EP4371899A1 - Spout, spout and cap assembly, and packaging bag with spout - Google Patents
Spout, spout and cap assembly, and packaging bag with spout Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4371899A1 EP4371899A1 EP22841819.0A EP22841819A EP4371899A1 EP 4371899 A1 EP4371899 A1 EP 4371899A1 EP 22841819 A EP22841819 A EP 22841819A EP 4371899 A1 EP4371899 A1 EP 4371899A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- flange
- spout
- cap
- tamper
- proof ring
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
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- 229920005672 polyolefin resin Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 3
- -1 acryl Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
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- 229920005604 random copolymer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000010902 straw Substances 0.000 description 2
- 210000003813 thumb Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 239000004711 α-olefin Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920000089 Cyclic olefin copolymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000219 Ethylene vinyl alcohol Polymers 0.000 description 1
- BZHJMEDXRYGGRV-UHFFFAOYSA-N Vinyl chloride Chemical compound ClC=C BZHJMEDXRYGGRV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 125000004122 cyclic group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000035622 drinking Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001903 high density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004700 high-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920000092 linear low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004707 linear low-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001684 low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004702 low-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001179 medium density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004701 medium-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006285 olefinic elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000002985 plastic film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006255 plastic film Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001200 poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) Polymers 0.000 description 1
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- 229920001225 polyester resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004645 polyester resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005678 polyethylene based resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920005673 polypropylene based resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- QQONPFPTGQHPMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N propylene Natural products CC=C QQONPFPTGQHPMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 125000004805 propylene group Chemical group [H]C([H])([H])C([H])([*:1])C([H])([H])[*:2] 0.000 description 1
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Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D75/52—Details
- B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
- B65D75/5861—Spouts
- B65D75/5872—Non-integral spouts
- B65D75/5883—Non-integral spouts connected to the package at the sealed junction of two package walls
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
- B65D41/32—Caps or cap-like covers with lines of weakness, tearing-strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices, e.g. to facilitate formation of pouring openings
- B65D41/34—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt
- B65D41/3404—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element
- B65D41/3409—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element the tamper element being integrally connected to the closure by means of bridges
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2575/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D2575/52—Details
- B65D2575/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
- B65D2575/583—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture the non-integral spout having an elongate cross-sectional shape, e.g. canoe or boat shaped
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2575/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D2575/52—Details
- B65D2575/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
- B65D2575/586—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture with means for reclosing
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to a spout, a spout and cap assembly, and a spouted pouch.
- An example of a spout and a cap having a tamper-proof function is a configuration in which there is a circular member along the lower part of a cap body.
- a connection between the cap body and the circular member is cut off after opening of the cap and the circular member is left as it is on the spout, which allows consumers to recognize the opening (Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2015-168478 ).
- the circular member according to Patent document 1 is left on a mouthpiece part of the spout with the band remaining circular after the disconnection of the band from the cap body when the cap is opened.
- There on the band may remain a small prickle or the like resulted from the disconnection from the cap body. Consequently, a consumer putting the spout into the mouth would lead to the prickle or the like on the band touching the mouth and bringing the consumer a feeling of discomfort.
- Some spouts have a flange part comprising two or more tires of flanges in order to facilitate handling of spouted pouches when they are manufactured or are filled inside with the contents.
- a consumer When opening a spouted pouch provided with such a spout, a consumer often opens it by gripping with one hand the flange part or a welded part between the pouch and the spout which is nearer its base end (nearer the pouch) than the flange part, and gripping and turning with the other hand a cap attached to the spout.
- the spout according to Patent document 1 is formed with a hollow recess on a flange part to be gripped by a consumer toward a tube part of the spout.
- Patent document 2 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2004-331124 ) describes a plug part where opening is recognized by a tamper-proof ring, which is a circular member, being circumferentially cut into two or more pieces with a connection between a cap body and the tamper-proof ring partially maintained.
- a purpose of the disclosure made in view of the above is to provide a spout, a spout and cap assembly, and a spouted pouch that do not bring the fingers and mouth of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end, a prickle, or the like of a tamper-proof ring cut by opening of a cap.
- a spout of an aspect of the disclosure is put between and attached to a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces forming a bag body, and the spout comprises: a hollow and tubular tube part; and a flange part comprising a plurality of flanges provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tube part on a side of a base end thereof, where a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body is attached to the tube part on a topside thereof, where the tamper-proof ring circumferentially splits into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body partially maintained, and where a top flange which is the topmost flange of the plurality of flanges is equal to or larger than the tamper-proof ring in outer diameter in a front-rear direction of the bag body.
- This configuration causes the top flange to be put between the tamper-proof ring and fingers if a consumer puts the thumb under the top flange to grip the spouted pouch when opening the cap.
- the top flange is positioned below the tamper-proof ring so as to cover the fingers. Therefore, after opening of the cap, an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of the tamper-proof ring that has split circumferentially into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body partially maintained and has turned obliquely downward does not touch the fingers and mouth of the consumer.
- the spouted pouch using the spout of the present configuration does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring.
- the top flange being equal to or larger than the tamper-proof ring in outer diameter causes the top flange to cover the whole lower part of the tamper-proof ring. This can prevent the tamper-proof ring from being tampered from below.
- the top flange may have two straight sections parallel to the pair of plane parts.
- the present configuration causes adjacent spouted pouches to come into contact with one another at the straight sections of their top flanges.
- the adjacent spouted pouches therefore have their surfaces in contact, so that the spouted pouches can be prevented from being misaligned due to overlapping of flange parts of adjacent spouted pouches when the spouted pouches are arranged and carried.
- a base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange may be shorter than the top flange in length in the front-rear direction of the bag body.
- the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange may be formed with a hollow in a direction parallel to the pair of plane parts. This configuration allows a consumer to avoid pain and a feeling of discomfort in fingers caused by gripping the base-end flange.
- the flange part having the plurality of flanges may comprise the two flanges, namely, the top flange and the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange. This configuration does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring even if the number of the flanges is two.
- a spout and cap assembly of an aspect of the disclosure comprises: the spout described above; and a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof.
- a spouted pouch of an aspect of the disclosure in relation to the spout described above, comprises: a bag body formed of a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces; the spout described above put between and attached to the pair of plane parts; and a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof.
- This configuration can prevent fingers or the like of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch from touching the tamper-proof ring.
- the present disclosure avoids bringing fingers and mouth of a consumer gripping a spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end, a prickle, or the like of a tamper-proof ring cut by opening of a cap.
- FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a spouted pouch 10 of the embodiment.
- the spouted pouch 10 of the embodiment comprises a bag body 12 forming a pouch, a spout 14, and a cap 16.
- the bag body 12 has a pair of plane parts 20A and 20B comprising front and rear surfaces, and the spout 14 is put between and attached to the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B.
- the spouted pouch 10 is formed in such a way that the spout 14 is heat-sealed on the inside of films constituting the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B of the bag body 12 with a attachment part 39 provided on the lower part of the spout 14 (see Figure 2 ) being put between them.
- the bag body 12 of the embodiment has a pair of side parts other than the plane parts 20A and 20B, but is not limited to this.
- a cap 16 having a cap body 22 and a tamper-proof ring 24 is attached to the topside of a tube part 30 of the spout 14 of the embodiment.
