JP2006341908A - Spout - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spout which is of a one-piece type excellent in moldability, takes countermeasures against unexpected rupture of a weakened portion, and is so excellent in unsealing operability wherein the operator easily and positively folds and removes a tip portion of a pouring outlet with the hands. <P>SOLUTION: The spout is integrally formed of a welding portion 2, the pouring outlet 10, and a U-shaped guard member 20. The welding portion 2 is formed of a top plate portion 3 and a skirt portion 4, and rigidly welded to a packaging material via the skirt portion 4. The pouring outlet 10 is defined by an annular side wall 11 formed on the top plate portion 3 of the welding portion 2. The guard member 20 is formed of two vertical members 21a, 21b which are arranged in a manner striding the pouring outlet 10, and connected to the top plate portion 3 directly by way of tearable bridging portions 23, or connected to the top plate portion 3 via base portions, and one horizontal member 22 connecting between the vertical members. Herein an upper edge of the pouring outlet 10 is connected to a lower surface of the horizontal member 22 of the guard member 20 via the annular tearable weakened portion 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spout that is used by being welded to a pouch-shaped package or the like. More specifically, the spout is a one-piece type having excellent moldability, excellent opening operation, and impact from the outside. It relates to a spout that is prevented from being damaged by.

A spout for welding to a pouch-shaped package and pouring the contents in the package to the outside is generally a two-piece type that is formed by combining a reseal cap formed separately (for example, Patent Document 1). Etc.) and a one-piece type resin (for example, Patent Document 2) are known.
Since the one-piece type spout is formed by integral molding of resin, it does not require a combination of reseal caps as compared with the two-piece type, and is excellent in productivity. Such a one-piece type spout is capable of pouring the contents by forming the spout by manually breaking the breakable weakening formed on the spout and removing the tip of the spout. Yes, it is mainly used for refillable packaging containers that are used after being transferred to other containers containing detergent or shampoo.

JP 2002-104453 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-210321

However, since the weakened part provided in the one-piece type spout is formed so that it can be easily broken by hand, there is a concern that the weakened part may be broken during distribution of the product, and the contents are poured out. It is desirable to take measures to prevent breakage except when doing so.
In one-piece type spouts, as described above, the spout is formed by hand-breaking the tip of the spout, but the size of the spout (particularly the diameter) is reduced from the point of the content spout. Has a limit, and there is a problem that it is not easy to break the tip of the pouring part, that is, to break the weakened part by hand.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece type spout in which breakage other than when the breakable weakening portion formed at the upper end of the pouring portion is prevented is prevented and the weakening portion can be easily broken by hand. That is.

  According to the present invention, the welding portion is composed of a top plate portion and a skirt portion, and is welded and fixed to a packaging material at the skirt portion. A U-shaped guard comprising two vertical members and one horizontal member connecting the vertical members connected to the top plate part directly or via a base part through a bridging part that can be broken across the part. A spout in which the member is formed by integral molding, and the upper end of the pouring part is connected to the lower surface of the horizontal member of the guard member via an annular breakable weakening part. Is provided.

According to the spout of the present invention,
1. On the weakened part that can be broken, a rib is formed on the horizontal member and the vertical direction side of the guard member,
2. The cross-sectional shape of the breakable weakened portion is an ellipse having a long axis formed in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal member of the guard member;
3. A connecting portion that is continuous with the weakened portion is formed on the lower surface of the horizontal member of the guard member, and after the bridging portion and the weakened portion are broken, the connecting portion of the guard member can be fitted into the opening of the pouring portion. Being
4). After breaking the bridging portion and the weakening portion, a protrusion that can be fitted to the opening of the extraction portion is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal member of the guard member,
Is preferred.

  The spout of the present invention is a one-piece type that is excellent in productivity, and the tip of the pouring part that is removed at the time of opening is continuously formed on the guard member, so that the unintended weakening part can be prevented from breaking. ing. Furthermore, the tip of the pouring part can be easily and reliably broken by hand, and the opening operation is excellent.

In the spout of the present invention, a U-shape comprising two vertical members connected to a top plate portion directly or via a base portion through a breakable bridge portion and one horizontal member connecting the vertical members. It is an important feature that the guard member is provided so as to straddle the pouring portion, and the upper end of the pouring portion is continuous with the lower surface of the horizontal member of the guard member. As a result, the pouring part is continuous with the top plate part at the bottom and the guard member at the top and is fixed at the top and bottom, so that the pouring part can easily move even when subjected to impacts from the side during distribution etc. Therefore, it is effectively prevented that the breakable weakened portion formed in the extraction portion is unexpectedly broken.
That is, in the present invention, since the U-shaped guard member composed of two vertical members and one horizontal member connecting the vertical members is fixed to the top plate portion so as to straddle the pouring portion, In order to break the breakable weakened portion of the pouring portion, it is necessary to break or bend the breakable bridging portion formed between the guard member and the top plate portion (or the base portion) almost simultaneously. Even if it receives etc., the weakening part of the extraction | pouring part and the bridging part of a guard member are not easily fractured.

