EP4063291B1 - Pouch package with movable pouring spout - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bag packaging with a bag and a pouring element.

Such a bag packaging in the form of a stand-up pouch packaging is, for example, from DE 10 2008 062 377 A1 known. The bag of the stand-up pouch packaging has a base and two bag walls formed from a plastic film, which enclose an interior for a flowable or pourable product. The pouring element has a pouring spout for pouring the product from the interior and a weld-in part. The weld-in part is arranged between the two bag walls and welded to them, creating a tight connection between the weld-in part and the bag walls. The weld-in part includes a channel through which the product can pass from the interior into the pouring spout. On an outer surface of the cylindrical pouring spout, an external thread is provided onto which a screw cap can be screwed in order to close the pouring spout. Pouring spouts suitable for bag packaging are out EP 3 214 010 A2 , US 2009/230075 A1 , WO 2015/183251 A1 and US 2020/039704 A1 known.

Pouch packaging of this type is used, among other things, as refill packs for liquid detergents or cleaning agents. Since they have a comparatively low packaging weight and can be manufactured with little material input, bag packaging has been able to continuously increase its market share in packaging in recent years. Due to constant cost pressure and the increasing importance of environmental compatibility and sustainability of packaging, it is expected that bag packaging will continue to play an important role in the future. In addition to low costs and high environmental compatibility, other requirements are also placed on bag packaging in order to be able to differentiate itself from competitors' bag packaging in a way that is recognizable to the customer. These include, for example, easy handling and a high level of user-friendliness as well as a pleasing design of the bag packaging.

In the case of a highly viscous product, for example in the form of a liquid cleaning agent concentrate, the cross section of the channel in the weld-in part must not be too small, otherwise it will be difficult to meter out the cleaning agent concentrate from the interior of the bag. A larger channel cross-section usually requires a larger pouring element and therefore leads to a larger use of material. In addition, a separate part such as the screw cap described above is usually necessary to close the pouring element, which also increases the amount of material used.

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a bag packaging that can be produced with little use of material and is easy to handle.

The object on which the invention is based is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 1. Embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

According to the invention, it is provided that the pouring spout is arranged to be movable relative to the weld-in part, with the passage of the product through the channel being prevented in a closed position of the pouring spout. If the pouring spout is moved from this closed position and assumes an open position, the product can be removed from the interior of the bag. The product passes through the now no longer closed channel of the welded part into the pouring spout, from which the product can be dispensed in the desired amount.

If the pouring spout is in the closed position, no further closure element is generally necessary to isolate the product inside from the environment. The invention therefore makes it possible in principle to store the product permanently in the bag. Inadvertent leakage of the product from the bag can also be avoided without having to provide a separate closure element. The pouring spout is the part of the pouring element which, when the product is properly dispensed from the interior, determines the direction of flow with which the outflowing product leaves the bag packaging.

The pouring spout can be arranged to be movable along a longitudinal axis of the channel. This is preferably a straight-line movement along the longitudinal axis.

The closed position can represent an axial end position beyond which further axial movement of the pouring spout is not possible. This is preferably a position in which the pouring spout is inserted deep into the channel of the welded part and further immersion of the pouring spout is not possible. The axial end position or the closed position can be defined by a suitable stop.

The open position can involve a variety of positions of the pouring spout in which the product can pass through the channel. An effective flow cross section and/or a flow resistance of the channel can depend on the position of the pouring spout. In an open end position, the effective flow cross section can be maximum and/or the flow resistance can be minimal, so that a maximum flow through the channel and through the pouring spout is then possible. In one exemplary embodiment, the operator can determine the maximum flow himself by selecting an axial intermediate position between the open end position and the closed position, which can make metering easier.

In addition to the axial displaceability of the pouring spout, another possibility is for the pouring spout to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the channel by a screwing movement can be. The ratio of rotary movement to axial movement can be adjusted by using a corresponding thread pitch of a screw connection between the pouring spout and the channel. For example, when rotating through 180°, the pouring spout can move from the closed position to the open end position. Alternatively, it can also involve a movement of the pouring spout that runs exclusively perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel.

Preferably, the movable pouring spout is captively connected to the weld-in part. For example, a stop that defines the open end position of the pouring spout can be designed so that the pouring spout can only be separated with a disproportionately large force or only by damaging the welded part and/or pouring spout.