- Figure 2 (A) is a top perspective view of the spout 14
- Figure 2 (B) is a front view of the spout 14
- Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the spout 14 (cut along a line Z-Z' in Figure 2 (B) ). Note that a direction of a line connecting the topside and the base-end side of the spout 14 in Figure 2 is referred to as the vertical direction.
- the spout 14 comprises the tube part 30 to which the cap 16 is attached on the topside, and a flange part 32 comprising a plurality of flanges provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tube part 30 on the base-end side.
- the tube part 30 is hollow and tubular and has a mouthpiece part 34 on the top, and a male thread 36 for screwing into the cap 16 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the mouthpiece part 34. This allows the cap 16 to be removably attached to the spout 14.
- the flange part 32 two or more tiers of flanges are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tube part 30 on the base-end side, extending horizontally with respect to the vertical direction.
- the flange part 32 is used as a part to be gripped with a hand when the contents are discharged from the spouted pouch 10.
- the flange part 32 is used as a part to be put on a holder or the like in order for spouted pouches 10 to be arranged in a line when they are manufactured or are filled inside with the contents.
- the spout 14 of the embodiment has the flange part 32 that comprises two tiers of flanges, namely, a first flange 32A and a second flange 32B.
- the first flange 32A is a top flange on the topside of the tube part 30.
- the second flange 32B is a base-end flange nearer the base end than the first flange 32A.
- the upper surface of the first flange 32A on the top tier comes in contact with the undersurface of the cap 16, that is, the undersurface of the tamper-proof ring 24.
- the undersurface of the second flange 32B on the bottom tier comes in contact with the upper edges of the bag body 12, so as to prevent the spout 14 from falling into the inside of the bag body 12 in a manufacturing process.
- the first flanges 32A and the second flange 32B of the embodiment will be described in detail later.
- the spout 14 of the embodiment has a stopper 38 extending horizontally above the first flange 32A.
- the stopper 38 has a structure in which a pair of fan-shaped flanges are arranged on the left and right sides of the mouthpiece part 34, and the outer edges of the stopper 38 are formed to be positioned inside the outer edge of the first flange 32A on the top tier.
- the stopper 38 is positioned a predetermined distance above the first flange 32A, and a gap is formed between the stopper 38 and the first flange 32A. Ribs 40, 42, and 44 are formed in this gap so as to connect the first flange 32A to the stopper 38.
- the ribs 40, 42, and 44 are provided in pairs, where ribs of each pair are in point-symmetric positions.
- the ribs 40 are arranged to extend from the outer peripheral surface of the mouthpiece part 34 toward the left and right sides, respectively.
- the tip end of each rib 40 is a rachet 41 protruding outside the outer edge of the stopper 38.
- the rachets 41 are provided so as to be able to engage with tapered and almost trapezoidal lugs 66 (see Figure 4 (B) ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of ring pieces 64 constituting the tamper-proof ring 24.
- Each rib 42 extends perpendicularly to each rib 40 from a position between the base and the tip end of each rib 40 to the rim of the stopper 38.
- the tip end of each rib 42 is a rachet 43 protruding outside the outer edge of the stopper 38.
- the rachets 43 are provided so as to be able to engage with tapered and almost trapezoidal lugs 68 (see Figure 4 (B) ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring pieces 64 constituting the tamper-proof ring 24.
- the ribs 44 are formed to be symmetric with respect to the mouthpiece part 34.
- the ribs 44 function to prevent the tamper-proof ring 24 from being deformed inside at initial opening and to prevent the stopper 38 from being deformed.
- the pair of rachets 41 and the pair of rachets 43 are formed in almost trapezoidal shapes with the cross sections tapering down toward their tip ends, protrude outside the outer edge of the stopper 38, are each arranged in symmetric positions with respect to the mouthpiece part 34 as a central axis, and are shaped to be slightly slanted toward the opposite side of an opening direction X of the cap 16.
- the above-described shapes of the rachets 41 and 43 allow the lugs 66 and 68 on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-proof ring 24 to go beyond the rachets 41 and 43 when the cap 16 is turned in a closing direction Y.
- the lugs 66 and 68 and the rachets 41 and 43 then engage when the cap 16 is turned in the opening direction X.
- the rachets 41 and 43 in this configuration come in contact with the lugs 66 and 68 on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-proof ring 24 short of the lowest position where the cap 16 can be screwed.
- the cap 16 in the closing direction Y causes the lugs 66 and 68 to go beyond the rachets 41 and 43, and the closing of the mouthpiece part 34 is complete.
- the spout 14 has on its base end the attachment part 39 to be attached to the upper end of the bag body 12.
- the attachment part 39 is formed to extend toward the left and right sides, and its outer surface is attached with the upper edges of the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B forming the bag body 12.
- the spout 14 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin.
- Synthetic resins for forming the spout 14 include, for example, polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, (meth) acryl resins, vinyl chloride resins, and ethylene-vinylalcohol copolymers.
- polyolefin resins are preferable because of their superior workability and cost performance.
- Polyolefin resins include, for example, polyethylene-based resins such as high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, high-pressure low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, olefinic elastomers such as ethylene- ⁇ -olefin copolymers, polypropylene-based resins such as polypropylene, ethylene-propylene random copolymers, and ⁇ -olefin propylene random copolymers, and cyclic polyolefin resins. These resins may be blended for performance improvement, or may be partially cross-linked for the purpose of improving the heat resistance or the like.
- the spout 14 may be formed of a single material, or a multi-layer structure comprising various resin layers may be formed. It is preferable to form the attachment part 39 constituting the spout 14 of the same kind of resin as the one forming the innermost layers of the plane parts 20A and 20B in order to allow the attachment part 39 to be heat-sealed with the bag body 12.
- Figure 4 (A) is a side view of the cap 16, and Figure 4 (B) shows a positional relation between the lugs 66 and 68 of the tamper-proof ring 24 and the ratchets 41 and 43.
- the cap 16 of the embodiment comprises the cap body 22 and the tamper-proof ring 24.
- the cap body 22 is formed tubular, and comprises a disc-like top part 50 covering and sealing the top and a skirt part 52 forming the side.
- the lower part of the skirt part 52 is made to be a tapered-shape part 52a spreading out downward.
- a spiral female thread 54 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap body 22.
- the female thread 54 screws onto the male thread 36 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouthpiece part 34 of the spout 14 so as to be reclosable.
- a fluted knurling 52b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cap body 22 for slip resistance.
- a doughnut-shaped circular protrusion 56 may be provided on the inner surface of the disc-like top part 50.
- the circular protrusion 56 fits inside the mouthpiece part 34 to function as a gasket and ensure sealing performance.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 is circular, is connected to the lower end of the skirt part 52 of the cap body 22 and positioned under the cap body 22, and is provided so as to extend in a circumferential direction of the cap 16 around almost the same diameter as the lower end of the tapered-shape part 52a.
- the connection of the tamper-proof ring 24 to the cap body 22 is partially cut, and the tamper-proof ring 24 is split into the two or more ring pieces 64 with the connection to the cap body 22 partially maintained. Whether the cap 16 has been opened or not can be determined based on whether the tamper-proof ring 24 is split into a plurality of pieces and its connection to the cap body 22 is partially cut or not.
