EP2247513B1

EP2247513B1 - Zippered bag with a spout

Info

Publication number: EP2247513B1
Application number: EP09717423A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Toru Ichikawa; Kazuhiro Umenaka
Original assignee: Hosokawa Yoko KK
Current assignee: Hosokawa Yoko KK
Priority date: 2008-03-04
Filing date: 2009-02-24
Publication date: 2012-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 2029-02-24
Also published as: US20100290720A1; HK1152021A1; JP2009208816A; EP2247513A1; JP5113559B2; CN102015481A; WO2009110398A1; CN102015481B; AR070785A1

Abstract

A bag includes a bag body having first and second sides (11c, 11d) to meet each other, and a third side (11e) extending obliquely to the first and second sides (11c, 11d) and defining an opening; a spout unit (13) having an apex (13a) projecting from the third side and defining a corner, and a zipper (15); and a recessed portion (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) positioned away from the zipper (15) and formed on at least one of the first and second sides (11c, 11d).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a bag according to the preamble of claim 1. Thus, the present invention relates to a zippered bag including a zipper openable or closable.

BACKGROUND ART

A bag of the initially mentioned type is known, e.g., from WO 2007/108251 . EP 1754667 A1 discloses a packaging bag. US 4974732 A1 , WO 9005680 A1 and FR 2760728 A1 disclose further bags.
There are known various packaging bags each having a spout portion fitted with a zipper openable or closable of the spout portion. In them, for facilitating discharge of a content, for example, a packaging bag as shown in Patent Document 1 is disclosed, where the upper corner of the packaging bag functions as a spout portion. The packaging bag as shown in Patent Document 1 has a spout portion formed by obliquely opening the upper corner. This packaging bag includes, inside of the spout outlet to be opened, a zipper which is openable or closable of the spout portion.
In the packaging bag as shown by Patent Document 1, however, the spout portion includes only a linear zipper. Therefore, when the content is discharged through the spout portion, maintaining the spout portion in open state is difficult. When hand fingers hold the spout portion, the bag can be slipped off from the hand fingers. Thus, the applicant of the subject application has invented a packaging bag with a spout unit as described in Patent Document 2.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Unexamined Application Publication No. 2002-284195 .
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Unexamined Application Publication No. 2005-350104 .

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

The packaging bag as described in Patent Document 2 has a spout outlet having an opening wider than that of the spout outlet as described in Patent Document 2. However, the spout outlet which has been once wide opened narrows naturally. If the content is a large solid matter, it is occasionally difficult for the content to be discharged. For discharging a large quantity of the content for a shorter time at a time, maintaining the wide open state has been a problem.
Further, in the packaging bag described in Patent Document 2, fingers tend to slip on the side provided with the spout unit, which can cause the packaging bag to be slipped off from the hand fingers.
In view of such circumstances, the invention provides a bag where, even if a content is large, an open state is maintained for easily discharging the content, and a packaging bag is not slipped off from hand fingers.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM

The present invention provides a bag as defined in claim 1. Further embodiments of the bag according to the invention are described in the dependent claims. Hereinafter, the invention is described, with reference numerals attached thereto.
The invention provides a bag (10A) including a bag body (11) having first and second sides (11c, 11d) to meet each other, and a third side (11e) extending obliquely to the first and second sides (11c, 11d) and defining an opening; a spout unit (13) having an apex (13a) projecting from the third side and defining a corner ; and a zipper (15); wherein first and second recessed portions (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) are positioned away from the zipper (15) and formed on the first and second sides (11c, 11d), respectively.
Preferably, the recessed portions(17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) are adjacent to the spout unit (13).
Preferably, the recessed portions (18A, 18B) extend perpendicularly to a diagonal line (L2) extending from the apex (13a) and dividing the spout unit (13) in half.

BENEFITS OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, applying of fingers on respective first and second recessed portions (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) allows the bag body (11) to be easily held, which facilitates discharge of the content. The fingers holding the first and second recessed portions (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) grasp inwardly of the packaging bag, which widens the spout outlet (13k) of the spout unit (13) and maintains the wide open state.