In addition, after forming the spout by breaking the weakened portion of the spoutable portion and the bridging portion of the guard member, a part of the removed guard member can be fitted to the spout, as will be described later. By doing so, it becomes possible to provide a reseal function.
Further, since the weakened portion is formed between the horizontal member and the extraction portion of the guard member, the weakened portion can be broken by holding the guard member, and the tip of the extraction portion can be easily and reliably broken. And has excellent opening operability.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of the spout of the present invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, the left half shows a cross section, (C) is a bottom, (D) Is a side view, and the left half shows a cross section.
The spout indicated as a whole by 1 generally comprises a welded portion 2, a pouring portion 10 and a guard member 20.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 1, the welded portion 2 includes a top plate portion 3 and a skirt portion 4, and is welded and fixed to a packaging material (not shown) at the skirt portion 4. In addition, an opening 6 that is continuous with the pouring part 10 is formed at substantially the center of the top plate part 3, and a recess 7 that extends upward from the lower surface is provided on both sides of the opening in the skirt part 4.
Moreover, the pouring part 10 consists of the annular side wall 11 formed around the opening part 6 formed in the top plate part 3 of the welding part 2, and in the specific example shown in the figure, the annular side wall 11 is located at the upper part and upward. A tapered portion 12 that is reduced in diameter is formed. The upper end of the taper portion 12 is connected to a taper portion 13 whose diameter increases as it goes upward via a breakable weakening portion 14 extending in the circumferential direction. In addition, in order to improve the strength of the weakened portion 14, a rib 15 extending in the axial direction is formed on the side of the guard member 20 in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal member 22 so as to straddle the weakened portion 14.

  The guard member 20 includes two vertical members 21a and 21b and one horizontal member 22 connecting the vertical members 21, and the lower ends of the vertical members 21a and 21b are the top plate portion 3 of the welded portion and the bridging portion 23a, The lower surface of the horizontal member 22 is integrally formed continuously with the upper end of the taper portion 13.

  In the spout shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal member 22 of the guard member 20 is gripped, rotated (twisted) around the axis of the cap to break the weakened portion 14, and the bridging portion 23 is broken. The contents can be poured out. Alternatively, the horizontal member 22 of the guard member 20 may be gripped and tilted in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 1D, whereby the weakened portion 14 is broken and the contents can be poured out. In this case, the bridging portion 23 may be broken or may be used like a hinge without being broken only by being bent.

2 and 3 show another example of the spout of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows the spout before opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, Half shows a cross-sectional view. 3 shows a state where the spout shown in FIG. 2 is resealed after opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, and the left half is a cross-sectional view.
The spout of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has the same basic structure as the spout shown in FIG. 1, and the structure near the lower surface of the horizontal member 22 of the weakened portion 14 and the guard member 20 is changed, It is given a reseal function.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the reseal portion 24 above the weakened portion 14 has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the spout 16 formed after the weakened portion breaks, and is partially poured. An annular protrusion 25 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the outlet 16 is formed.

In the spout 1 shown in FIG. 2, after the weakened portion 14 and the bridging portion 23 are broken, the connecting portion 24 above the weakened portion 14 is accompanied by the lower surface of the horizontal member 22 of the guard member 20 and the pouring portion 10. And the spout 16 is formed.
In the case of resealing, as shown in FIG. 3, resealing can be performed by fitting the connecting portion 24 to the spout 16 at a position where the guard member 20 is rotated by about 90 ° from the position before the weakened portion is broken. It becomes possible. As described above, since the annular protrusion 25 having a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the spout 16 is formed in the connecting portion 24, the outer surface of the annular protrusion 25 or the connecting portion 24 is engaged with the inner surface of the spout 16. As a result, it becomes possible to ensure sealing performance.

4 to 6 show another example of the spout of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows the spout before opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, Half shows a cross-sectional view. FIG. 5 shows a front view of the spout shown in FIG. 4 with the guard member removed, and the left half shows a cross-sectional view. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state where the spout is resealed after opening, and the left half shows a cross-sectional view.
The spout of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 also has a reseal function similar to the spout shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the spout 16 on the upper surface of the horizontal member 22 of the guard member 20. 1 has the same basic structure as the spout shown in FIG. 1 except that a reseal protrusion 26 having an outer diameter of 1 is formed.

That is, also in the spout shown in FIG. 4, when the weakened portion 14 and the bridging portion 23 are broken, the guard member 20 is removed and the spout 16 is formed (FIG. 5).
When resealing, as shown in FIG. 6, resealing is possible by turning the guard member 20 upside down and fitting the reseal protrusion 26 to the spout 16. In this embodiment, the reseal protrusion 26 has an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the spout, so that the reseal protrusion 26 and the inner surface of the spout 16 are in close contact with each other to ensure sealing performance. Of course, like the spout shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an annular protrusion having a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the spout 16 can be formed to further improve the sealing performance and holding power.