- the easy-to-cut sections 58 which can be easily cut when loaded with a tension in a circumferential direction of the tamper-proof ring 24, are provided on at least one point on the ring. This allows the tamper-proof ring 24 to be cut and split at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58 when the cap 16 is opened.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 of the embodiment has a circular structure in which the ends of the ring pieces 64 formed as two arc shapes are connected to one another by the easy-to-cut sections 58. These easy-to-cut sections 58 are arranged, for example, at intervals of 180 degrees with respect to the central axis of the cap 16. On the inner peripheral surface of the ring pieces 64, the tapered and almost trapezoidal lugs 66 and 68 are protrusively provided at two positions for each ring piece 64 so as to be slightly slanted toward the opening direction X.
- the easy-to-cut sections 58 have enough strength to connect the ends of the two ring pieces 64 to one another when the cap 16 is not yet opened. When the cap 16 is opened, on the other hand, the easy-to-cut sections 58 have enough fragility to disconnect the ends of the two ring pieces 64 from one another.
- the easy-to-cut sections 58 are not specifically limited as long as they have such a structure, and may be formed as, for example, cuts in the width direction and/or thickness direction of the tamper-proof ring 24.
- Positions where the lugs 66 are formed are on the closing direction Y side behind the easy-to-cut sections 58 when the cap 16 sealing the spout 14 is turned in the opening direction X, and are relatively near the easy-to-cut sections 58.
- Positions where the lugs 68 are formed are on the closing direction Y side behind the easy-to-cut sections 58 when the cap 16 is turned in the opening direction X, and are somewhat behind the lugs 66.
- the two ring pieces 64 are each formed with the lugs 66 and 68, where the lugs 66 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the cap 16 and the lugs 68 are also symmetrically arranged with respect to the same axis.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 is connected to the lower end of the skirt part 52 of the cap body 22 at one or more points on the ring by the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 and hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62. As shown in Figure 4 (A) , one or more points connected by the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 and one or more points connected by the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62 exist between the tamper-proof ring 24 and the lower end of the skirt part 52 of the cap 16.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 of the embodiment is provided with the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60, each of which corresponds to the position of the lug 68 of each ring piece 64.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 is further provided with the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62, each of which is on each ring piece 64.
- the positions where the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62 are provided are also near and ahead of the easy-to-cut sections 58 that follow.
- the material of the above-described cap 16 is not specifically limited, and includes, for example, the synthetic resins mentioned for the material of the spout 14.
- the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 connecting the tamper-proof ring 24 to the cap body 22 are cut almost at the same time as the easy-to-cut sections 58 are cut. This allows the tamper-proof ring 24 to be effectively loaded at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58 with the tension occurring in the circumferential direction of the tamper-proof ring 24, and ensures the cutting at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58.
- the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62 connecting the tamper-proof ring 24 to the cap body 22 are not cut during the opening operation, and the tamper-proof ring 24 remains attached to the cap body 22 after completion of the opening.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 of the embodiment is split into the two or more ring pieces 64 with the connection to the cap body 22 partially maintained by the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62.
- the tamper-proof ring 24 does not remain on the spout 14 after opening of the cap 16, and the mouth of a consumer does not touch a prickle or the like resulted from cutting between the tamper-proof ring 24 and the cap body 22 when the consumer eats or drinks the contents of the spouted pouch 10.
- Figure 5 shows a size relation between the first flange 32A and the tamper-proof ring 24.
- a conventional spouted pouch might bring a consumer a feeling of discomfort when a cap is opened or when the consumer grips the spouted pouch reattached with a cap after its opening, since an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of a cut tamper-proof ring touches the consumer's fingers gripping the pouch, mouth, or the like.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A of the embodiment in a front-rear direction of the bag body 12 is sized equal to or larger than the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 of the cap 16 in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12. That is, the first flange 32A covers the entire lower part of the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12.
- Such a configuration causes the first flange 32A to be put between the tamper-proof ring 24 and fingers if a consumer puts the thumb on a flange below the first flange 32A or on the attachment part 39 attached to the bag body 12 to grip the spouted pouch 10 when opening the cap 16.
- the first flange 32A is positioned below the tamper-proof ring 24 so as to cover the fingers. Therefore, after opening of the cap 16, ends of the ring pieces 64, which are cut pieces of the tamper-proof ring 24 that has split with the connection to the cap body 22 partially maintained, do not touch the fingers of the consumer.
- the spouted pouch 10 of the embodiment does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 a feeling of discomfort due to ends of the ring pieces 64 of the cut tamper-proof ring 24.
- the difference between the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A and the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12 is between 0 mm and 1.5 mm inclusive.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A being too large in the front-rear direction might cause the first flange 32A to hit below the mouth of a consumer drinking the contents through the mouthpiece part 34 and bring the consumer a feeling of discomfort.
- the holder 69 in Figure 6 comprises a pair of flat members 69A, and has a form in which the pair of flat members 69A hold the left and right sides of spouted pouches 10 in spaces between their first flanges 32A and second flanges 32B.
- the form of the holder 69 is not limited to the one in Figure 6 , and may be other forms as long as it holds the left and right sides of spouted pouches 10 in spaces between their first flanges 32A and second flanges 32B.
- Sizes of the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A and the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 of the cap 16 in a left-right direction of the bag body 12 are not specifically limited.
- the range in which the relation between sizes of the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A and the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 is A D ⁇ C D may be defined by an angle.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A is equal to or larger than the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 in zones of central 95 degrees or larger (an angle ⁇ in Figure 3 ) in 180 degrees on the front side and 180 degrees on the rear side with respect to the center of the tube part 30 of the spout 14. If the range is 95 degrees or larger, the first flange 32A can cover part of the tamper-proof ring 24 that may touch fingers of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A may be equal to or larger than the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 also throughout 360 degrees that combined the front-side 180 degrees and the rear-side 180 degrees, but a consumer would not grip the flange part 32 in the left-right direction of the bag body 12. Additionally, it is difficult to tamper the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-proof ring 24 from below in the left-right direction of the bag body 12. Therefore, in the left-right direction of the bag body 12, the first flange 32A just has to have an enough width to catch the holder 69, and the outer diameter of the tamper-proof ring 24 may be larger than the outer diameter of the first flange 32A.
- the first flange 32A of the embodiment can prevent the tamper-proof ring 24 from being tampered from below.
- a conventional spouted pouch has a tamper-proof ring extending outward beyond a flange part in a front-rear direction of a bag body, and therefore a tamper-proof function might be tampered from below the tamper-proof ring.
- the combination of the spout 14 and the cap 16 of the embodiment can prevent the tampering from below since the first flange 32A extends outward beyond the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12.
- the first flange 32A of the embodiment is formed with straight sections 33A in a direction parallel to the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B of the bag body 12.
- adjacent spouted pouches 10 come into contact with one another at their first flanges 32A. If the first flanges 32A are shaped like an arc, adjacent spouted pouches 10 come into point contact with one another. Adjacent spouted pouches 10 coming into point contact with one another might cause instability, and might cause troubles such as misalignment and an inability to carry due to overlapping of flange parts 32 of the adjacent spouted pouches 10 or the like in such a case as when two or more spouted pouches 10 are arranged and carried.
- forming the straight sections 33A on the first flange 32A as in the embodiment causes the adjacent spouted pouches 10 to have these straight sections 33A in contact. Since the straight sections 33A have a height (the thickness of the first flange 32A), adjacent spouted pouches 10 are caused to have their surfaces in contact, and the positions of the adjacent spouted pouches 10 stabilize. Therefore, the spouted pouches 10 of the embodiment can be prevented from misalignment such as overlapping of flange parts 32 of adjacent spouted pouches 10 when two or more spouted pouches 10 are arranged and carried.
