JP7489025B2 - Pouch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pouch having a storage section for storing contents and a first unsealed section separated from the storage section by a first side seal section.

Conventionally, many pouches made of plastic laminates are available on the market that are filled and sealed with cooked or semi-cooked liquid, viscous material, or a mixture of liquid and solid. In the pouch, the non-sealed portion where the laminates are not joined forms the storage portion in which the contents are stored. Also, the sealed portion where the laminates are joined seals the storage portion. The contents are, for example, cooked foods such as curry, stew, soup, etc. The contents are heated in a microwave oven or the like while contained in the pouch.

When the contents contained in a sealed pouch are heated in a microwave oven, the moisture contained in the contents evaporates as the contents are heated, and the pressure in the pouch increases. If the pressure in the pouch increases, the pouch may burst, scattering the contents and soiling the microwave oven. In consideration of this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes providing the pouch with a steam release mechanism that automatically connects the container to the outside when the pressure in the container increases, allowing the steam in the container to escape to the outside. In Patent Document 1, the steam release mechanism has an intermediate seal portion located between the upper and lower side seal portions of the pouch, and a non-seal portion that is isolated from the container by the intermediate seal portion and extends to reach the side edge of the pouch. If the pressure in the container increases, the intermediate seal portion peels off, connecting the container to the non-seal portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-101154

In Patent Document 1, if the middle seal portion peels off too much, there is a risk that the contents contained in the pouch will leak out of the pouch through the peeled part of the middle seal portion.

The present invention aims to provide a pouch that can effectively solve these problems.

The present invention relates to a pouch in which a storage section for storing contents is defined between a front film and a back film, the pouch comprising: a first side seal portion located on a first side of the pouch and joining the inner surface of the front film to the inner surface of the back film; a second side seal portion located on a second side opposite the first side of the pouch and defining the storage section between the first side seal portion and the second side seal portion; a lower seal portion connected to the first side seal portion and the second side seal portion; and a first non-seal portion located toward the top of the pouch and isolated from the storage section by the first side seal portion, the first non-seal portion extending to reach a first side edge of the first side of the pouch, the first side seal portion extending from the first non-seal portion toward the top of the pouch. The pouch has an upper sealed portion extending along the first side from the first non-sealed portion toward the bottom of the pouch, a lower sealed portion extending along the first side from the first non-sealed portion toward the bottom of the pouch, and an intermediate sealed portion with one end connected to the upper sealed portion and the other end connected to the lower sealed portion, located between the containing portion and the first non-sealed portion, the inner edge of the intermediate sealed portion includes a first inner edge, a second inner edge, and an inner edge first connecting portion located closer to the lower sealed portion and connecting the first inner edge and the second inner edge, the first inner edge extends from the inner edge first connecting portion toward the bottom sealed portion, and the second inner edge extends from the inner edge first connecting portion so as to be at least partially displaced toward the second side as it moves toward the top of the pouch.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the inner edge of the intermediate seal portion includes a third inner edge located closer to the upper portion of the pouch than the second inner edge, and a second inner edge connecting portion connecting the second inner edge and the third inner edge, and the first inner edge and the second inner edge may extend linearly.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the angle between a line passing through the center point of the first inner edge connection part and the storage part and the direction in which the first inner edge extends may be smaller than the angle between a line passing through the center point of the first inner edge connection part and the storage part and the direction in which the second inner edge extends.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the third inner edge may extend from the second inner edge connection portion toward the top of the pouch so as to be at least partially displaced toward the first side portion.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the width of the portion of the intermediate seal portion corresponding to the third inner edge may at least partially increase from the side of the first side portion toward the side of the second inner edge connection portion.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the edge of the first unsealed portion may include a guide edge that is located near the upper sealed portion and extends so as to be displaced toward the first side portion as it moves toward the top of the pouch.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the guide edge may extend to the first side edge of the first side portion.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the guide edge may extend linearly.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the guide edge may at least partially include a shape that is convex from the side of the first non-sealed portion toward the side of the storage portion.

In the pouch according to the present invention, the guide edge may be at least partially curved.