The weld-in part can have a lenticular or diamond-shaped basic shape in cross section (the cross section should lie in a plane that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel). A first extent (longitudinal extent) can be larger by a factor of 1.5 to 5 (preferably 2 to 4) than a second extent (transverse extent), which runs perpendicular to the first extent. For example, the longitudinal extent is 20 to 150 mm. The transverse extension can preferably have values between 10 and 60 mm. With a diamond-shaped basic shape, the four corners or corner areas of the diamond can be rounded.

The cross section of the channel (channel cross section) of the welded part can be round or non-round. The cross section is preferably oval or elliptical, the center of the ellipse being able to coincide with the center of the diamond-shaped basic shape. A larger radius of the oval can extend in the direction of the longitudinal extension, a smaller radius of the oval can extend in the direction of the transverse extension. A non-round channel cross section is possible if the pouring spout is only arranged to be displaceable along the longitudinal axis of the channel and does not have to be rotated about the longitudinal axis.

The oval is preferably axially symmetrical both to the main axis and transverse to it. The ellipse can be a mathematically exact ellipse in which the sum of the distances to two predetermined points, the foci, is the same for each point on the ellipse's circumference.

The ratio of the larger radius to the smaller radius can range from 1.5 to 3. With a given diamond-shaped basic shape of the welded part, larger cross-sectional areas of the channel cross-section can be achieved by using a non-round channel cross-section compared to a round channel cross-section. This means that even highly viscous products can be stored in the bag packaging and easily dispensed from the interior without the shrink-wrapped part becoming too large.

In an exemplary embodiment with an elliptical channel cross section and a route-shaped cross section of the weld-in part, a ratio V _L (ratio of the longitudinal extent of the weld-in part to the larger radius of the ellipse is greater than a ratio V _Q (ratio of the transverse extent of the weld-in part to the smaller radius of the ellipse). The relation V _L /V _Q preferably takes values between 1.2 and 1.8.

The cross-sectional area of the channel cross-section can be adapted to the size of the bag packaging and the nature of the product inside. The cross-sectional area of the channel cross-section can take values between 20 mm ² and 4500 mm ² . In one exemplary embodiment, the cross-sectional area is 28 mm ² to 2000 mm ² . For a highly viscous product such as a detergent concentrate, cross-sectional areas between 700 mm ² and 2000 mm ² are preferred.

A volume of the interior of the bag packaging can be in a range of 0.2 l to 5 l.

According to the invention, the pouring spout has a lower spout section with an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface of the lower spout section facing an inner channel wall of the channel. Preferably, a circumferential gap with a constant gap dimension is formed between the inner channel wall and the outer surface. For example, if the channel cross section is round, the cross section of the lower nozzle section is preferably also round. In the case of an elliptical channel cross section, the cross section of the lower nozzle section is preferably also elliptical in order to obtain a constant gap dimension in the circumferential direction. The gap size can be very small or zero, so that the pouring spout is arranged in the channel with practically no play. Preferably, the gap dimension or, in the case of a press fit, a preload between the inner channel wall and the lower nozzle section is dimensioned such that friction during the movement of the pouring element in the channel is not too great and at the same time the product cannot flow out of the bag packaging between the inner channel wall and the outer surface of the lower nozzle section .

A first radial seal is provided between the outer surface of the lower nozzle section and the inner channel wall. According to the invention, the first radial seal is formed on the inner channel wall. It can be formed in one piece with the inner channel wall, for example as a protruding bead. Suitable materials for the welded part are polyethylene and polypropylene.

The first radial seal can be located below an upper edge of the weld-in part. If the weld-in part is flush with the bag walls surrounding the weld-in part, the upper edge of the weld-in part and the edges of the wall regions of the bag walls that rest against the weld-in part lie in the same plane. The first radial seal would be in this one Embodiment not visible from the outside.

The channel can have a shut-off plate with a peripheral surface, with an annular channel gap being provided between the peripheral surface of the shut-off plate and the inner channel wall. In the closed position of the pouring spout, the lower spout section is located in the annular channel gap between the shut-off plate and the inner channel wall. The inner surface of the lower nozzle section encloses the peripheral surface of the shut-off plate and forms a sealing system by compression. In this position of the lower nozzle section in the channel gap, the channel is closed. If the pouring spout is in the open end position, the product can pass through the channel and be dispensed via the pouring spout.

The shut-off plate can be held by at least one radial web, which in turn is supported on the inner wall of the channel. The radial web thus extends between the inner channel wall and the shut-off plate, which is preferably arranged centrally in the channel. In one embodiment, the shut-off plate is held by a plurality of radial webs which are evenly spaced in the circumferential direction of the shut-off plate. With three radial webs, the distance between two adjacent radial webs in the circumferential direction can be 120°.

