pouch container 50 are to be poured out, the pouch container 50 obviously must be held and tilted. In this process, when there is no holding portion 68 on the pouch container 50, the user must grip the body portion or the like of the pouch container 50 directly with the hand. However, if the force of gripping the body portion is strong, the pouch container 50 may be compressed, and the contents may burst out. On the other hand, if the force of gripping the body portion is weak, the pouch container 50 cannot be held and the pouch container 50 may fall down. Thus, the force application is very sensitive. Because of this, in the case of the pouch container 50 having no holding portion 68, when the contents are to be poured out, it is necessary to hold the body portion of the pouch container with one hand and place the other hand at the bottom of the pouch container 50. In other words, in the case of the pouch container 50 having no holding portion 68, the pour-out operation with a single hand is difficult.
In consideration of this, provision of the holding portion in the standing pouch has been proposed. For example, as shown in
In the case of the pouch container 110 which has only the bottom gusset and has no top gusset as shown in
Further, in consideration of the circumstances of the pour-out operation, in the case of the pouch container 110, because the thickness is increased toward the bottom portion, the center of gravity of the container as a whole is at a relative low position. In order to grip only the handle 111 placed at the back surface and tilt the pouch container 110 having the center of gravity at a low position, a larger force would be required as compared to the case of the pouch container 50. Because of this, normally, the pouch container 110 is tilted while griping the handle 111 and placing a hand on the bottom portion of the pouch container 110. Moreover, when the contents flow downward due to the force of gravity when the pouch container 110 is tilted, the relative positional relationship of the center of gravity with respect to the handle 111 tends to drastically change. The user must adjust the angle of tilting the pouch container 110 or the like according to the drastic change of the position of the center of gravity. Furthermore, because the pouch container 110 has a thinner thickness on the top portion side as compared to the pouch container 50, the pouch container 110 is more easily deformed as the amount of the contents is reduced.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, both the top gusset sheet 64 and the bottom gusset sheet 62 are provided. With such a configuration, the container as a whole has an approximately uniform thickness. As a result, the amount of contents can be increased in comparison to the width and the height. In addition, when a plurality of the containers are laid out side by side in the shop or the like, a dead space tends not to be created, and the exhibition space can be effectively utilized.
In addition, by setting the thickness to an approximately uniform thickness over the entirety of the pouch container 50, the position of the center of gravity can be set at a high position. Therefore, the container can be more easily tilted than the pouch container 110. In addition, because the thickness is approximately uniform over the entire container, even when the pouch container 50 is tilted and the contents flow to the side of the outlet plug 54, the change of the relative positional relationship of the center of gravity with respect to the holding portion 68 is small. As a result, the pouch container can be stably tilted without a sensitive force adjustment. In addition, because the pouch container 50 has a thickness over the whole structure, even when the mount of the contents is reduced, folding or narrowing tends not to occur, and the pouch container 50 is not easily deformed. As a result, a stable pour-out operation is enabled even with a single hand.
In the present embodiment, the outlet plug 54 is provided on a surface opposite the holding portion 68. Because of this, as shown in
In the present embodiment, the holding portion 68 is formed from the opening 71 formed in the front surface sheet 60 and the interior sheet 66 heat-sealed on the front surface sheet 60. With such a configuration, the pouch container 50 having the holding portion 68 can be easily and inexpensively manufactured by the existing bag production process using a long-length sheet. In the related art, there is proposed a configuration in which a holding portion (handle) made of a material separate from the sheet forming the container body is attached on the pouch container, but in such a configuration, the holding portion cannot be formed in the existing bag production process such as cutting, folding, and bonding of the sheet materials, and a dedicated process must be provided for forming the holding portion. As a result, the cost of the pouch container having the holding portion would be increased and the manufacturing process thereof would become complicated.