The present invention can prevent the contents contained in the pouch from leaking out of the pouch.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the pouch shown in FIG. 1 as viewed along line II-II. 1 is an enlarged front view showing an intermediate seal portion and a first non-sealed portion of a first side seal portion of the pouch. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an inner edge first connecting portion. FIG. 4 is a further enlarged front view showing an inner edge first connecting portion of the intermediate seal portion of FIG. 3 and its surrounding area. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the relationship between the intermediate sealed portion and the first unsealed portion of the first side seal portion of the pouch and the second imaginary straight line. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a layer structure of a laminate constituting a pouch. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the pouch when it is heated. 13 is a view showing how the intermediate seal portion of the first side seal portion begins to peel off at the inner edge first connecting portion. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which peeling of the intermediate seal portion of the first side seal portion has progressed further and the storage portion is connected to the first unsealed portion. FIG. 13A and 13B are views showing how peeling of the intermediate seal portion of the first side seal portion progresses further. 13 is a diagram showing steam being discharged from the storage section to the first unsealed section; FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the intermediate seal portion and the first non-seal portion of the first side seal portion. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the intermediate seal portion and the first non-seal portion of the first side seal portion. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the intermediate seal portion and the first non-seal portion of the first side seal portion. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the pouch. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the pouch. FIG. 17 is an enlarged front view of the intermediate seal portion of the second side seal portion of FIG. 16 . FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified intermediate seal portion of the second side seal portion. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified intermediate seal portion of the second side seal portion. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the intermediate seal portion and the first non-seal portion of the first side seal portion. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the intermediate seal portion and the first non-seal portion of the first side seal portion. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the pouch.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Note that in the drawings attached to this specification, the scale and aspect ratios have been appropriately altered and exaggerated from those of the actual objects for the sake of ease of illustration and understanding.

In addition, terms used in this specification that specify shapes, geometric conditions, and their degrees, such as "parallel," "orthogonal," and "same," as well as values of length and angle, are not to be bound by strict meanings, but are to be interpreted to include the range within which similar functions can be expected.

Pouch Fig. 1 is a front view showing a pouch 10 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. In this embodiment, the pouch 10 is a bottom gusset type pouch configured to be self-supporting. The pouch 10 includes an upper portion 11, a lower portion 12, a first side portion 13, and a second side portion 14, and has a substantially rectangular outline in a front view. The names "upper portion", "lower portion", and "side portion", as well as the terms "upper" and "lower portion", merely indicate the relative positions and directions of the pouch 10 and its components based on a state in which the pouch 10 stands on its own with the gusset portion facing down. The posture of the pouch 10 during transportation or use is not limited by the names and terms in this specification.

In FIG. 1, the pouch 10 is shown without any contents. The pouch 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be suitable for use as a microwave pouch in which the contents are heated by a microwave oven. The contents that can be stored in the pouch 10 are not particularly limited, so long as they can be heated by a microwave oven. For example, the contents that can be stored in the pouch 10 can include cooked foods such as curry, stew, soup, simmered dishes, and hamburger steaks.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pouch 10 comprises a surface film 15 constituting the surface, a back film 16 constituting the back surface, and a lower film 17 constituting the lower portion 12. A storage section 18 for storing contents is defined between the surface film 15 and the back film 16. The lower film 17 is folded back at a fold-back section 17f and disposed between the surface film 15 and the back film 16. Note that in FIG. 1, components that are not visible when the pouch 10 is viewed from the surface side, such as the back film 16, are indicated by dotted lines.

The terms "surface film", "back film" and "lower film" mentioned above merely divide each film according to their positional relationship, and the method of providing the films when manufacturing the pouch 10 is not limited by the terms mentioned above. For example, the pouch 10 may be manufactured using one film in which the surface film 15, the back film 16 and the lower film 17 are connected together, or may be manufactured using two films in total, one film in which the surface film 15 and the lower film 17 are connected together and one back film 16, or may be manufactured using three films in total, one surface film 15, one back film 16 and one lower film 17.

