JP2003300508A - Method and apparatus for treating pouch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a treatment for sterilizing the inside of a pouch certainly with a small burden for facilities. <P>SOLUTION: A pouch treatment apparatus 10 is equipped with inspection apparatus 100 to examine presence or absence of leakage by introducing a pressurized gas into the pouch 1 and basing on a pressure change of the gas and a sterilization apparatus 200 which receives, in a blown state, the pouch 1 blown at the inspection apparatus 100 and sterilizes the inside of the pouch 1 by retaining the pouch 1 in a predetermined sterilization atmosphere. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pouch processing method and apparatus suitable for application to various processes such as aseptic filling using a pouch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for sterilizing pouches in preparation for filling foods and beverages, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-354213 discloses that a large number of pouches are housed in a pressure-resistant container and steam is introduced into the pressure-resistant container. A method of sterilizing a pouch is disclosed. This publication discloses that steam is blown into the pouch in a pressure-resistant container to inflate the steam so that the steam can be sufficiently spread to the inside of the pouch.

[0003]

However, when the pouch is inflated inside the pressure-resistant container, it is necessary to accommodate gas introduction equipment such as a nozzle in the pressure-resistant container, which complicates the structure inside the pressure-resistant container. . Moreover, these facilities must be constructed so as to withstand the high temperature environment in the pressure resistant container, which increases the burden on the facilities.

As a leak inspection method before filling the contents of the pouch, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-108568 discloses
Insert the pouch into the slit-shaped space formed between a pair of plate-shaped members, and introduce air into the pouch to expand the pouch by the width of the slit, thereby reducing the pressure of the pouch by introducing a small amount of gas. There is disclosed a method capable of detecting leakage based on the above. However, in this publication, the pouch is inflated only for inspection, and there is no suggestion of utilizing the inflated pouch in other steps.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pouch processing method and apparatus capable of surely performing a specific process on the inside or outside of the pouch with a small equipment load.

[0006]

The pouch processing method of the present invention is a pouch processing method in which the pouch is moved between a plurality of steps and the predetermined processing determined in each step is applied to the pouch. The step of inflating the pouch into a predetermined shape in which the inner surfaces are not in contact with each other in association with the process assigned to the step, and the pouch that has undergone the first step,
A second step of receiving the bulge in a maintained state and performing a specific treatment on at least one of the inside and the outside of the pouch.

According to this method, the pouch is inflated in the process of the first step, and the pouch is passed to the second step while maintaining the bulge, and a specific process is performed inside or outside the pouch. Be seen. Therefore, it is not necessary to inflate the pouch in the second step. As a result, the load on the equipment for carrying out the process assigned to the second step is reduced. Thereby, the equipment for performing the specific process using the pouch can be rationalized.

In the present invention, each of the first and second steps can include various processes. First
The process can be, for example, a process of inflating the pouch and inspecting for the leak. In the second step, various treatments can be performed in which the pouch is swollen to produce an advantageous effect. For example, when the second step includes a treatment of heating the pouch, there is an advantage that the inner surfaces of the pouch are not likely to be fused by the heating. When the second step includes a treatment of bringing the inside of the pouch into contact with the sterilization atmosphere, the inside of the pouch can be brought into sufficient contact with the sterilization atmosphere to ensure the sterilization effect. In the second step, printing on the outer surface of the pouch, attaching labels, etc.
You may perform the process with respect to the exterior of a pouch. Even in these cases, since the pouch is inflated, warpage of the pouch is suppressed, and stable treatment can be performed.

It is desirable that the bulge of the pouch is limited to a range not less than the minimum required to prevent the inner surfaces of the pouch from adhering to each other and smaller than the state in which the pouch is maximally contained. When inflated to the maximum limit,
The volume of the pouch becomes large, which causes a disadvantage in moving and storing the pouch. Disadvantages may also occur in the processing of the second step. For example, when filling the pouch with contents, it takes time to replace the gas in the pouch with the contents when the pouch is inflated to the maximum, but the swelling of the pouch should be limited to the extent that the inner surface does not contact. If so, such trouble is reduced.