BEST MODE FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

With reference to Fig. 1, a bag 10A includes a bag body 11, and a spout unit 13 fixed to the bog body 11.
The bag body 11 is a plane bag having first and second plane portions 11a and 11b, with the peripheries 11a1 and 11b1 hermetically sealed each other by heat sealing. The bag body 11 has an oblique side 11e as a third side joining the ends of a top side 11c and a lateral side 11d as first and second sides to meet each other.
The bag body 11 is constituted with laminated films, which may employ anything. The laminated films employ, for example, those of a base material layer, an intermediate layer and an innermost layer laminated from outside.
The base material layer is desirably a film, which has superior printability, and impact resistance such as lunge strength and tensile strength. The base material layer employs, for example, a single layer or a laminated layer of a biaxially-oriented film or a uniaxially-oriented film of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyamide, ethylene-vinylalcohol copolymer or the like. For giving barrier property against oxygen and water vapor to it, the base material layer employs a film which is vapor-deposited with metal of aluminum or the like or inorganic oxide of oxidized silicon or the like or which is coated with polyvinylidene chloride. Paper or cellophane may be used.
The intermediate layer is desirably a film having functionalities of oxygen barrier property, water vapor barrier property and tear property according to applications of the bag. The intermediate layer employs, for example, a metal foil of aluminum or the like; or the above-described vapor-deposited film or coated film.
The innermost layer is desirably a film which is capable of thermal adhesive bonding by heat sealing. The innermost layer employs, for example, an unoriented film of high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. The innermost layer may employ a resin layer formed by extruding these resins by extrusion laminating. In addition, the innermost layer is desirably the same material as that of the spout unit 13 for being bonded to spout unit 13.
These films employ an adhesive, a thermal adhesiveness resin or the like, and are laminated together by known method.
The bag is not limited to the bag body 11 of a plane bag, and may employ a standing pouch or the like having a bottom member.
The bag 10A includes a spout unit 13 coupled to the bag body 11 and projecting from the oblique side 11e of the bag body 11. The spout unit 13 employs a resin of polyethylene, polypropylene or the like, and is formed by injection molding. The spout unit 13 includes two rectangular first and second sheets 13b and 13c each having an upper side 13d, a left side 13e, a right side 13f and a lower side 13g. The first and second sheets 13b and 13c are put on each other. The upper side 13d and the left side 13e forms an apex 13a, which constitutes a corner 10b of the bag 10A.
The spout unit 13 has the right side 13f and the lower side 13g as peripheral sides positioned in the bag body 11. The right side 13f extends obliquely to the upper side 13d. The lower side 13g extends obliquely to the left side 13e. The right side 13f and the lower side 13g meet each other, and form a diagonal point 13h. The diagonal line L2 joining the apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h divides the spout unit 13 in half.
In the spout unit 13, the first and second sheets 13b and 13c are bonded together on the upper side 13d and left side 13e. The spout unit 13 is integrated with the bag body 11 by bonding the first and second sheets 13b and 13c to the inner surfaces of the first and second plane portions 11a and 11b of the bag body 11 by heat sealing at the portion of overlapping the first and second sheets 13b and 13c with the bag body 11, respectively.
The spout unit 13 includes a zipper 15 located inside of the bag body 11. The zipper 15 bends, for example, on the diagonal line L2, and is positioned parallel to the right side 13f and the lower side 13g. The zipper 15 includes male and female zippers 15a and 15b engaging each other. The male and female zippers 15a and 15b are integrally formed on the inner surfaces of the first and second sheets 13b and 13c, respectively. The male and female zippers 15a and 15b engage each other for sealing the bag 10A.
The spout unit 13 may have a tab 14 provided outside of the bag body 11 and located so as to project outwardly. The tab 14 includes first and second tabs 14A and 14B passing through the plane portions 11a and 11b of the bag body 11, respectively. Pulling the first and second tabs 14A and 14B outwardly of the bag 10A allows the male and female zippers 15a and 15b of the zipper 15 to be disengaged each other, which facilitates opening the bag 10A.
The spout unit 13 may have a tear portion 13j for separating an apex portion 13a from the portion coupled to the bag body 11. The tear portion 13j is positioned coinciding with the oblique side 11e of the bag body 11. The tear portion 13j extends straight and orthogonally to the diagonal line L2, and reaches the upper side 13d and left side 13e. The tear portion 13j is formed, for example, by thinning each thickness of the first and second sheets 13b and 13c, which facilitates tearing off the apex portion 13a from the portion coupled to the bag body 11. The tear portion 13j may be formed with a so-called rough surface having an aggregation of fine holes.
It is noted that the spout unit 13 maybe formed with cutouts as tearing-off start portions on the extension of the tear portion 13j on the upper side 13d and the left side 13e. They may be combined with each other.
The inner surfaces or the outer surfaces of the first and second sheets 13b and 13c of the spout unit 13 may be formed between the apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h with fold lines coinciding with the diagonal line L2. The fold lines are formed, for example, by thinning each thickness of the first and second sheets 13b and 13c. When a force is applied to the upper side 13d and the left side 13e of the spout unit 13 from the left and right, the first and second sheets 13b and 13c are folded on the fold lines, and the fold lines become ridge lines. That is, the fold lines allow the tear portion 13j to facilitate defining a spout outlet 13k in a rectangular wide open state.
The bag 10A includes U-shaped first and second recessed portions 17A and 17B which are positioned away from the spout unit 13 and are formed on the top side 11c and the lateral side 11d. The first and second recessed portions 17A and 17B are positioned adjacently to the right side 13f and the lower side 13g. The first and second recessed portions 17A and 17B include first and second leg portions 17a and 17b extending inwardly and perpendicularly from the top side 11c and the lateral side 11d, and bow-shaped arch portions 17c joining the first and second leg portions 17a and 17b to each other, respectively. The first leg portions 17a are closer to the right side 13f and the lower side 13g than the second leg portions 17b, respectively. In the recessed portions 17A and 17B, respective lines of joining two leg portions 17a each other and joining two leg portions 17b each other are, preferably, perpendicular to the diagonal line L2 which joins apex 13a and the diagonal line 13h and divides the spout unit in half. That is because when hand fingers hold the recessed portions 17A and 17B, a force of the hand fingers is applied to the recessed portions 17A and 17B perpendicularly to the diagonal line L2, which facilitates maintaining the spout outlet 13k in a rectangular wide open state.
Next, a method of using the bag 10A is described.
The first or top side 11c of the bag body 11 and the upper side 13d of the spout unit 13 constitute the open upper end of the bag 10A. A content is filled from the upper end. After filling, the upper end is bonded by heat sealing, which hermetically seals the bag 10A.
When the bag 10A is opened, the apex portion 13a of the spout unit 13 as the corner 10b of the bag 10A is cut off along the tear portion 13j, which forms the spout outlet 13k(refer to Fig.2). When the tabs 14A and 14B are pulled outwardly, respectively, the engagement of the male zipper 15a and the female zipper 15b of the zipper 15 is released. Next, with reference to Fig. 2, fingers are applied on the recessed portions 17A and 17B, and hold the bag 10A. These fingers hold the bag 10A inwardly, which allows the spout outlet 13k of the spout unit 13 to be widened in a rectangle and to be maintained in a wide open state. This prevents the bag 10A from being slipped off from the hand fingers.
The bag 10A is inclined, and the content is discharged from the spout outlet 13k. After discharging, the male zipper 15a and the female zipper 15b are engaged each other, which allows the bag 10A to be resealed.