The inner surfaces of the front film 15, back film 16, and bottom film 17 are joined together by a seal. In a plan view of the pouch 10 such as FIG. 1, the seal is hatched. There is no particular limitation on the method for forming the seal, so long as it is possible to join the opposing films together. For example, the seal may be formed by melting the inner surfaces of the films by heating or the like and fusing the inner surfaces together, i.e., by heat sealing. Alternatively, the seal may be formed by bonding the inner surfaces of the opposing films together using an adhesive or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sealed portion of the pouch 10 has a first side sealed portion 30, a second side sealed portion 35, and a lower sealed portion 12a. The first side sealed portion 30 is located on the first side 13 of the pouch 10. The second side sealed portion 35 is located on the second side 14 opposite the first side 13 of the pouch 10. The lower sealed portion 12a is located on the lower portion 12 of the pouch 10, and is connected to the first side sealed portion 30 and the second side sealed portion 35. The non-sealed portion surrounded by the first side sealed portion 30, the second side sealed portion 35, and the lower sealed portion 12a functions as a storage portion 18 that stores the contents.

The first side seal portion 30 and the second side seal portion 35 join the inner surface of the front film 15 and the inner surface of the back film 16. On the other hand, the lower seal portion 12a joins the inner surface of the front film 15 and the inner surface of the lower film 17, or the inner surface of the back film 16 and the inner surface of the lower film 17.

In addition to the unsealed portion that functions as the storage portion 18, the pouch 10 further includes a first unsealed portion 40 that is isolated from the storage portion 18 by a first side sealed portion 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The unsealed portion is a portion in which a film exists in which the opposing inner surfaces are not joined to each other. The first unsealed portion 40 is located closer to the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. "More towards the upper portion 11" means that the first unsealed portion 40 and the second unsealed portion 45 are located on the upper portion 11 side of the center point C of the storage portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first unsealed portion 40 extends to reach the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13 of the pouch 10. In other words, the first unsealed portion 40 overlaps the first side edge 13x and has an opening edge portion 41 that is open to the outside.

The first side sealed portion 30 and the first unsealed portion 40 will now be described further.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first side seal portion 30 has an upper seal portion 31, a lower seal portion 32, and an intermediate seal portion 33. The upper seal portion 31 extends from the first non-sealed portion 40 along the first side portion 13 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. The lower seal portion 32 extends from the first non-sealed portion 40 along the first side portion 13 toward the lower portion 12 of the pouch 10. The intermediate seal portion 33 is located between the storage portion 18 and the first non-sealed portion 40. The intermediate seal portion 33 includes one end connected to the upper seal portion 31 and the other end connected to the lower seal portion 32.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pouch 10 shown in Figure 1 taken along line II-II. When the pouch 10 is heated and steam is generated in the storage section 18, increasing the pressure in the storage section 18, the intermediate sealed portion 33 partially peels off, connecting the storage section 18 to the first unsealed portion 40. Steam that flows from the storage section 18 into the first unsealed portion 40 is exhausted to the outside from the opening edge portion 41. In this way, the intermediate sealed portion 33 and the first unsealed portion 40 function as a steam venting mechanism that exhausts steam from the storage section 18 to the outside.

Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of the intermediate sealed portion 33 and the first non-sealed portion 40 of the first side sealed portion 30 of the pouch 10. The intermediate sealed portion 33 includes an inner edge 34, which is an edge portion located on the side of the storage portion 18, and an outer edge, which is an edge portion located on the side of the first non-sealed portion 40. The outer edge of the intermediate sealed portion 33 defines the outline of the portion of the edge of the first non-sealed portion 40 that is located closer to the storage portion 18 than the upper sealed portion 31 or the lower sealed portion 32.

In this embodiment, the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 includes a first inner edge 341, a second inner edge 342, and a third inner edge 343, a first inner edge connecting portion 346 connecting the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342, and a second inner edge connecting portion 347 connecting the second inner edge 342 and the third inner edge 343. In this embodiment, the first inner edge 341, the second inner edge 342, and the third inner edge 343 all extend linearly.