In the first step, it is desirable to inflate the pouch by sending gas into the pouch with the pouch inserted in a predetermined mold. When the pouch is inflated by inserting it into the mold, the shape of the pouch pulled out from the mold becomes constant, which is advantageous when performing the process affected by the external shape of the pouch in the second step. For example, for printing on the outer surface of the pouch or attaching labels,
If the outer shape of the pouch is not constant, inconveniences such as print position shift, print quality deterioration, label sticking position shift, and label sticking failure may occur. The appearance inspection of the pouch using various inspection devices such as an optical sensor and a CCD camera is also performed on the assumption that the appearance shape is constant if the pouch is normal. If it occurs, even if the pouch itself is normal, there is a possibility that an inspection error will be made to judge that the pouch is defective. However, if the pouch is inflated into a certain shape using a mold, the warp is corrected and the above-mentioned inconvenience does not occur.

In the treatment method of the present invention, when the pouch supplied to the first step has a spout attached, it is preferable to move the pouch while holding the spout between the first step and the second step. . By holding the spout, it is possible to move the pouch while keeping the bulging shape of the pouch constant.

The pouch used in the present invention is preferably made of a material which imparts shape retention performance. The shape-retaining performance refers to the property of the pouch that, when the pouch is once inflated, can maintain its shape unless external force is applied. As a material that imparts shape retention performance, a material containing a metal component such as aluminum (particularly, a metal foil), or a material that plastically deforms when inflated can be used.

In the treatment method of the present invention, as long as the pouch expanded in the first step is sent to the second step, another step may be present between the first step and the second step. .

Further, the pouch processing apparatus of the present invention is a pouch processing apparatus which moves the pouch between a plurality of steps and performs a predetermined processing determined in each step on the pouch.
A first device provided with means for inflating the pouch into a predetermined shape in which inner surfaces do not contact each other in association with a process assigned to itself, and a pouch that has passed through the first device, and receives the pouch while maintaining the bulge. And a second device that performs a specific process on at least one of the inside and the outside of the pouch.

According to this processing apparatus, the pouch inflated in the first apparatus is treated as the second pouch while the bulge is maintained.
The second device does not need to be equipped to inflate the pouch as it is received by the device. Therefore,
The equipment of the second device is reduced.

Also in the pouch treating apparatus of the present invention, the second apparatus may include means for heating the pouch. The second device may include means for contacting the interior of the pouch with a sterile atmosphere. The inflating means of the first device has a bulge of the pouch that is equal to or more than a minimum required to prevent the inner surfaces of the pouch from sticking to each other, and is smaller than a state in which the pouch is included in the maximum. It is desirable to limit the range. The inflating means of the first device may inflate the pouch by sending gas into the pouch with the pouch inserted in a predetermined mold. The first device may be configured as an inspection device that inflates the pouch and inspects for leakage. A pouch with a spout attached may be supplied to the first device, and the pouch may be transferred between the first device and the second device while holding the spout. The pouch may be made of a material that imparts shape retention performance.

According to the present invention, a pressurized gas is introduced into the pouch, and an inspection step of inspecting for the presence or absence of leakage based on the change in the pressure, and the bulge of the pouch inflated in the inspection step are maintained. Receiving in a state, a sterilization step of sterilizing the inner surface of the pouch by holding the pouch in a predetermined sterilization atmosphere, or a method of treating the pouch, or introducing a pressurized gas into the pouch, An inspection device that inspects for the presence or absence of leakage based on a change in pressure, and receives the pouch inflated by the inspection device in a state where the swelling is maintained, and holds the pouch in a predetermined sterilized atmosphere to maintain the pouch. It may be embodied as a pouch processing device including a sterilizer for sterilizing the inner surface.