Next, manufacturing steps of the pouch container 50 will be described with reference to
When the pouch container 50 is manufactured, first, the top gusset sheet 64 which is mountain-folded, the bottom gusset sheet 62, and the interior sheet 66 are placed between the front and back surface sheets (
After the sheet are placed, punch machining is executed using a punching machine 80 on the front surface sheet 60, to form the opening 71 in the front surface sheet 60 (
Then, a heat insulation plate 86 is placed between the portions of the mountain-folded top gusset sheet 64. In this state, the peripheral edge of the top gusset sheet 64 and the ends of the front and back surface sheets are heat-sealed, and the peripheral edge of the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the ends of the front and back surface sheets are heat-sealed (
After the top gusset sheet 64 and the front surface sheet 60 are cut, the top gusset sheet 64 is again tilted, and the pouch container 50 is returned to the flat state. The side portions of the pouch container 50 are heat-sealed. In this process, a point seal Ps is also applied for bonding the ends in the width direction of the bottom seal portion 70b formed by the front surface sheet 60 and the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the ends in the width direction of the bottom seal portion 70b formed by the back surface sheet 58 and the bottom gusset sheet 62. Similarly, a point seal Ps is also applied for bonding the ends in the width direction of the top seal portion 70t formed by the front surface sheet 60 and the top gusset sheet 64 and the ends in the width direction of the top seal portion 70t formed from the back surface sheet 58 and the top gusset sheet 64. After the side seal portion 70s and the point seal Ps are formed, the long-length sheet is cut in a width of each pouch container 50 (
Then, the outlet plug 54 is inserted between the top gusset sheet 64 and the back surface sheet 58. Specifically, first, in a state where the top gusset sheet 64 is suctioned and held by a first suctioning member (not shown) and the back surface sheet 58 is suctioned and held by a second suctioning member (not shown), the first and second suctioning members are moved in directions away from each other so that a gap is formed between the back surface sheet 58 and the top gusset sheet 64. Then, the attachment portion 74b of the outlet plug 54 is inserted into the gap. After the attachment portion 74b of the outlet plug 54 is inserted between the back surface sheet 58 and the top gusset sheet 64, while the state of sandwiching the attachment portion 74b is maintained, the upper end of the back surface sheet 58 and the upper end of the top gusset sheet 64 are heat-sealed. As is clear from
As is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, the holding portion 68 is formed from a sheet similar to the sheet forming the pouch container 50. As a result, the holding portion 68 can be easily formed by only adding, to the typical processes for the pouch container 50, a formation step of the opening 71 on the front surface sheet 60 (
Alternatively, the above-described cutting step of the front surface sheet 60 (
In
In a pouch container 50x shown in
The opening and cut-in forming the opening 71 do not need to be formed in advance, and a perforation or a half-cut line for forming the opening or cut-in may be formed in the front surface sheet 60. In this case, the user may break the front surface sheet along the perforation and half-cut line to form the opening 71 when the holding portion 68 is required such as when the contents are to be poured.
The interior sheet 66 preferably has the same width as the front surface sheet 60 for the convenience of manufacture, but the width is not necessarily the same width, and the width of the interior sheet 66 may be set smaller than the width of the front surface sheet 60. In addition, an end surface of the interior sheet 66 can be isolated from the internal space of the pouch container 50 similar to the case of the first preferred embodiment (refer to
The structure described above is merely exemplary, and the structures may be suitably changed so long as the pouch container is a pouch container 50 having the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the top gusset sheet 64, and has the holding portion 68 on the side opposite from the attachment surface of the outlet plug 54. For example, the size (aspect ratio) or the like of the pouch container 50 may be suitable changed.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST First Preferred Embodiment10 POUCH CONTAINER; 11 FRONT SURFACE SHEET; 12 BACK SURFACE SHEET; 13 BOTTOM GUSSET SHEET; 14 FILLING PORTION; 15 UPPER END SEAL PORTION; 16 BOTTOM SEAL PORTION; 17 SIDE SEAL PORTION; 18 SPOUT; 19 CAP; 20 OUTLET PLUG; 21 CUT-OUT; 22 PLANNED CUT LINE; 23 SLANTED SIDE PORTION; 25 HOLDING PORTION; 26 INTERIOR SHEET; 27 INTERNAL SPACE; 28 END EDGE SEAL PORTION; 29 OPENING; 30 CUT-IN; 31 BAND PORTION; 32, 34A, 34B, 35A, 35B TONGUE PIECE; 33 TAPE; 35 TICK