The first inner edge 341 extends from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the lower seal portion 32. For example, the first inner edge 341 extends in the approximately left-right direction D1 toward the lower seal portion 32. The angle between the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends and the left-right direction D1 is, for example, 10° or less. As shown in FIG. 3, the first inner edge 341 may be connected to the inner edge of the lower seal portion 32.

The second inner edge 342 extends from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10 so as to be at least partially displaced toward the second side portion 14. The angle θ5 between the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends and the vertical direction D2 is, for example, 10° or more and 60° or less. On the other hand, the third inner edge 343 extends from the inner edge second connecting portion 347 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10 so as to be at least partially displaced toward the first side portion 13. The angle θ6 between the direction in which the third inner edge 343 extends and the vertical direction D2 is, for example, 30° or more and 90° or less. As shown in FIG. 3, the third inner edge 343 may be connected to the inner edge of the upper seal portion 31.

Inner edge connectors such as the first inner edge connector 346 and the second inner edge connector 347 are defined as parts where the direction in which the inner edge 34 extends changes. For example, when the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342 extend in a straight line, the first inner edge connector 346 is a part located between the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342, and extends in a direction different from the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends, and also extends in a direction different from the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends.

In addition, when the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342 are partially curved, the inner edge first connecting portion 346 may be defined as a portion including an angle change point where the change in the direction in which the inner edge 34 extends is 30° or more. The same applies to other inner edge connecting portions such as the inner edge second connecting portion 347. The first connecting portion 436 and the second connecting portion 437 of the edge of the first non-sealed portion 40, such as the first connecting portion 436 and the second connecting portion 437 described below, are also defined in the same way as the inner edge connecting portion. The angle change point will be described below with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the inner edge 34. The symbol P0 represents a point located on the inner edge 34. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the point P0 is located on the inner edge first connecting portion 346. The symbol P1 represents an upper point displaced 5 mm from the point P0 along the inner edge 34 toward the upper seal portion 31. The symbol P2 represents a lower point displaced 5 mm from the point P0 along the inner edge 34 toward the lower seal portion 32. The symbol D (P1) represents the direction in which the inner edge 34 extends at the upper point P1. The symbol D (P2) represents the direction in which the inner edge 34 extends at the lower point P2. The symbol θ (P0) represents the angle between the direction D (P1) and the direction D (P2). The angle θ (P0) calculated in this manner is the change in the angle of the inner edge 34 at the point P0. Additionally, the point P0 where the angle θ (P0) is 30° or greater is referred to as the angle change point. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner edge first connecting portion 346 includes the angle change point P0.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the angle change is 30° or more not only at point P0 but also at points P0' and P0'' located near point P0 on the inner edge 34. In this case, the first inner edge connecting portion 346 is defined as a portion of the inner edge 34 that includes a point where the angle change is 30° or more.

The inner edge first connecting portion 346 is located closer to the lower seal portion 32. "Closer to the lower seal portion 32" means that the inner edge first connecting portion 346 is located closer to the lower seal portion 32 than the center of the opening edge portion 41 in the vertical direction D2. In this embodiment, the inner edge first connecting portion 346 is also located closer to the lower seal portion 32. The inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 may include an inner edge connecting portion located closer to the upper seal portion 31. "Closer to the upper seal portion 31" means that the inner edge connecting portion is located closer to the upper seal portion 31 than the center of the opening edge portion 41 in the vertical direction D2.

The first inner edge connection part 346 is configured so that the distance from the center point C of the storage part 18 to the first inner edge connection part 346 is smaller than the distance from the center point C of the storage part 18 to the other inner edge connection parts. For example, in this embodiment, the distance from the center point C to the first inner edge connection part 346 is smaller than the distance from the center point C to the second inner edge connection part 347. For this reason, peeling of the inner edge connection part that occurs when the pouch 10 is heated is likely to occur first at the first inner edge connection part 346.