[0018]

1 is a plan view of an aseptic filling system to which the present invention is applied. This aseptic filling system 10
2 is configured to aseptically fill the pouch 1 shown in FIG. 2 with a beverage as a content. The pouch 1 is inspected for leakage by the inspection device 100 as the first step, and the pouch by the sterilizer 200 is used as the second step. Perform sterilization treatment of 1. This sterilization treatment is performed with steam, and is also a treatment that involves heating the pouch 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pouch 1 is a well-known flat pouch in which a spout 3 is attached to a pouch body 2 made of aluminum foil. The spout 3 is attached to the pouch body 2 by a spout attachment device 40 installed upstream of the inspection device 100 shown in FIG. In addition, in the present invention, the pouch is not limited to the flat pouch 1 shown in the drawing, and can be applied to various shapes such as a gusset type having a side gusset, a stand type having a bottom portion to be self-supporting, a bottle type, and the like. . The material of the pouch body 2 may be a single layer or multiple layers. The mounting position of the spout 3 is not limited to the center of the upper portion, but may be variously changed such as a corner portion, a side portion, and a bottom portion.
The material of the pouch body 2 is not limited to the aluminum foil, and various materials may be used as long as they can provide the pouch 1 with shape retention performance. Suitably, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) / ON (stretched nylon) / AL (aluminum) / LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene), PET / AL / ON / LLDPE, PET / ON
/ AL / CPP (unstretched polypropylene), PET / A
A film or a laminate material made of a thermoplastic resin having a layered structure such as L / ON / CPP may be used as a material for the pouch body 2.

In the inspection apparatus 100, the pouch 1 is inserted between a pair of plate-shaped mold members 101, 101, and in that state, the pouch 1 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the spout 3 is covered with a nozzle cap 103, and pressurized air sent from an air supply source (not shown) is sent into the spout 3 via a tube 104 to move the pouch 1 into a slit 102 between the mold members 101 (see FIG. Inflating to a width determined by 2), then closing the spout 3 and detecting a decrease in internal pressure of the pouch 1 during a certain period of time to detect whether or not the pouch 1 is leaking. Such an inspection device 10
As 0, those described in JP 2001-108568 A can be used as they are.

The groove portion 10 of the mold member 101 shown in FIG.
1a is for receiving the bulge part by the spout 3. As shown in FIG. 4A, the groove portion 101 a is recessed from the surface of the mold member 101 so as to draw an arc, and extends in the vertical direction over the entire height of the mold member 101. However, as shown in FIG. 4B, the groove portion 101b may be recessed in a triangular shape in cross section. As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the groove 101c may have an arcuate cross section and extend halfway from the upper end of the mold member 101. As shown in FIG. 4 (d), the cross section may be triangular and the mold member 101 may have a triangular cross section. The groove portion 101d may extend from the upper end partway.

As shown in FIG. 5, since the pouch 1 extracted from the slit 102 of the mold member 101 has a shape-retaining property, the pouch 1 is inflated in accordance with the shape of the slit 102. In the present embodiment, the pouch 1 in the inflated state is conveyed to the pressure resistant container 15 as shown in FIG. 6 to sterilize the pouch 1. In the carrying process, for example, the hook 111 of the carrying arm 110 is attached to the spout 3 of the pouch 1.
The pouch 1 is conveyed while holding the spout 3 by hooking. The transfer arm 110 may be provided for each pouch 1, or a large number of pouches 1 may be collectively transferred by a common arm.

Next, the sterilized portion and the filled portion in the aseptic filling system 10 will be described. The aseptic filling system 10 of FIG. 1 includes an aseptic chamber 11. The aseptic chamber 11 is sterilized by an appropriate method (for example, spraying of a drug such as hydrogen peroxide) before the operation of the filling system 10 is started,
Thereafter, a predetermined positive pressure is maintained by sterilized air (hereinafter, aseptic air) supplied from an aseptic air supply device (not shown). Inside the aseptic chamber 11, an accumulator 12 for temporarily storing a large number of pouches 1, a filling machine 13 for filling the inside of the pouch body 2 with the contents (for example, a neutral beverage) from the spout 3 of the pouch 1. Pouch 1 filled with objects
Attach the cap 7 (see FIG. 7 (a)) to the pouch 1
Is provided with a capping machine 14 for sealing. The filling machine 13 and the capping machine 14 may be the same as those used in the conventional filling system, and the details are omitted. The pouch 1 to which the cap 7 is attached by the capping machine 14 is discharged from the outlet of the aseptic chamber 11 by a suitable discharging means.