- the straight sections 33A just have to allow adjacent spouted pouches 10 to stably maintain their positions, and their thickness is, for example, 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm and preferably about 1.6 mm.
- Their length A L is equal to or smaller than the length B L of later-described straight sections 35 of the second flange 32B, and is 2.0 mm to 16 mm and preferably about 7 mm.
- the first flange 32A of the embodiment is formed to be straight (straight sections 33B) also in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12, but the shape in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12 is not limited to this and may be approximately arc-like.
- the second flange 32B is formed to be shorter than the first flange 32A in length in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A on the topside (the upper side) is larger than the outer diameter B D of the second flange 32B on the base-end side (the lower side), and the first flange 32A protrudes in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12.
- the second flange 32B is formed to be straight (straight sections 35) in the direction parallel to the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B of the bag body 12.
- the length B L of the straight sections 35 of the second flange 32B is equal to or larger than the length A L of the straight sections 33A of the first flange 32A.
- Such shapes of the first flange 32A and the second flange 32B make a consumer feel easier to grip the second flange 32B than the first flange 32A, and lead the consumer to grip the second flange 32B rather than the first flange 32A. Therefore, the shapes can more reliably prevent fingers or the like of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 from touching an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of the tamper-proof ring 24.
- the shapes do not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring 24.
- the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A on the topside just has to be formed the largest so that the first flange 32A protrudes the most in the front-rear direction of the bag body 12.
- the bag body 12 of the spouted pouch 10 is a pouch having the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B and a pair of side parts
- the disclosure is not limited to this, and the bag body 12 just has to have the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B holding the spout 14 therebetween.
- the bag body 12 may be a bottom gusset pouch having a bottom part, and a square bottom pouch having a bottom part and a pair of side parts.
- the disclosure is not limited to this. It will suffice for the outer diameter A D of the first flange 32A to be equal to or larger than the outer diameter C D of the tamper-proof ring 24 and, for example, the shape of the first flange 32A may be a quadrangle, a pentagon, or other rectangles. If the shape of the first flange 32A is a rectangle, the rectangle may be rounded.
- the second flange 32B nearer the base end than the first flange 32A may be formed with hollows 70 in the direction parallel to the pair of plane parts 20A and 20B of the bag body 12 as shown in Figure 7 .
- the hollows 70 are concaved toward the mouthpiece part 34 (the tube part 30), and are shaped like an arc so as to fit fingers of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 at the second flange 32B.
- the deepest positions of the hollows 70 are the same as the outer diameter of the attachment part 39. This allows a consumer to grip the attachment part 39 as well as the second flange 32B and therefore grip the spouted pouch 10 more stably.
- the spout 14 may be provided with an elongated and tubular straw part 28 on the lower part of the attachment part 39.
- the straw part 28 is shaped like an elongated cylinder, and is inserted inside the bag-like bag body 12.
- the shapes and numbers of the easy-to-cut sections 58, the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60, the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62, the ribs 40, 42, and 44, the rachets 41 and 43, the lugs 66 and 68, the ring pieces 64, and the like of the embodiment and the shape of the cap body 22 of the embodiment are not limited to their shapes and numbers in the embodiment.
- the tamper-proof mechanism is not limited to the form in the embodiment, either, as long as it takes a form in which the tamper-proof ring 24 circumferentially splits into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body 22 partially maintained.
- the spout 14 and the cap 16 are not limited to those which are made to be reclosable by the male thread 36 and the female thread 54 screwing together.
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Abstract
A spout (14) is put between and attached to a pair of plane parts (20A and 20B) comprising front and rear surfaces forming a bag body (12). The spout (14) comprises: a tube part (30) to which a cap (16) having a tamper-proof ring 24 is attached on its topside; and a first flange (32A) and a second flange (32B) provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tube part (30) on the side of its base end. The outer diameter (AD) of the first flange (32A), which is the topmost, is equal to or larger than the outer diameter (CD) of the tamper-proof ring (24) in a front-rear direction of the bag body (12). This causes the first flange (32A) to cover the whole lower part of the the tamper-proof ring (24).
Description
- This application claims the benefit of
Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-117121 filed on July 15, 2021 - The present disclosure relates to a spout, a spout and cap assembly, and a spouted pouch.
- Spouted pouches in which a spout provided with a reclosable cap is attached to a flexible pouch of plastic film or the like are widespread for the purpose of containing liquid beverages or the like. This has caused the development of combinations of a cap and a spout with a tamper-proof function to prevent a cap from being opened fraudulently.
- An example of a spout and a cap having a tamper-proof function is a configuration in which there is a circular member along the lower part of a cap body. In an example of such a configuration, a connection between the cap body and the circular member is cut off after opening of the cap and the circular member is left as it is on the spout, which allows consumers to recognize the opening (Patent document 1:
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2015-168478 - The circular member according to Patent document 1, or a pilfer-proof band, is left on a mouthpiece part of the spout with the band remaining circular after the disconnection of the band from the cap body when the cap is opened. There on the band may remain a small prickle or the like resulted from the disconnection from the cap body. Consequently, a consumer putting the spout into the mouth would lead to the prickle or the like on the band touching the mouth and bringing the consumer a feeling of discomfort.
- Some spouts have a flange part comprising two or more tires of flanges in order to facilitate handling of spouted pouches when they are manufactured or are filled inside with the contents. When opening a spouted pouch provided with such a spout, a consumer often opens it by gripping with one hand the flange part or a welded part between the pouch and the spout which is nearer its base end (nearer the pouch) than the flange part, and gripping and turning with the other hand a cap attached to the spout.
- When a consumer holds a flange part with a hand to open a spouted pouch, the flange part sometimes digs into fingers of the consumer and causes pain or a feeling of discomfort to the consumer. In order to control such pain and a feeling of discomfort caused to the consumer, the spout according to Patent document 1 is formed with a hollow recess on a flange part to be gripped by a consumer toward a tube part of the spout.
- On the other hand, Patent document 2 (
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2004-331124 - As shown in
Figure 8 , when a consumer opens acap 100 of a spouted pouch using the plug part of Patent document 2, a cut piece of a tamper-proof ring 104 connected to acap body 102 widely spreads and turns obliquely downward. This might bring the consumer a feeling of discomfort when thecap 100 is reattached to the spouted pouch, since anend 106 of the cut piece touches the consumer's fingers gripping the pouch, or the like. - A purpose of the disclosure made in view of the above is to provide a spout, a spout and cap assembly, and a spouted pouch that do not bring the fingers and mouth of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end, a prickle, or the like of a tamper-proof ring cut by opening of a cap.
- A spout of an aspect of the disclosure is put between and attached to a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces forming a bag body, and the spout comprises: a hollow and tubular tube part; and a flange part comprising a plurality of flanges provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tube part on a side of a base end thereof, where a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body is attached to the tube part on a topside thereof, where the tamper-proof ring circumferentially splits into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body partially maintained, and where a top flange which is the topmost flange of the plurality of flanges is equal to or larger than the tamper-proof ring in outer diameter in a front-rear direction of the bag body.
- This configuration causes the top flange to be put between the tamper-proof ring and fingers if a consumer puts the thumb under the top flange to grip the spouted pouch when opening the cap. In other words, the top flange is positioned below the tamper-proof ring so as to cover the fingers. Therefore, after opening of the cap, an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of the tamper-proof ring that has split circumferentially into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body partially maintained and has turned obliquely downward does not touch the fingers and mouth of the consumer. As a result, the spouted pouch using the spout of the present configuration does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring.