The radial web is preferably located in a plane below the plane in which the shut-off plate lies. This makes it possible in a continuation of this exemplary embodiment to equip the shut-off plate with a second radial seal on the peripheral surface and to specify the parameters of the nozzle section and opening path via the height offset of the levels.

Preferably, the kana has both the first and the second radial seal. The second radial seal can be formed in one piece on the peripheral surface of the shut-off plate. Preferably, the second radial seal is arranged below the upper edge of the weld-in part.

In order to be able to move it more easily relative to the weld-in part, the pouring spout can have a handling tab. This handling tab can be gripped by hand in order to direct a tensile force into the pouring spout, through which the pouring spout can be moved from the closed position, for example. In one embodiment, the handling tab can also absorb compressive forces in order to press the pouring spout into the channel.

A cover cap for the pouring spout can be detachably attached to the weld-in part. For this purpose, fastening means can be provided on the weld-in part, into which the cover cap snaps or with which the cover cap interacts in another way. The cover cap is not necessary to close the pouring spout. Rather, the aim is to prevent possible product residues on or in the pouring spout from causing contamination if, after dispensing, there is unwanted contact with the pouring spout. The cover cap can be a dosing cup.

The pouring spout may have an upper spout section which is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the channel, preferably with an inclination angle of 10 to 80°. In one embodiment, the angle of inclination is in a range from 30° to 60°. The inclined upper nozzle section can simplify the handling and operation of the bag packaging.

Figur 1

eine erfindungsgemäße Beutelverpackung;

Figur 2

ein Ausgießelement in verschiedenen Ansichten (Figuren 2A, 2B und 2C);

Figur 3

ein Einschweißteil mit einem runden Kanal;

Figur 4

das Einschweißteil mit einem ovalen Kanal;

Figur 5

das Ausgießelement der Figur 2 zusätzlich mit einer Handhabungslasche; und

Figur 6

das Ausgießelement in einer weiteren Ausführung mit einer Abdeckkappe.

The invention is explained in more detail using the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. Show it:

Figure 1

a bag packaging according to the invention;

Figure 2

a pouring element in different views ( Figures 2A, 2B and 2C );

Figure 3

a weld-in part with a round channel;

Figure 4

the welded part with an oval channel;

Figure 5

the pouring element Figure 2 additionally with a handling tab; and

Figure 6

the pouring element in a further version with a cover cap.

Figure 1 shows a bag packaging, which is designated 1 in its entirety. The bag packaging 1 comprises a bag 10 and a pouring element 20. The bag 10 has two bag walls, of which the Figure 1 only a first bag wall 11 can be seen. The bag packaging 1 should be a stand-up pouch packaging. The stand-up pouch packaging has a base, which is shown in the schematic representation Figure 1 is not shown.

On an upper beveled edge 12 of the bag 10, part of the first bag wall 11 is broken away in the drawing in order to make the pouring element 20 visible. The pouring element 20 is arranged between the first bag wall 11 and a second bag wall 13 that is partially visible only from behind. The pouring element 20 is welded to the bag walls, which are preferably formed from a plastic film, so that at the upper beveled edge 12 there is a liquid or pourable product, which is in an interior of the bag 10, which passes through the first bag wall 11 and the second Bag wall 12 is limited and cannot escape inadvertently. The upper edge 12 of the bag 10 does not have to be beveled. It can also run parallel to the bottom of the bag 10.

The Figure 2 shows different views of the pouring element 20. Figure 2A shows the pouring element from the side, with the Figures 2B and 2C Sectional views of the pouring element 20 represent. The pouring element 20 includes a weld-in part 21 and a pouring spout 22. The pouring spout 22 is arranged to be movable relative to the weld-in part 21. The Figures 2B and 2C show different positions of the pouring spout 22.

The weld-in part 21 has a channel 23 through which the product can be dispensed from the interior through the pouring spout 22. The pouring spout 22 is partially arranged in the channel 23 and can be axially displaced along a longitudinal axis 24 of the channel 23.

The pouring element 22 comprises a lower nozzle section 25 with a circumferential inner surface 26 and a circumferential outer surface 27. The outer surface 27 of the lower nozzle section 25 faces an inner channel wall 28 of the channel 23. The cross section of the lower nozzle section 25 is adapted to the cross section of the channel 23 so that a small gap 29 remains between the outer surface 27 of the lower nozzle section 25 and the channel inner wall 28, which should have a constant gap dimension when viewed in the circumferential direction of the channel inner wall 28. A first radial seal 30 is provided in the gap 29, which prevents the product from escaping through the gap 29 to the outside. The first radial seal 30 is arranged in an upper region of the channel 23. It is located below an upper edge 31 of the weld-in part 21.