Inlet side of the aseptic chamber 11 (lower side of FIG. 1)
Is provided with a pair of pressure resistant containers 15, 15. The pressure-resistant container 15 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, and openable and closable doors 15a and 15b are attached to both ends thereof. Door 1 at one end
5a is exposed to the outside of the aseptic chamber 11, and the door 1 on the other end side
5b opens inside the sterile chamber 11. In other words, when the door 15a is opened, the inside of the pressure-resistant container 15 is closed by the sterile chamber 1
1, the inside of the pressure resistant container 15 communicates with the inside of the aseptic chamber 11 when the door 15b is opened. Each pressure vessel 15 has a pressurized steam supply device 16 and a sterile air supply device 1
7 and the vacuum pump 18 are connected to each other. The pressure-resistant container 15, the pressurized steam supply device 16, the sterile air supply device 17, and the vacuum pump 18 constitute a sterilizer 200.

The inside of the pressure resistant container 15 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 18, and the saturated steam pressurized from the pressurized steam supply device 16 is supplied into the pressure resistant container 15.
The inside of the pressure vessel 15 can be sterilized. afterwards,
By discharging water vapor and filling the inside of the pressure resistant container 15 with aseptic air supplied from the aseptic air supply device 17, the door 15b is opened to open the inside of the pressure resistant container 15 and the aseptic chamber 11.
It is possible to communicate with the inside of the container while maintaining a sterile environment. Thus, the pressure resistant containers 15 and 15 function as a buffer room for realizing physical distribution inside and outside the sterile chamber 11.

Aseptic chamber 11 via pressure resistant container 15
A plurality of pouch racks 20 and a cap tray 30 are used in the system 10 as a means for loading the pouch 1 and the cap 7 into the container. The pouch rack 20 accommodates a large number of pouches 1 (however, the caps 7 are removed) in an aligned state, and the cap tray 30 accommodates a large number of caps 7 in an aligned state. Three pouch racks 20 and three cap trays 30 are arranged inside and outside the aseptic chamber 11. Each rack 20 and tray 30 is reciprocally transported between the inside and outside of the aseptic chamber 11 via pressure-resistant containers 15 and 15 by a transporting device (not shown). The transport route is as shown by the arrow in FIG. The cap tray 30 may be mounted on the pouch rack 20 for circulation, or may be transported separately from the pouch rack 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pouch rack 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure in which a plurality of pillars 21 and beams 22 are combined, and the inside thereof has two upper and lower tiers and four rows of left and right storage compartments 23. ... 23 is provided. Each accommodation section 23
Is provided with a pair of rails 24, 24. Each rail 24 extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the rack 20,
The spout 3 is hooked on these rails 24 and the pouch 1 is suspended. Since the rails 24 extend in the longitudinal direction of the rack 20, by pushing the pouch 1 into the rack 20 along the rails 24, as shown in FIG. It can be accommodated in the orientation (the surfaces face each other). The pouch 1 accommodated in the rack 20 is in a swelled state.
The number of caps 7 accommodated in the cap tray 30 may be the same as the number of pouches 1 accommodated in the pouch rack 20. The tray 30 is configured to accommodate, for example, a plurality of caps 7 arranged in a matrix or in a staggered manner.

In the example of FIG. 7, the pouch 1 is housed in the rack 20 with the spout 3 facing up, but the pouch 1 may be housed in the rack 20 in an upside down posture with the spout 3 facing down. By doing so, there is an advantage that the water in the pouch 1 can be discharged from the spout 3 to the outside by utilizing gravity.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure-resistant containers 15, 15
A cap alignment supply device 41 is provided in parallel with the spout attachment device 40 on the inlet side of the. The pouch 1 sent out from the inspection device 100 is temporarily stored in the accumulator 42, and the pouch 1 stored in the accumulator 42 is transferred to the rack 20 by a transfer unit (not shown). On the other hand, the cap alignment supply device 41 carries the caps 7 into the tray 30 in an aligned state.