Next, the shape of the inner edge first connecting portion 346 and its surrounding portion will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5A. FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the inner edge first connecting portion 346 of the intermediate seal portion 33 in FIG. 3 in a further enlarged manner. In FIG. 5A, the symbol θ11 represents the angle between a virtual line (hereinafter also referred to as a first virtual line) C1 passing through the inner edge first connecting portion 346 and the center point C of the storage portion 18 in a plan view and the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends. The symbol θ12 represents the angle between the first virtual line C1 and the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends. When both the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342 extend in a straight line, the first virtual line C1 passes through the intersection of the extension line of the first inner edge 341 and the extension line of the second inner edge 342, as shown in FIG. 5A.

The angle θ11 between the first virtual straight line C1 and the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends is smaller than the angle θ12 between the first virtual straight line C1 and the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends. The difference between the angles θ11 and θ12 is, for example, 30° or more. As a result, as described below, when the intermediate seal portion 33 peels off, the progress of peeling in the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 extending along the second inner edge 342 can be suppressed compared to the progress of peeling in the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 extending along the first inner edge 341. The angle θ1 between the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends and the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends is the sum of the angles θ11 and θ12. The angle θ1 is greater than 90°. The angle θ1 is, for example, 95° or more and 170° or less.

Next, the edge of the first non-sealed portion 40 will be described. The edge of the first non-sealed portion 40 includes an opening edge 41 located at the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13, and a seal side edge 43 defined by the lower edge of the upper seal portion 31, the lower edge of the lower seal portion 32, and the outer edge of the intermediate seal portion 33. In this embodiment, the seal side edge 43 includes a first edge 431, a second edge 432, and a third edge 433, a first connecting portion 436 connecting the first edge 431 and the second edge 432, and a second connecting portion 437 connecting the second edge 432 and the third edge 433, as shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the first edge 431, the second edge 432, and the third edge 433 all extend linearly. In addition, the first connecting portion 436 faces the inner edge first connecting portion 346, and the second connecting portion 437 faces the inner edge second connecting portion 347.

The first edge 431 extends from the first connecting portion 436 toward the opening edge 41. For example, the first edge 431 extends in the approximately left-right direction D1 toward the opening edge 41. The angle between the direction in which the first edge 431 extends and the left-right direction D1 is, for example, 10° or less. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the first edge 431 extends in a straight line until it reaches the opening edge 41.

The second edge 432 extends from the first connecting portion 436 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10 so as to be at least partially displaced toward the second side portion 14. The angle θ2 between the direction in which the first edge 431 extends and the direction in which the second edge 432 extends is greater than 90°. The angle θ2 is, for example, greater than or equal to 95° and less than or equal to 170°.

The third edge 433 extends from the second connecting portion 437 toward the top 11 of the pouch 10 so as to be at least partially displaced toward the first side 13. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the third edge 433 extends linearly until it reaches the opening edge 41.

Next, the dimensions of the first side seal portion 30 and the first non-seal portion 40 will be described.

In FIG. 3, the symbols W1 and W2 respectively represent the width of the upper seal portion 31 and the width of the lower seal portion 32. The width W1 of the upper seal portion 31 and the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32 are, for example, 4 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

3, the symbols W7, W8, and W9 respectively represent the width of the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 extending along the first inner edge 341, the width of the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 extending along the second inner edge 342, and the width of the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 extending along the third inner edge 343. Preferably, the widths W7, W8, and W9 are smaller than the width W1 of the upper seal portion 31 and the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32. For example, the widths W7, W8, and W9 are 1 mm or more and 6 mm or less, and may be 2 mm or more and 6 mm or less. The widths of each portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 are the dimensions of the intermediate seal portion 33 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the inner edge of the intermediate seal portion 33 extends.

3, the symbol L1 represents the dimension of the opening edge portion 41 in the vertical direction D2, and the symbol L3 represents the dimension of the second inner edge 342 in the vertical direction D2. Preferably, the first non-sealed portion 40 is configured so that the dimension of the first non-sealed portion 40 in the vertical direction D2 is maximum at the portion of the first non-sealed portion 40 that overlaps the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13 of the pouch 10, i.e., the opening edge portion 41. This allows steam to be smoothly discharged to the outside from the opening edge portion 41. The dimension L1 is, for example, 4 mm or more and 30 mm or less. In addition, the dimension L3 of the second inner edge 342 in the vertical direction D2 is set so that peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 does not proceed from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 to the inner edge second connecting portion 347 during heating. The dimension L3 is, for example, 4 mm or more and 12 mm or less.