- The top flange being equal to or larger than the tamper-proof ring in outer diameter causes the top flange to cover the whole lower part of the tamper-proof ring. This can prevent the tamper-proof ring from being tampered from below.
- In the spout described above, the top flange may have two straight sections parallel to the pair of plane parts. When two or more spouted pouches are arranged in the front-rear direction of the bag body for filling of the contents or the like, the present configuration causes adjacent spouted pouches to come into contact with one another at the straight sections of their top flanges. The adjacent spouted pouches therefore have their surfaces in contact, so that the spouted pouches can be prevented from being misaligned due to overlapping of flange parts of adjacent spouted pouches when the spouted pouches are arranged and carried.
- In the spout described above, a base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange may be shorter than the top flange in length in the front-rear direction of the bag body. The spouted pouch using the spout of this configuration leads a consumer to grip the base-end flange rather than the top flange. Therefore, it can more reliably prevent fingers or the like of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch from touching the tamper-proof ring.
- In the spout described above, the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange may be formed with a hollow in a direction parallel to the pair of plane parts. This configuration allows a consumer to avoid pain and a feeling of discomfort in fingers caused by gripping the base-end flange.
- In the spout described above, the flange part having the plurality of flanges may comprise the two flanges, namely, the top flange and the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange. This configuration does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring even if the number of the flanges is two.
- A spout and cap assembly of an aspect of the disclosure comprises: the spout described above; and a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof.
- A spouted pouch of an aspect of the disclosure, in relation to the spout described above, comprises: a bag body formed of a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces; the spout described above put between and attached to the pair of plane parts; and a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof. This configuration can prevent fingers or the like of a consumer gripping the spouted pouch from touching the tamper-proof ring.
- The present disclosure avoids bringing fingers and mouth of a consumer gripping a spouted pouch a feeling of discomfort due to an end, a prickle, or the like of a tamper-proof ring cut by opening of a cap.
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Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a spouted pouch of an embodiment; -
Figure 2 is an external view of a spout of the embodiment, where (A) is a top perspective view and (B) is a front view; -
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the spout of the embodiment cut along a line Z-Z' inFigure 2 (B) ; -
Figure 4 is an external view of a cap, where (A) is a side view and (B) shows a positional relation between lugs of a tamper-proof ring and ratchets; -
Figure 5 shows a size relation between a first flange and the tamper-proof ring; -
Figure 6 shows a state in which spouted pouches are arranged in a holder; -
Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view above a first flange of a spout of another embodiment; and -
Figure 8 shows the state of a tamper-proof ring after opening of a spouted pouch. - An embodiment of the disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely illustrative of ways to implement the disclosure, and does not limit the disclosure to the specific configurations described below. When the disclosure is to be implemented, any specific configuration may be appropriately adopted according to the mode of implementation.
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Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a spoutedpouch 10 of the embodiment. The spoutedpouch 10 of the embodiment comprises abag body 12 forming a pouch, aspout 14, and acap 16. - The
bag body 12 has a pair ofplane parts spout 14 is put between and attached to the pair ofplane parts pouch 10 is formed in such a way that thespout 14 is heat-sealed on the inside of films constituting the pair ofplane parts bag body 12 with aattachment part 39 provided on the lower part of the spout 14 (seeFigure 2 ) being put between them. Thebag body 12 of the embodiment has a pair of side parts other than theplane parts - A
cap 16 having acap body 22 and a tamper-proof ring 24 is attached to the topside of atube part 30 of thespout 14 of the embodiment. - The configuration of the
spout 14 of the embodiment will be described with reference toFigures 2 and3 .Figure 2 (A) is a top perspective view of thespout 14,Figure 2 (B) is a front view of thespout 14, andFigure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the spout 14 (cut along a line Z-Z' inFigure 2 (B) ). Note that a direction of a line connecting the topside and the base-end side of thespout 14 inFigure 2 is referred to as the vertical direction. - The
spout 14 comprises thetube part 30 to which thecap 16 is attached on the topside, and aflange part 32 comprising a plurality of flanges provided on an outer peripheral surface of thetube part 30 on the base-end side. - The
tube part 30 is hollow and tubular and has amouthpiece part 34 on the top, and amale thread 36 for screwing into thecap 16 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of themouthpiece part 34. This allows thecap 16 to be removably attached to thespout 14. - As to the
flange part 32, two or more tiers of flanges are provided on the outer peripheral surface of thetube part 30 on the base-end side, extending horizontally with respect to the vertical direction. Theflange part 32 is used as a part to be gripped with a hand when the contents are discharged from the spoutedpouch 10. Alternatively, theflange part 32 is used as a part to be put on a holder or the like in order for spoutedpouches 10 to be arranged in a line when they are manufactured or are filled inside with the contents. - The
spout 14 of the embodiment has theflange part 32 that comprises two tiers of flanges, namely, afirst flange 32A and asecond flange 32B. Thefirst flange 32A is a top flange on the topside of thetube part 30. Thesecond flange 32B is a base-end flange nearer the base end than thefirst flange 32A. The upper surface of thefirst flange 32A on the top tier comes in contact with the undersurface of thecap 16, that is, the undersurface of the tamper-proof ring 24. The undersurface of thesecond flange 32B on the bottom tier comes in contact with the upper edges of thebag body 12, so as to prevent thespout 14 from falling into the inside of thebag body 12 in a manufacturing process. Thefirst flanges 32A and thesecond flange 32B of the embodiment will be described in detail later. - The
spout 14 of the embodiment has astopper 38 extending horizontally above thefirst flange 32A. Thestopper 38 has a structure in which a pair of fan-shaped flanges are arranged on the left and right sides of themouthpiece part 34, and the outer edges of thestopper 38 are formed to be positioned inside the outer edge of thefirst flange 32A on the top tier. - The
stopper 38 is positioned a predetermined distance above thefirst flange 32A, and a gap is formed between thestopper 38 and thefirst flange 32A.Ribs first flange 32A to thestopper 38. Theribs - The
ribs 40 are arranged to extend from the outer peripheral surface of themouthpiece part 34 toward the left and right sides, respectively. The tip end of eachrib 40 is a rachet 41 protruding outside the outer edge of thestopper 38. Therachets 41 are provided so as to be able to engage with tapered and almost trapezoidal lugs 66 (seeFigure 4 (B) ) formed on the inner peripheral surface ofring pieces 64 constituting the tamper-proof ring 24. - Each
rib 42 extends perpendicularly to eachrib 40 from a position between the base and the tip end of eachrib 40 to the rim of thestopper 38. The tip end of eachrib 42 is a rachet 43 protruding outside the outer edge of thestopper 38. Therachets 43 are provided so as to be able to engage with tapered and almost trapezoidal lugs 68 (seeFigure 4 (B) ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of thering pieces 64 constituting the tamper-proof ring 24. - The
ribs 44 are formed to be symmetric with respect to themouthpiece part 34. Theribs 44 function to prevent the tamper-proof ring 24 from being deformed inside at initial opening and to prevent thestopper 38 from being deformed. - The pair of
rachets 41 and the pair ofrachets 43 are formed in almost trapezoidal shapes with the cross sections tapering down toward their tip ends, protrude outside the outer edge of thestopper 38, are each arranged in symmetric positions with respect to themouthpiece part 34 as a central axis, and are shaped to be slightly slanted toward the opposite side of an opening direction X of thecap 16. The above-described shapes of therachets lugs proof ring 24 to go beyond therachets cap 16 is turned in a closing direction Y. Thelugs rachets cap 16 is turned in the opening direction X. - When the
cap 16 is screwed onto themouthpiece part 34 so as to be closed, therachets lugs proof ring 24 short of the lowest position where thecap 16 can be screwed. Continuing to turn thecap 16 in the closing direction Y causes thelugs rachets mouthpiece part 34 is complete. - On the other hand, when the
cap 16 is turned in the opening direction X after the completion of the closing of themouthpiece part 34 with thecap 16, thelugs proof ring 24 and therachets cap 16 in the opening direction X, but continuing the turning in the opening direction X results in cutting of later-described easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 connecting thecap body 22 to the tamper-proof ring 24 and easy-to-cut sections 58 of the tamper-proof ring 24. That is, the turning of thecap 16 in the opening direction X cannot be continued unless the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 and the easy-to-cut sections 58 are cut. - The
spout 14 has on its base end theattachment part 39 to be attached to the upper end of thebag body 12. Theattachment part 39 is formed to extend toward the left and right sides, and its outer surface is attached with the upper edges of the pair ofplane parts bag body 12. - The
spout 14 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin. Synthetic resins for forming thespout 14 include, for example, polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, (meth) acryl resins, vinyl chloride resins, and ethylene-vinylalcohol copolymers. In particular, polyolefin resins are preferable because of their superior workability and cost performance. - Polyolefin resins include, for example, polyethylene-based resins such as high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, high-pressure low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, olefinic elastomers such as ethylene-α-olefin copolymers, polypropylene-based resins such as polypropylene, ethylene-propylene random copolymers, and α-olefin propylene random copolymers, and cyclic polyolefin resins. These resins may be blended for performance improvement, or may be partially cross-linked for the purpose of improving the heat resistance or the like.