The spout of the present invention is mainly used by being welded to a flexible packaging material such as a pouch. Of course, the spout is not limited to this, but is filled with liquid products such as seasonings, detergents, shampoos, rinses, etc. It is suitably used as a packaging material.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the content liquid is transferred from the refill packaging material 30 to which the spout 1 of the present invention is applied to a container 40 such as a bottle. Since the spout 1 of the present invention is formed of a hard material itself, the spout 1 can be stably fitted into the container mouth portion 41, and the liquid content can be reliably transferred to the container 40 from the refillable packaging material 30 with the spout. It can be transferred.

The spout of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the specific examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the guard member is directly connected to the top plate portion via the bridging portion. Of course, the base portion is formed on the top plate portion, and the bridging portion is formed on the base portion. May be connected. By providing the base in this way, the vertical member of the guard member can be shortened, and when the guard member is rotated and resealed from the state before opening as shown in FIG. 21a and 21b do not need to be positioned outside the top plate portion 3, and are not subject to dimensional restrictions.
Moreover, although the taper part is formed in the cyclic | annular side wall 11 of the extraction | pouring part 10 shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 6, it is needless to say that it may not provide depending on the case where the diameter of a spout is small or the kind of contents.
The cross-sectional shape of the welded portion is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and various shapes can be adopted as long as it can adhere to the packaging material such as a substantially rhombus with good adhesion.
Further, the cross-sectional shape of the spout at the weakened portion of the annular side wall is not limited to a perfect circle as shown in FIG. That is, FIG. 8 shows another example of the spout of the present invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, the left half is a sectional view, and (C) is a side view. The left half portion shows a cross-sectional view, but as shown in FIG. 8, it may be oval with a long axis formed in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal member of the guard member. As a result, unintended weakening can be prevented from breaking.

The spout of the present invention can be easily joined to the packaging material by using a resin that can be bonded to the packaging material by heat welding such as polyethylene or polypropylene.
The spout can be molded by injection molding using such a resin.
Examples of the packaging material to which the spout of the present invention is applied include a flexible pouch as described above, a plastic bag such as an infusion container, a carton container such as a milk pack, and the like. The packaging material preferably has a multilayer structure having a layer made of a resin that can be thermally welded to the spout in the innermost layer, and other layers are appropriately formed depending on the type of contents.

It is a figure which shows an example of the spout of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, A left half shows sectional drawing, (C) is a bottom face, (D) is a side view. The left half shows a cross-sectional view. About another example of the spout of this invention, it is a state before opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, The left half shows sectional drawing. 2 shows a state where the spout shown in FIG. 2 is resealed after opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, and the left half shows a cross-sectional view. About the other example of the spout of this invention, the state before opening is shown, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, A left half shows sectional drawing. The front view of the state which removed the guard member of the spout shown in FIG. 4 is shown, and a left half shows sectional drawing. FIG. 4 shows a state where the spout shown in FIG. 4 is resealed after opening, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, and the left half shows a cross-sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state which transfers a content liquid to the container from the packaging material for refilling to which the spout of this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows another example of the spout of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, A left half shows sectional drawing, (C) is a side view, A left half is It is sectional drawing.

Explanation of symbols

1 spout, 2 welds, 3 top plate, 4 skirt, 5 ribs, 6 openings,
7 annular protrusion, 10 pouring part, 11 annular side wall, 12, 13 taper part, 14 weakening part,
15 ribs, 16 spouts, 20 guard members, 21 vertical members, 22 horizontal members,
23 bridging part, 25 annular protrusion, 26 reseal protrusion.

Claims (5)

It consists of a top plate portion and a skirt portion, and is welded and fixed to the packaging material at the skirt portion, a pouring portion consisting of an annular side wall formed on the top plate portion of the welding portion, and a break so as to straddle the pouring portion A U-shaped guard member composed of two vertical members connected to the top plate portion directly through a possible bridging portion or through a base portion and one horizontal member connecting the vertical members is formed by integral molding. A spout that is molded,
The spout is characterized in that the upper end of the pouring part is connected to the lower surface of the horizontal member of the guard member via an annular breakable weakening part.   The spout according to claim 1, wherein a rib is formed on a side perpendicular to the horizontal member of the guard member on the breakable weakening portion.   The spout according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the breakable weakening portion is an ellipse having a long axis formed in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal member of the guard member.   A connecting portion that is continuous with the weakened portion is formed on the lower surface of the horizontal member of the guard member. After breaking the bridging portion and the weakened portion, the connecting portion of the guard member is fitted into the opening of the pouring portion. The spout according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is possible.   The spout according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a protrusion that can be fitted to an opening of the pouring part is formed on an upper surface of the horizontal member of the guard member after the bridging part and the weakening part are broken. .

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