In the above aseptic filling system 10,
A rack 20 that accommodates a large number of pouches 1 (excluding the cap 7) and a tray 30 that accommodates the same number of caps 7 are carried into the pressure container 15 on the right side, and the pouch 1 and the caps are accommodated in the pressure container 15. A predetermined sterilization process for 7 is performed. Details of the sterilization process will be described later. After the sterilization process, the rack 20 and the tray 30 are moved to the sterile chamber 1.
It is carried in 1. In the aseptic chamber 11, the pouch 1 is transferred from the rack 20 to the accumulation section 12 and the cap 30 is transferred from the tray 30 to the capping machine 14 by a carry-out means (not shown). The empty rack 20 and tray 30 are transferred from the aseptic chamber 11 to the pressure resistant container 15 on the left side, and are further carried out of the aseptic chamber 11 from the pressure resistant container 15. Then, a new pouch 1 and a new cap 7 are mounted on the empty rack 20 and tray 30, and the same processing is repeated thereafter.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the sterilization process executed in the pressure resistant container 15. When the rack 20 accommodating the pouch 1 and the tray 30 accommodating the cap 7 are accommodated in the pressure resistant container 15 and the door 15a is closed, the vacuum pump 18 is first operated to evacuate the pressure resistant container 15 (step S1). ). When the pressure of the pressure vessel 15 drops to a predetermined range, the vacuum pump 18 is stopped and saturated water vapor pressurized from the pressurized water vapor supply device 16 becomes pressure vessel 1.
5 (step S2). As a result, the temperature inside the pressure resistant container 15 rises to, for example, 125 ° C. When the pressure-resistant container 15 rises to a predetermined temperature, that state is maintained for a predetermined sterilization time (step S3). The sterilization time is set according to the temperature of the steam and the number of pouches 1 to be processed at one time, but is about 1 minute as an example.

After the sterilization time has passed, water vapor is discharged from the pressure resistant container 15 (step S4), and then the vacuum pump 18 is operated to evacuate the interior of the pressure resistant container 15 again (step S5). As a result, the inside of the pressure-resistant container 15 is dried, and the moisture attached to the pouch 1 and the cap 7 is evaporated. Then, the aseptic air supply device 17 to the pressure container 15
Sterile air is introduced into the inside of the container (step S6). This completes the sterilization process. By introducing aseptic air, the inside of the pressure-resistant container 15 becomes a sterilized environment like the aseptic chamber 11, and the door 15b is opened to communicate the pressure-resistant container 15 and the aseptic chamber 11, and the rack 20 and the tray 30 are placed in the aseptic chamber 11. It is possible to carry in.

As described above, in the aseptic filling system 10 of the present embodiment, the leak inspection by the inspection device 100 is performed before the sterilization process using the pressure resistant container 15, and the pouch 1 inflated by the leak inspection is carried out. The bulging state is introduced into the pressure resistant container 15. Therefore, even if the pouch 1 is not inflated inside the pressure resistant container 15, it is possible to surely sterilize the inner surface of the pouch 1 by spreading the water vapor to every corner inside the pouch 1. Moreover, even if the pouch 1 is heated by the steam and the inner surface is softened, the pouch 1
Since the inner surfaces of the above are not in close contact with each other, there is no possibility that the inner surfaces will be fused. Since it is not necessary to provide equipment for inflating the pouch 1 inside the pressure-resistant container 15, the internal structure of the pressure-resistant container 15 is simplified and the burden on the equipment is small.

In the above aseptic filling system 10, the cap aligning device 41 and the accumulator 42 may be omitted. The vacuum degassing in step S1 and the steam blowing in step S2 in FIG. 8 may be repeated a plurality of times. Similarly, the vacuum degassing in step S5 and the aseptic air introduction in step S6 in FIG. 8 may be repeated a plurality of times. The filling machine 13 and the capping machine 14 may be integrated into the same machine.