In FIG. 3, the reference symbol L4 represents the dimension in the vertical direction D2 of the portion of the inner edge 34 located above the second connecting portion 437. Preferably, the dimension L4 is greater than the dimension L3 of the second inner edge 342 in the vertical direction D2. Also, preferably, the second connecting portion 437 is located below the midpoint of the opening edge portion 41 in the vertical direction D2.

Next, the relationship between the first side seal portion 30, intermediate seal portion 33, and first non-seal portion 40 of the pouch 10 and the center point C of the storage portion 18 will be described based on the second virtual line M. The second virtual line M is a virtual line that passes through the first connecting portion 436 and the center point C of the storage portion 18 in a plan view. FIG. 5B is a diagram in which the second virtual line M is added to FIG. 5A and some of the reference numerals are deleted. When the first edge portion 431 and the second edge portion 432 both extend in a straight line, the second virtual line M passes through the intersection of the extension line of the first edge portion 431 and the extension line of the second edge portion 432 as shown in FIG. 5B. The second virtual line M may intersect with the inner edge first connecting portion 346 of the intermediate seal portion 33.

The angle θ21 between the second virtual straight line M and the direction in which the first edge portion 431 extends may be smaller than the angle θ22 between the second virtual straight line M and the direction in which the second edge portion 432 extends. The difference between the angles θ21 and θ22 is, for example, 30° or more. Note that the above-mentioned angle θ2 between the direction in which the first edge portion 431 extends and the direction in which the second edge portion 432 extends is the sum of the angles θ21 and θ22.

Next, the relationship between the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13 of the pouch 10 and the second virtual line M will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5B, in a plan view, the intersection M3 between the first side edge 13x and the second virtual line M may be located in the first non-sealed portion 40. In other words, the second virtual line M may intersect with the first side edge 13x in a plan view at the opening edge portion 41, which is a portion of the first side edge 13x that overlaps with the first non-sealed portion 40.

Next, the layer structure of the laminate 50 that constitutes the front film 15 and the back film 16 will be described. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the layer structure of the laminate 50.

The laminate 50 includes at least a base layer 51 and a sealant layer 52. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the base layer 51 forms the outer surface 50y of the laminate 50, and the sealant layer 52 forms the inner surface 50x of the laminate 50. The laminate 50 may further include an adhesive layer 53 that bonds the base layer 51 and the sealant layer 52. The thickness of the laminate 50 is, for example, 60 μm or more, and more preferably 70 μm or more. The thickness of the laminate 50 is, for example, 110 μm or less, and more preferably 100 μm or less.

The material constituting the base layer 51 can be, for example, a plastic such as polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon, and polyolefins such as high-density polyethylene and polypropylene. The thickness of the base layer 51 is, for example, 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

Examples of the material that constitutes the sealant layer 52 include polyethylene and polypropylene, such as ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer (EMMA), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The thickness of the sealant layer 52 is, for example, 40 μm or more, and more preferably 50 μm or more. The thickness of the sealant layer 52 is, for example, 100 μm or less, and more preferably 70 μm or less.

The laminate 50 may include layers other than the base layer 51, the sealant layer 52, and the adhesive layer 53. For example, the laminate 50 may further include an intermediate layer located between the base layer 51 and the sealant layer 52. An appropriate intermediate layer may be selected depending on the required performance, such as water vapor and other gas barrier properties, light blocking properties, and various mechanical strengths.

Next, the layer structure of the lower film 17 will be described. The layer structure of the lower film 17 is arbitrary as long as it has an inner surface that can be joined to the inner surface of the front film 15 and the inner surface of the back film 16. For example, the above-mentioned laminate 50 may be used as the lower film 17, similar to the front film 15 and the back film 16. Alternatively, a film whose inner surface is formed of a sealant layer and has a different structure from the laminate 50 may be used as the lower film 17.