- Note that the
spout 14 may be formed of a single material, or a multi-layer structure comprising various resin layers may be formed. It is preferable to form theattachment part 39 constituting thespout 14 of the same kind of resin as the one forming the innermost layers of theplane parts attachment part 39 to be heat-sealed with thebag body 12. - The
cap 16 removably attached to themouthpiece part 34 of thespout 14 will be described next with reference toFigure 4. Figure 4 (A) is a side view of thecap 16, andFigure 4 (B) shows a positional relation between thelugs proof ring 24 and theratchets - The
cap 16 of the embodiment comprises thecap body 22 and the tamper-proof ring 24. - The
cap body 22 is formed tubular, and comprises a disc-liketop part 50 covering and sealing the top and askirt part 52 forming the side. The lower part of theskirt part 52 is made to be a tapered-shape part 52a spreading out downward. A spiralfemale thread 54 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of thecap body 22. Thefemale thread 54 screws onto themale thread 36 formed on the outer peripheral surface of themouthpiece part 34 of thespout 14 so as to be reclosable. Afluted knurling 52b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of thecap body 22 for slip resistance. - A doughnut-shaped
circular protrusion 56 may be provided on the inner surface of the disc-liketop part 50. When thecap 16 is screwed onto the themouthpiece part 34, thecircular protrusion 56 fits inside themouthpiece part 34 to function as a gasket and ensure sealing performance. - The tamper-
proof ring 24 is circular, is connected to the lower end of theskirt part 52 of thecap body 22 and positioned under thecap body 22, and is provided so as to extend in a circumferential direction of thecap 16 around almost the same diameter as the lower end of the tapered-shape part 52a. When thecap 16 is opened, the connection of the tamper-proof ring 24 to thecap body 22 is partially cut, and the tamper-proof ring 24 is split into the two ormore ring pieces 64 with the connection to thecap body 22 partially maintained. Whether thecap 16 has been opened or not can be determined based on whether the tamper-proof ring 24 is split into a plurality of pieces and its connection to thecap body 22 is partially cut or not. - The easy-to-
cut sections 58, which can be easily cut when loaded with a tension in a circumferential direction of the tamper-proof ring 24, are provided on at least one point on the ring. This allows the tamper-proof ring 24 to be cut and split at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58 when thecap 16 is opened. - The tamper-
proof ring 24 of the embodiment has a circular structure in which the ends of thering pieces 64 formed as two arc shapes are connected to one another by the easy-to-cut sections 58. These easy-to-cut sections 58 are arranged, for example, at intervals of 180 degrees with respect to the central axis of thecap 16. On the inner peripheral surface of thering pieces 64, the tapered and almosttrapezoidal lugs ring piece 64 so as to be slightly slanted toward the opening direction X. - The easy-to-
cut sections 58 have enough strength to connect the ends of the tworing pieces 64 to one another when thecap 16 is not yet opened. When thecap 16 is opened, on the other hand, the easy-to-cut sections 58 have enough fragility to disconnect the ends of the tworing pieces 64 from one another. The easy-to-cut sections 58 are not specifically limited as long as they have such a structure, and may be formed as, for example, cuts in the width direction and/or thickness direction of the tamper-proof ring 24. - Positions where the
lugs 66 are formed are on the closing direction Y side behind the easy-to-cut sections 58 when thecap 16 sealing thespout 14 is turned in the opening direction X, and are relatively near the easy-to-cut sections 58. Positions where thelugs 68 are formed are on the closing direction Y side behind the easy-to-cut sections 58 when thecap 16 is turned in the opening direction X, and are somewhat behind thelugs 66. The tworing pieces 64 are each formed with thelugs lugs 66 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of thecap 16 and thelugs 68 are also symmetrically arranged with respect to the same axis. - The tamper-
proof ring 24 is connected to the lower end of theskirt part 52 of thecap body 22 at one or more points on the ring by the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 and hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62. As shown inFigure 4 (A) , one or more points connected by the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60 and one or more points connected by the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62 exist between the tamper-proof ring 24 and the lower end of theskirt part 52 of thecap 16. - The tamper-
proof ring 24 of the embodiment is provided with the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60, each of which corresponds to the position of thelug 68 of eachring piece 64. The tamper-proof ring 24 is further provided with the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62, each of which is on eachring piece 64. The positions where the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62 are provided are also near and ahead of the easy-to-cut sections 58 that follow. - The material of the above-described
cap 16 is not specifically limited, and includes, for example, the synthetic resins mentioned for the material of thespout 14. - A tamper-proof function using a combination of the
spout 14 and the cap 16 (aspout 14 andcap 16 assembly) will be described next. - When the
cap 16 closing thespout 14 is turned in the opening direction X, thelugs proof ring 24 engage with therachets spout 14. This causes a tension in the circumferential direction of the tamper-proof ring 24 and results in cutting of the tamper-proof ring 24 at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58, and thus the tamper-proof function of thecap 16 is carried out. - The easy-to-
cut connecting pieces 60 connecting the tamper-proof ring 24 to thecap body 22 are cut almost at the same time as the easy-to-cut sections 58 are cut. This allows the tamper-proof ring 24 to be effectively loaded at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58 with the tension occurring in the circumferential direction of the tamper-proof ring 24, and ensures the cutting at the positions of the easy-to-cut sections 58. - On the other hand, the hard-to-
cut connecting pieces 62 connecting the tamper-proof ring 24 to thecap body 22 are not cut during the opening operation, and the tamper-proof ring 24 remains attached to thecap body 22 after completion of the opening. In this way, the tamper-proof ring 24 of the embodiment is split into the two ormore ring pieces 64 with the connection to thecap body 22 partially maintained by the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62. Therefore, the tamper-proof ring 24 does not remain on thespout 14 after opening of thecap 16, and the mouth of a consumer does not touch a prickle or the like resulted from cutting between the tamper-proof ring 24 and thecap body 22 when the consumer eats or drinks the contents of the spoutedpouch 10. - The above is a description of a configuration of the
spout 14 and thecap 16. Thefirst flange 32A and thesecond flange 32B of theflange part 32 of thespout 14 of the embodiment will be described in detail next with reference toFigures 3 to 5 .Figure 5 shows a size relation between thefirst flange 32A and the tamper-proof ring 24. - Now, a conventional spouted pouch might bring a consumer a feeling of discomfort when a cap is opened or when the consumer grips the spouted pouch reattached with a cap after its opening, since an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of a cut tamper-proof ring touches the consumer's fingers gripping the pouch, mouth, or the like.