In the above embodiment, steam is supplied to the pressure resistant container 15 to form a sterilizing atmosphere.
Water may be dropped inside the pouch 1. Water vapor may be directly sprayed inside the pouch 1. A sterilizing atmosphere may be formed by spraying a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide. In particular, a method in which the hydrogen peroxide solution is once heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point to evaporate and then agglomerates this is preferable because fine mist is formed. The sterilization atmosphere is irradiation with an electron beam (particularly microwave) and a sterilizing gas (for example, ethylene oxide gas,
Hydrogen peroxide gas plasma), hot water or hot air for a certain period of time. When contacting with hot air, it is preferable to drip water inside the pouch 1. Sterilization by contact with hot water can be realized, for example, by holding the pouch in a spray type retort kettle for a certain period of time.

The method of inflating the pouch 1 is not limited to the example of feeding gas into the inside. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the pouch 1 is inflated by sandwiching the pouch 1 between the suction pads 120, 120 and then displacing the suction pad 120 so as to open as shown in FIG. 9B. be able to. The suction force of the suction pad 120 may be generated by vacuum suction or a suction cup. In addition, a method of expanding the pouch 1 by performing plastic working such as drawing on the pouch body 2 may be considered. Heating may be used together when the pouch 1 is inflated.

In the above embodiment, the first step is the inspection step,
Although the second step is the pouch sterilization step, the first device is the inspection device, and the second device is the sterilization device, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second step may be printing or sticking labels on the outer surface of the pouch. It is desirable that the treatment for inflating the pouch in the first step is to ensure a certain shape by a mold, but the pouch may be inflated freely without using such a mold. In particular, even if the pouch is inflated to the maximum extent, if the volume is small and the variation in the inflated shape is small, the regulation of the shape by the mold can be omitted.

[0038]

Examples In the inorganic filling system of the above-described embodiment, there are a case where the pouch inflated by the inspection device is introduced into the pressure resistant container while being inflated, and a case where the pouch in which the bulge is returned until the inner surface is in close contact is introduced into the pressure resistant container. The effects of the present invention were confirmed by comparing the sterilization effects with. Evaluation of sterilization effect is
Before the test, apply the bacteria for a predetermined inspection on the inner surface of the pouch, maintain the pressure vessel in a steam atmosphere for a predetermined time, and then vacuum suction and introduce aseptic air into the pressure vessel to dry the pouch. After that, the bacteria remaining in the pouch were cultured for a predetermined period of time and the number thereof was evaluated to determine the suitability of sterilization. The width of the slit of the mold of the inspection device is set to 4 mm,
The pressure of the air blown from the spout was set to 0.15 Mpa.

The sterilization condition with steam is (1) sufficient sterilization in a general sterilization treatment (for example, treatment such as outer surface sterilization of a pouch when there is no circumstance that prevents contact between the steam and the article to be sterilized). The pouch is inflated and the bulge is returned in the vicinity of the boundary of whether or not the effect is produced and (2) the range in which the sterilization effect can be reliably obtained by general sterilization treatment. The results shown in the following table were obtained when the sterilization treatment was performed and the sterilization effects were compared.

[0040]

[Table 1] Thus, it was confirmed that by performing the sterilization process with the pouch inflated, sufficient sterilization can be performed inside the pouch.

[0041]

As described above, according to the treatment method and the treatment apparatus of the present invention, the pouch is inflated during the process of the first step by the first device, and the pouch maintains the bulge. As it is, it is passed to the second step of the second device and a specific treatment is performed inside or outside the pouch, so that it is not necessary to inflate the pouch in the second step. As a result, it is possible to reliably perform the specific processing on the inside or the outside of the pouch with a small facility load.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of an aseptic filling system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the inspection device of FIG.

3 is a diagram showing a configuration for sending air to the pouch by the inspection device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a modified example of a mold member used in the inspection device of FIG.

5 is a view showing a state in which the pouch is pulled out from the mold of the inspection device of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state where the pouch of FIG. 5 is conveyed.

7A and 7B are views showing a pressure-resistant container used in the system of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 7A is a transverse sectional view and FIG. 7B is a longitudinal sectional view along the longitudinal direction.