The channel 23 has a central shut-off plate 32 with a peripheral surface 35, on which a second circumferential radial seal 33 is formed. The shut-off plate 32 is held by several radial webs 34, of which a radial web 34a is shown in section and another radial web 34b is shown in a side view. The shut-off plate 32 is dimensioned such that an annular channel gap 36 results between the peripheral surface 35 and the inner channel wall 29.

Figure 2B shows the pouring spout 22 in a closed position, which also represents an axial end position. In the closed position, the inner surface 26 of the lower nozzle section 25 of the pouring nozzle 22 lies sealingly against the second radial seal 33. As a result, the channel 23 is closed. When the channel is closed, no product can escape through the pouring spout 22.

Figure 2C shows the pouring spout 22 in an open position. In this open position, the lower nozzle section 25 is spaced apart from the circumferential channel gap 36 in the axial direction. Therefore, the product can flow past the radial webs 34 distributed on the circumference through the annular channel gap 36 and exit through the pouring spout 22.

Like the first radial seal 30, the second radial seal 33 is arranged below the upper edge 31 of the weld-in part 21. The two radial seals 30, 33 are therefore located between the upper edge 31 and a lower edge 37 of the weld-in part 21. They are therefore not visible from the outside and therefore do not affect the external appearance of the pouring spout 22 or the weld-in part 21.

In addition to the lower nozzle section 25, the pouring nozzle 22 has an upper nozzle section 38 which is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis 24 of the channel 23. An angle of inclination between a straight edge 39 of the upper nozzle section 38 and the longitudinal axis 24 is in the Figure 2B marked 40 and is approximately 35°. The inclined upper nozzle section 38 makes it easier to dispense the product.

From the Figure 2A It can be seen that the welded part 21 has several ribs 42 on a side wall 41. The ribs 42 promote a tight welded connection between the weld-in part 21 and the bag wall, which rests on the side wall 41. The upper edge 31 and the lower edge 37 of the weld-in part 21 are fixed by the side wall 41, which serves to seal the bag wall.

The Figures 3 and 4 show the welded part 21 from above, in which in Figure 3 illustrated embodiment, the channel 23 of the welded part 21 has a circular cross section. In the exemplary embodiment Figure 4 However, the cross section of the channel 23 is oval.

The welded part 21 has a diamond-shaped basic shape with four corner regions 43a to 43d. A distance between the two opposite corner regions 43b, 43d corresponds to a longitudinal extent of the diamond-shaped basic shape. A distance between the other two corner regions 43a, 43c corresponds to a transverse extension. The longitudinal extent is approximately 3 times greater than the transverse extent. The channel 23 is arranged centrally in a diamond-shaped basic shape, so that a central axis or the longitudinal axis 24 of the channel 23 coincides with an intersection of the connecting straight lines, one of which connects the corner regions 43d and 43b and the other the corner regions 43a and 43c.

Figure 3 also shows parts of the first bag wall 11 and the second bag wall 13. The first bag wall 11 rests on the side wall 41 of the weld-in part 21, while the second bag wall 13 rests on an opposite side wall 44. The two bag walls 11, 13 abut one another at the corner regions 43d, 43b and are welded together.

Figure 4 shows the welded part 21 with an oval or elliptical channel 23. The axisymmetric oval or ellipse can be described by a larger radius 45, which corresponds to half of the main axis of the ellipse. A smaller radius 46 corresponds to half the length of the minor axis of the ellipse, which is perpendicular to the major axis. Due to the elliptical channel cross-section, a larger cross-sectional area of the channel 23 can be realized given the basic shape of the weld-in part 21. A non-round cross section therefore represents a possibility of realizing large cross-sectional areas without making the welded part larger and thus using more material. That in the Figure 2 The exemplary embodiment described, in which the pouring spout 22 is only displaced axially along the longitudinal axis 24 of the channel 23, enables the use of non-round channel cross sections.

Figure 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of the pouring element 20, in which a handling tab 47 is provided on the pouring spout 22. Using the handling tab 47, a tensile force and/or compressive force can be introduced into the pouring spout 22 in order to push it axially into the weld-in part 21 or pull it up out of the weld-in part 21. The handling tab 47 is offset by 180 ° to the straight edge 39 of the upper nozzle section 38.

In the exemplary embodiment Figure 6 the weld-in part 21 has fastening means 48 on the upper edge 31 in order to releasably connect a separate cover cap 60 to the weld-in part 21. The cover cap 60 can be designed as a dosing cup, which enables a predetermined amount to be dispensed from the bag packaging 1.