- In view of the above, as shown in
Figure 5 , the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A of the embodiment in a front-rear direction of thebag body 12 is sized equal to or larger than the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 of thecap 16 in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. That is, thefirst flange 32A covers the entire lower part of the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. - Such a configuration causes the
first flange 32A to be put between the tamper-proof ring 24 and fingers if a consumer puts the thumb on a flange below thefirst flange 32A or on theattachment part 39 attached to thebag body 12 to grip thespouted pouch 10 when opening thecap 16. In other words, thefirst flange 32A is positioned below the tamper-proof ring 24 so as to cover the fingers. Therefore, after opening of thecap 16, ends of thering pieces 64, which are cut pieces of the tamper-proof ring 24 that has split with the connection to thecap body 22 partially maintained, do not touch the fingers of the consumer. As a result, the spoutedpouch 10 of the embodiment does not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 a feeling of discomfort due to ends of thering pieces 64 of the cut tamper-proof ring 24. - It is preferable that the difference between the outer diameter AD of the
first flange 32A and the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12 is between 0 mm and 1.5 mm inclusive. The outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A being too large in the front-rear direction might cause thefirst flange 32A to hit below the mouth of a consumer drinking the contents through themouthpiece part 34 and bring the consumer a feeling of discomfort. Additionally, if the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A is too large when two or morespouted pouches 10 are closely arranged in aholder 69 or the like for filling of the contents as shown inFigure 6 , the number of spoutedpouches 10 that can be arranged in oneholder 69 decreases. - The
holder 69 inFigure 6 comprises a pair offlat members 69A, and has a form in which the pair offlat members 69A hold the left and right sides ofspouted pouches 10 in spaces between theirfirst flanges 32A andsecond flanges 32B. The form of theholder 69 is not limited to the one inFigure 6 , and may be other forms as long as it holds the left and right sides ofspouted pouches 10 in spaces between theirfirst flanges 32A andsecond flanges 32B. - Setting the difference between the outer diameter AD of the
first flange 32A and the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 to be equal to or smaller than 1.5 mm as just described allows a consumer to eat or drink the contents without experiencing a feeling of discomfort below the mouth, and allows for arranging a greater number of spoutedpouches 10 in theholder 69 or the like. - Sizes of the outer diameter AD of the
first flange 32A and the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 of thecap 16 in a left-right direction of thebag body 12 are not specifically limited. For example, the range in which the relation between sizes of the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A and the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 is AD ≥ CD may be defined by an angle. It is preferable that the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A is equal to or larger than the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 in zones of central 95 degrees or larger (an angle θ inFigure 3 ) in 180 degrees on the front side and 180 degrees on the rear side with respect to the center of thetube part 30 of thespout 14. If the range is 95 degrees or larger, thefirst flange 32A can cover part of the tamper-proof ring 24 that may touch fingers of a consumer gripping thespouted pouch 10. - The outer diameter AD of the
first flange 32A may be equal to or larger than the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 also throughout 360 degrees that combined the front-side 180 degrees and the rear-side 180 degrees, but a consumer would not grip theflange part 32 in the left-right direction of thebag body 12. Additionally, it is difficult to tamper the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-proof ring 24 from below in the left-right direction of thebag body 12. Therefore, in the left-right direction of thebag body 12, thefirst flange 32A just has to have an enough width to catch theholder 69, and the outer diameter of the tamper-proof ring 24 may be larger than the outer diameter of thefirst flange 32A. - Covering the entire lower part of the tamper-
proof ring 24, thefirst flange 32A of the embodiment can prevent the tamper-proof ring 24 from being tampered from below. For example, a conventional spouted pouch has a tamper-proof ring extending outward beyond a flange part in a front-rear direction of a bag body, and therefore a tamper-proof function might be tampered from below the tamper-proof ring. However, the combination of thespout 14 and thecap 16 of the embodiment can prevent the tampering from below since thefirst flange 32A extends outward beyond the tamper-proof ring 24 in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. - The
first flange 32A of the embodiment is formed withstraight sections 33A in a direction parallel to the pair ofplane parts bag body 12. - Now, for example, when two or more
spouted pouches 10 are arranged in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12 and carried for filling of the contents as shown inFigure 6 , adjacentspouted pouches 10 come into contact with one another at theirfirst flanges 32A. If thefirst flanges 32A are shaped like an arc, adjacentspouted pouches 10 come into point contact with one another. Adjacentspouted pouches 10 coming into point contact with one another might cause instability, and might cause troubles such as misalignment and an inability to carry due to overlapping offlange parts 32 of the adjacentspouted pouches 10 or the like in such a case as when two or morespouted pouches 10 are arranged and carried. - On the other hand, forming the
straight sections 33A on thefirst flange 32A as in the embodiment causes the adjacentspouted pouches 10 to have thesestraight sections 33A in contact. Since thestraight sections 33A have a height (the thickness of thefirst flange 32A), adjacentspouted pouches 10 are caused to have their surfaces in contact, and the positions of the adjacentspouted pouches 10 stabilize. Therefore, the spoutedpouches 10 of the embodiment can be prevented from misalignment such as overlapping offlange parts 32 of adjacentspouted pouches 10 when two or morespouted pouches 10 are arranged and carried. - Note that the
straight sections 33A just have to allow adjacentspouted pouches 10 to stably maintain their positions, and their thickness is, for example, 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm and preferably about 1.6 mm. Their length AL is equal to or smaller than the length BL of later-describedstraight sections 35 of thesecond flange 32B, and is 2.0 mm to 16 mm and preferably about 7 mm. Thefirst flange 32A of the embodiment is formed to be straight (straight sections 33B) also in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12, but the shape in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12 is not limited to this and may be approximately arc-like. - In the
spout 14 of the embodiment, thesecond flange 32B is formed to be shorter than thefirst flange 32A in length in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. - In other words, in the
spout 14 provided with theflange part 32 having two tiers of flanges, namely, thefirst flange 32A and thesecond flange 32B, the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A on the topside (the upper side) is larger than the outer diameter BD of thesecond flange 32B on the base-end side (the lower side), and thefirst flange 32A protrudes in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. - The
second flange 32B is formed to be straight (straight sections 35) in the direction parallel to the pair ofplane parts bag body 12. The length BL of thestraight sections 35 of thesecond flange 32B is equal to or larger than the length AL of thestraight sections 33A of thefirst flange 32A. - Such shapes of the
first flange 32A and thesecond flange 32B make a consumer feel easier to grip thesecond flange 32B than thefirst flange 32A, and lead the consumer to grip thesecond flange 32B rather than thefirst flange 32A. Therefore, the shapes can more reliably prevent fingers or the like of a consumer gripping thespouted pouch 10 from touching an end, a prickle, or the like of a cut piece of the tamper-proof ring 24. Additionally, even if the number of flanges in theflange part 32 of thespout 14, which are thefirst flange 32A and thesecond flange 32B, is the smallest number, two, and the section to be gripped is near the tamper-proof ring 24 in the vertical direction as in the embodiment, the shapes do not bring a consumer gripping the spouted pouch 10 a feeling of discomfort due to an end of the cut tamper-proof ring 24. - If the
spout 14 is provided with aflange part 32 having three or more tiers of flanges, the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A on the topside just has to be formed the largest so that thefirst flange 32A protrudes the most in the front-rear direction of thebag body 12. - While the disclosure has been described with reference to the above embodiment, the technical scope of the disclosure is not limited to the scope provided by the embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the disclosure, and those added with the modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure.