Second Embodiment

With reference to Fig. 3, a bag 10B has features in first and second recessed portions 18A and 18B, and other constituents are similar to those of the bag 10A according to the first embodiment.
The V-shaped first and second recessed portions 18A and 18B extend perpendicularly to the diagonal line L2 which joins the apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h and divides the spout unit 13 in half. The first and second recessed portions 18A and 18B have first and second leg portions 18a and 18b extending obliquely to the top side 11c and the lateral side 11d, respectively. The first and second legs 18a and 18b approach each other inwardly of the bag body 11. The first legs 18a are closer to the spout unit 13 than the second legs 18b. The first legs 18a are parallel to the diagonal line L2 joining apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h. The second legs 18b are perpendicular to the diagonal line L2 joining apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h.
According to the bag 10B, fingers are inserted between the first and second legs 18a and 18b. When fingers apply a force to the first legs 18a, the force is applied perpendicularly to the diagonal line L2 joining the apex 13a and the diagonal point 13h, which facilitates maintaining the spout unit 13k in a rectangular wide open state.
It is noted that the above-described embodiment can be changed within the scope of the purpose of the invention. For example, the recessed portions 17A, 17B, 18A and 18B are not limited to the described U-shape or V-shape, and may have any shapes if they function as means for maintaining the open state. Regarding the positions, a part or all of them may overlap with the spout unit 13.
The described heat sealing is not limited to heat sealing, and may employ a sealing of using an adhesive or a sealing of hot -melt method. If sealing is possible, any method may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a plane view illustrating a bag according to the first embodiment.
[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an opened bag.
[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a plane view illustrating a bag according to the second embodiment.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

10A, 10B: bag
11: bag body
13: spout unit
14: tab
15: zipper
17A: first recessed portion
17B: second recessed portion
18A: first recessed portion
18B: second recessed portion

Claims

A bag (10A) comprising:
a bag body (11) having first and second sides (11c, 11a) to meet each other, and a third side (11e) extending obliquely to the first and second sides (11c, 11a) and defining an opening;

a spout unit (13) having an apex (13a) projecting from the third side (11e) and defining a corner (10b); and

a zipper (15) located inside of the bag body (11) and formed on the inner surface of the spout unit (13); the bag (10A) characterized by
first and second recessed portions (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) positioned away from the zipper (15) and formed on the first and second sides (11c, 11d), respectively.
The bag (10A) according to claim 1, wherein the first and second recessed portions (17A, 17B, 18A, 18B) are adjacent to the spout unit (13).
The bag (10A) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and second recessed portions (18A, 18B) extend perpendicularly to a diagonal line (L2) extending from the apex (13a) and dividing the spout unit (13) in half.