Compared to the exemplary embodiments of Figures 2 and 5 the channel 23 ends in the exemplary embodiment Figure 6 not with the lower edge 37 of the weld-in piece 21, but has a channel extension 49 on the underside. Due to the channel extension 49 on the underside, the channel 23 has a larger axial extent, which also increases the axial length of the lower nozzle section 25 of the pouring nozzle 22. By changing the axial length, the opening and closing path of the pouring spout 22 in the channel 23 can be defined. The underside extension 49 can be dimensioned such that an upper side 50 of the shut-off plate 32, i.e. the side of the shut-off plate 32 that faces away from the interior of the bag 10, lies in the plane of the lower edge 37 of the weld-in part 21 or below this plane. This measure allows good guidance of the displaceable pouring spout 22 to be achieved with comparatively little use of material for the pouring element 20.

Reference symbol list

1

Bag packaging

10

bag

11

first bag wall

12

beveled top edge

13

second bag wall

20

pouring element

21

Welded part

22

Pouring spout

23

channel

24

Longitudinal axis

25

lower nozzle section

26

Inner surface

27

external surface

28

Canal inner wall

29

gap

30

first radial seal

31

upper edge

32

barrier plate

33

second radial seal

34

Radial web (34a, 34b)

35

Perimeter area

36

Channel gap

37

lower edge

38

upper nozzle section

39

straight edge

40

Angle of inclination

41

Side wall

42

rib

43

Echo range (43a to 43d)

44

side surface

45

larger radius

46

smaller radius

47

Handling tab

48

Fasteners

49

Channel extension

50

Top

60

Cover cap

Claims (12)

1. A pouch packaging item (1), in particular a standing pouch packaging item, comprising

   - a pouch (10), which has at least two pouch walls (11, 13) which enclose an interior for receiving a flowable or pourable product,

   - a pouring element (20), which has a pouring spout (22) for pouring the product out of the interior and a welded-in part (21) which is arranged between the two pouch walls (11, 13) and is sealingly connected thereto,

   the welded-in part (21) having a channel (23) through which the product can reach the pouring spout (22) from the interior, and the pouring spout (22) being arranged so as to be movable relative to the welded-in part (21), passage of the product through the channel (23) being prevented in a closed position of the pouring spout (22), characterized in that the pouring spout (22) has a lower spout portion (25) having an inner face (26) and an outer face (27), the outer face (27) of the lower spout portion (25) being opposite a channel inner wall (28) of the channel (23), a first radial seal (30) being provided between the outer face (27) of the lower spout portion (25) and the channel inner wall (28), said radial seal being integrally formed on the channel inner wall (28).
2. The pouch packaging item (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the pouring spout (22) is arranged so as to be movable along a longitudinal axis (24) of the channel (23).
3. The pouch packaging item (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that the welded-in part (21) has a lens-shaped or rhombic basic shape in cross section, the cross section of the channel (23) of the welded-in part (21) being oval in shape.
4. The pouch packaging item according to claim 1, characterized in that the first radial seal (30) is located below an upper edge (31) of the welded-in part (21).
5. The pouch packaging item (1) according to one of claims 1 or 4,
   characterized in that the channel (23) has a shut-off plate (32) having a peripheral surface (35), an annular channel gap (36) being provided between the peripheral surface (35) of the shut-off plate (32) and the channel inner wall (28).
6. The pouch packaging item (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, in the closed position of the pouring spout (22), the lower spout portion (25) is located in the channel gap (36) between the shut-off plate (32) and the channel inner wall (28).
7. The pouch packaging item (1) according to claim 5 or 6,
   characterized in that the shut-off plate is held by at least one radial connecting piece (34) which is supported on the channel inner wall (28).
8. The pouch packaging item (1) according to one of claims 5 to 7,
   characterized in that a second radial seal (33) is provided on the peripheral surface (35) of the shut-off plate (32), which radial seal is integrally formed on the cover plate.
9. The pouch packaging item according to claim 8, characterized in that the second radial seal (33) is located below the upper edge (31) of the welded-in part (21).
10. The pouch packaging item (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the pouring spout (22) has a handling tab (47).
11. The pouch packaging item (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a cover cap (60) for the pouring spout (22) can be detachably fastened to the welded-in part (21).
12. The pouch packaging item (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11,
    characterized in that the pouring spout (22) has an upper spout portion (38) which is inclined by 10° to 80° with respect to a longitudinal axis (24) of the channel (23).

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