- While a description has been made for the above embodiment on a mode in which the
bag body 12 of the spoutedpouch 10 is a pouch having the pair ofplane parts bag body 12 just has to have the pair ofplane parts spout 14 therebetween. For example, thebag body 12 may be a bottom gusset pouch having a bottom part, and a square bottom pouch having a bottom part and a pair of side parts. - While a description has been made for the above embodiment on a mode in which the shape of the
first flange 32A is almost circular, the disclosure is not limited to this. It will suffice for the outer diameter AD of thefirst flange 32A to be equal to or larger than the outer diameter CD of the tamper-proof ring 24 and, for example, the shape of thefirst flange 32A may be a quadrangle, a pentagon, or other rectangles. If the shape of thefirst flange 32A is a rectangle, the rectangle may be rounded. - While a description has been made for the above embodiment on a mode in which the
second flange 32B is formed with thestraight sections 35 in the direction parallel to the pair ofplane parts bag body 12, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, thesecond flange 32B nearer the base end than thefirst flange 32A may be formed withhollows 70 in the direction parallel to the pair ofplane parts bag body 12 as shown inFigure 7 . Thehollows 70 are concaved toward the mouthpiece part 34 (the tube part 30), and are shaped like an arc so as to fit fingers of a consumer gripping thespouted pouch 10 at thesecond flange 32B. This allows a consumer to avoid pain and a feeling of discomfort in fingers caused by gripping thesecond flange 32B. The deepest positions of thehollows 70 are the same as the outer diameter of theattachment part 39. This allows a consumer to grip theattachment part 39 as well as thesecond flange 32B and therefore grip thespouted pouch 10 more stably. - The
spout 14 may be provided with an elongated and tubular straw part 28 on the lower part of theattachment part 39. The straw part 28 is shaped like an elongated cylinder, and is inserted inside the bag-like bag body 12. - The shapes and numbers of the easy-to-
cut sections 58, the easy-to-cut connecting pieces 60, the hard-to-cut connecting pieces 62, theribs rachets lugs ring pieces 64, and the like of the embodiment and the shape of thecap body 22 of the embodiment are not limited to their shapes and numbers in the embodiment. In addition, the tamper-proof mechanism is not limited to the form in the embodiment, either, as long as it takes a form in which the tamper-proof ring 24 circumferentially splits into a plurality of pieces with the connection to thecap body 22 partially maintained. Moreover, thespout 14 and thecap 16 are not limited to those which are made to be reclosable by themale thread 36 and thefemale thread 54 screwing together. For example, there may be an easy-to-unsealspout 14 andcap 16 combination where aspout 14 is closed by capping with acap 16 and thecap 16 can be opened with a slight turning angle. -
- 10: Spouted pouch
- 12: Bag body
- 14: Spout
- 16: Cap
- 24: Tamper-proof ring
- 30: Tube part
- 32: Flange part
- 32A: First flange (Top flange)
- 32B: Second flange (Base-end flange)
- 70: Hollow
Claims (7)
- A spout put between and attached to a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces forming a bag body, the spout comprising:a hollow and tubular tube part; anda flange part comprising a plurality of flanges provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tube part on a side of a base end thereof,wherein a cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body is attached to the tube part on a topside thereof,wherein the tamper-proof ring circumferentially splits into a plurality of pieces with the connection to the cap body partially maintained, andwherein a topmost top flange of the plurality of flanges is equal to or larger than the tamper-proof ring in outer diameter in a front-rear direction of the bag body.
- The spout according to claim 1, wherein the top flange has two straight sections parallel to the pair of plane parts.
- The spout according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange is shorter than the top flange in length in the front-rear direction of the bag body.
- The spout according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange is formed with a hollow in a direction parallel to the pair of plane parts.
- The spout according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flange part having the plurality of flanges comprises the two flanges, namely, the top flange and the base-end flange nearer the base end than the top flange.
- A spout and cap assembly comprising:the spout according to any one of claims 1 to 5; anda cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof.
- A spouted pouch comprising:a bag body formed of a pair of plane parts comprising front and rear surfaces;the spout according to any one of claims 1 to 6 put between and attached to the pair of plane parts; anda cap having a cap body and a tamper-proof ring connected to the cap body, the cap being attached to a tube part of the spout on a topside thereof.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2021117121A JP2023013153A (en) | 2021-07-15 | 2021-07-15 | Spout, assembly of spout and cap, and packaging bag with spout |
PCT/JP2022/021857 WO2023286472A1 (en) | 2021-07-15 | 2022-05-30 | Spout, spout and cap assembly, and packaging bag with spout |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP4371899A1 true EP4371899A1 (en) | 2024-05-22 |
Family
ID=84919982
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP22841819.0A Pending EP4371899A1 (en) | 2021-07-15 | 2022-05-30 | Spout, spout and cap assembly, and packaging bag with spout |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP4371899A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2023013153A (en) |
CN (1) | CN117693477A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2022310338A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2023286472A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4578064B2 (en) | 2003-05-02 | 2010-11-10 | 株式会社細川洋行 | Mouth structure |
JP5272295B2 (en) * | 2006-09-05 | 2013-08-28 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Outlet |
JP5546831B2 (en) * | 2009-11-12 | 2014-07-09 | 天龍化学工業株式会社 | Pouch container with spout |
JP6304588B2 (en) | 2014-03-10 | 2018-04-04 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Spout and pouch with spout |
JP6986913B2 (en) * | 2017-09-15 | 2021-12-22 | 株式会社細川洋行 | A collection of spouts, pouches with spouts, and intermediate products |
-
2021
- 2021-07-15 JP JP2021117121A patent/JP2023013153A/en active Pending
-
2022
- 2022-05-30 EP EP22841819.0A patent/EP4371899A1/en active Pending
- 2022-05-30 CN CN202280050038.2A patent/CN117693477A/en active Pending
- 2022-05-30 WO PCT/JP2022/021857 patent/WO2023286472A1/en active Application Filing
- 2022-05-30 AU AU2022310338A patent/AU2022310338A1/en active Pending
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN117693477A (en) | 2024-03-12 |
AU2022310338A1 (en) | 2024-02-01 |
JP2023013153A (en) | 2023-01-26 |
WO2023286472A1 (en) | 2023-01-19 |
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