8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of sterilization processing executed in the system of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing another form of inflating the pouch.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 pouch 2 pouch main body 3 spout 7 cap 10 aseptic filling system 11 aseptic chamber 15 pressure-resistant container (contact means) 16 pressurized steam supply device (pressurizing means, contact means) 17 aseptic air supply device 18 vacuum pump 40 spout attachment device 100 Inspection Device (First Device) 101 Mold Member (Inflating Means and Mold) 102 Slit 103 Nozzle Cap (Inflating Means) 104 Tube (Inflating Means) 200 Sterilizer (Second Equipment)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tatsuhiko Iwase             1-1-1, Ichigaya-Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo             Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A pouch processing method for moving a pouch between a plurality of steps and performing a predetermined process determined in each step on the pouch, wherein the plurality of steps are associated with a process assigned to the step. The first step of inflating the pouch into a predetermined shape in which the inner surfaces do not contact each other, and the pouch that has undergone the first step is received in a state where the bulge is maintained and is applied to at least one of the inside and the outside of the pouch. And a second step of subjecting the pouch to a specific treatment, and a method of treating a pouch. 2. The pouch processing method according to claim 1, wherein the second step includes a process of heating the pouch. 3. The method for treating a pouch according to claim 1, wherein the second step includes a treatment of bringing the inside of the pouch into contact with a sterilizing atmosphere. 4. The swelling of the pouch in the first step is set to a range not less than the minimum required to prevent the inner surfaces of the pouch from adhering to each other and smaller than a state in which the pouch is maximally contained. The method for treating a pouch according to claim 1, wherein the pouch is limited. 5. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, the pouch is inflated by sending gas into the pouch with the pouch inserted in a predetermined mold. Processing method. 6. The pouch processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first step is a step of inflating the pouch and inspecting the pouch for leakage. 7. A pouch is attached to the pouch supplied to the first step, and the pouch is moved while holding the spout between the first step and the second step. The method for treating the pouch according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 8. The method of treating a pouch according to claim 1, wherein the pouch is made of a material that imparts shape retention performance. 9. An inspection step of introducing pressurized gas into the pouch and inspecting for the presence or absence of leakage based on a change in the pressure, and a pouch inflated in the inspection step in a state in which the swelling is maintained. And a sterilizing step of sterilizing the inner surface of the pouch by receiving the pouch in a predetermined sterilizing atmosphere and sterilizing the pouch. 10. A pouch processing apparatus for moving a pouch between a plurality of processes and performing a predetermined process determined in each process on the pouch, wherein the pouch is internally attached to a process assigned to itself. And a first device provided with a means for inflating the pouch into a predetermined shape so that they do not contact each other, and the pouch that has passed through the first device is received in a state where the bulge is maintained and is received in at least one of the inside and the outside of the pouch. And a second device that performs a specific process, on the other hand, a pouch processing device. 11. The pouch processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second apparatus includes means for heating the pouch. 12. The pouch processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second apparatus includes means for bringing the inside of the pouch into contact with a sterilizing atmosphere. 13. The inflating means of the first device is configured so that the bulge of the pouch is greater than or equal to the minimum required to prevent the inner surfaces of the pouch from sticking to each other, and the pouch is included in the maximum extent. 11. The pouch processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the pouch processing apparatus is limited to a range smaller than the above state. 14. The inflating means of the first device inflates the pouch by sending gas into the pouch with the pouch inserted in a predetermined mold. The pouch processing apparatus according to 1. 15. The pouch processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first device is configured as an inspection device for inflating the pouch and inspecting for the presence or absence of leakage thereof. 16. A pouch having a spout attached thereto is supplied to the first device, and the first device and the second device.
15. The pouch processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the pouch is transferred to and from the apparatus while holding the spout. 17. The pouch is made of a material that imparts shape retention performance.
The pouch processing apparatus according to any one of 1. 18. A pressurized gas is introduced into the pouch,
An inspection device for inspecting for the presence or absence of leakage based on a change in the pressure, and a pouch inflated by the inspection device received in a state where the swelling is maintained, and the pouch is held in a predetermined sterile atmosphere. And a sterilizer for sterilizing the inner surface of the pouch.