Second Preferred Embodiment50 POUCH CONTAINER; 52 CONTAINER BODY; 54 OUTLET PLUG; 58 BACK SURFACE SHEET (FIRST SURFACE SHEET); 60 FRONT SURFACE SHEET (SECOND SURFACE SHEET); 62 BOTTOM GUSSET SHEET; 64 TOP GUSSET SHEET; 66 INTERIOR SHEET; 68 HOLDING PORTION; 70 SEAL PORTION; 71 OPENING; 74 SPOUT; 76 CAP; 78 TONGUE PIECE; 80 PUNCHING MACHINE; 82, 86 HEAT INSULATION PLATE; 84 THERMAL SEAL BAR; 88 THERMAL SEAL PLATE; 90 GUIDERAIL
Claims
1-13. (canceled)
14. A pouch container comprising:
- at least one of wall-surface sheets that form at least a first surface and a second surface which oppose each other; and
- a holding portion, wherein
- the holding portion comprises:
- at least one of an interior sheets that is bonded to an inner surface of at least one of the first surface and the second surface and that is provided over an entire length in a lateral direction of the pouch container; and
- an opening formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is bonded, at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
15. The pouch container according to claim 14, wherein
- the wall-surface sheets include:
- a first surface sheet that forms the first surface;
- a second surface sheet that forms the second surface and that forms a tubular structure along with the first surface sheet; and
- a bottom gusset sheet that connects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of the second surface sheet.
16. The pouch container according to claim 15, wherein
- the interior sheet is bonded to the inner surface of the first surface, and
- the opening is formed on the first surface at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
17. The pouch container according to claim 15, wherein
- the interior sheets are bonded on respectively the inner surfaces of the first surface and the second surface at positions opposing each other, and
- the opening is formed on each of the first surface and the second surface at a respective position overlapping the interior sheet.
18. The pouch container according to claim 16, further comprising:
- a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein
- the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet.
19. The pouch container according to claim 17, further comprising:
- a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein
- the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet.
20. The pouch container according to claim 14, wherein
- the wall-surface sheets include:
- a first surface sheet that forms the first surface;
- a second surface sheet that forms the second surface and that forms a tubular structure along with the first surface sheet;
- a top gusset sheet that connects an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet; and
- a bottom gusset sheet that connects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of the second surface sheet.
21. The pouch container according to claim 20, wherein
- the interior sheet is bonded to the inner surface of the first surface, and
- the opening is formed on the first surface at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
22. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein
- a position of the upper end of the second surface sheet is lower than a position of the upper end of the first surface sheet.
23. The pouch container according to claim 21, further comprising:
- a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein
- the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between the top gusset sheet and the upper end of the first surface sheet,
- and
- the holding portion has the interior sheet bonded to the inner surface of the second surface and the opening formed on the second surface sheet at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
24. The pouch container according to claim 18 wherein the holding portion is provided at a lower side of the container than the pouring outlet.
25. The pouch container according to claim 21 wherein the holding portion is provided at a lower side of the container than the pouring outlet.
26. The pouch container according to claim 16, wherein
- an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
27. The pouch container according to claim 18, wherein
- an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
28. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein
- an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
29. The pouch container according to claim 23, wherein
- an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
30. The pouch container according to claim 16, wherein
- the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
31. The pouch container according to claim 18, wherein
- the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
32. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein
- the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
33. The pouch container according to claim 23, wherein
- the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 8, 2014
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2016
Applicant: Fuji Seal International, Inc. (Osaka-shi, Osaka)
Inventors: Tadashi TAKANO (Osaka-shi), Suguru ARAI (Osaka-shi), Masahito SUZUKI (Osaka-shi)
Application Number: 15/102,122