Manufacturing method of pouch Next, a manufacturing method of the above-mentioned pouch 10 will be described. First, the surface film 15 and the back film 16 made of the laminate 50 are prepared. In addition, the lower film 17 in a folded state is inserted between the surface film 15 and the back film 16. Next, the inner surfaces of each film are heat-sealed to form seal portions such as the lower seal portion 12a, the first side seal portion 30, and the second side seal portion 35. In addition, the films joined to each other by heat sealing are cut into an appropriate shape to obtain the pouch 10 shown in FIG. 1. Next, the contents are filled into the pouch 10 through the opening of the upper portion 11. After that, the upper portion 11 is heat-sealed along the upper edge 11x to form the upper seal portion 11a. In this way, the pouch 10 containing the contents and sealed can be obtained as shown in FIG. 7.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the third inner edge 343 of the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 extends so as to be displaced at least partially toward the first side portion 13 as it moves from the inner edge second connecting portion 347 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. In other words, the third inner edge 343 is inclined so as to be displaced downward as it moves toward the inner edge second connecting portion 347. Therefore, during the process of filling the contents, the contents that reach the third inner edge 343 of the intermediate seal portion 33 from the opening of the upper portion 11 can be guided downward. This makes it possible to prevent the contents from remaining on the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33.

Method of Opening the Pouch Next, a method of opening the above-mentioned pouch 10 will be described. First, the pouch 10 is placed in a microwave oven with the lower part 12 facing down. Next, the contents are heated using the microwave oven. This increases the temperature of the contents, and the moisture contained in the contents evaporates, increasing the pressure in the storage section 18.

When the pressure in the storage section 18 increases, the pouch 10 expands, for example, in a circular shape around the center point C of the storage section 18, as shown by the dashed line with the reference symbol 18a in FIG. 7. Therefore, a force is applied to each position of the seal section in the direction from the center point C toward the seal section. The force applied to each position of the seal section increases as the distance from the center point C decreases. Here, in this embodiment, the first side seal section 30 includes an intermediate seal section 33 located on the second side section 14 side from the inner edge 32a of the lower seal section 32. Therefore, the force F applied to the intermediate seal section 33 is greater than the force applied to the upper seal section 31 and the lower seal section 32. In addition, the distance from the center point C to the first inner edge connection section 346 is smaller than the distance from the center point C to the other inner edge connection sections. Therefore, a greater force is applied to the first inner edge connection section 346 than to other inner edge connection sections such as the second inner edge connection section 347.

The center point C of the storage section 18 is defined as the midpoint of the line segment connecting the midpoint Y1 of the inner edge 11c of the upper seal section 11a and the midpoint Y2 of the inner edge 12c of the lower seal section 12a in a plan view. In FIG. 7, the symbol H3 represents the distance in the vertical direction D2 from the midpoint Y1 of the inner edge 11c of the upper seal section 11a to the midpoint Y2 of the inner edge 12c of the lower seal section 12a. The symbol H4 represents the distance in the vertical direction D2 from the center point C of the storage section 18 to the inner edge first connecting portion 346 of the intermediate seal portion 33. The distance H4 is, for example, 0.05×H3 or more and 0.5×H3 or less. In the pouch 10 before the upper seal section 11a is formed, the midpoint Y1 can be specified as the midpoint of the inner edge of the portion of the pouch 10 where the upper seal section 11a is to be formed.

When a force F is applied to the intermediate seal portion 33, peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 progresses. As shown in FIG. 8, peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 first occurs at the inner edge first connecting portion 346. When peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 progresses and reaches the first connecting portion 436, the storage portion 18 can communicate with the first non-sealed portion 40. FIG. 9 shows the state in which the intermediate seal portion has peeled off and a communication opening 44 has been formed.

However, if the communication opening 44 becomes too large, not only the steam in the storage section 18 but also the contents may leak out of the pouch 10 through the communication opening 44. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing leakage of the contents, it is preferable to prevent the communication opening 44 from becoming too large. Here, in this embodiment, the second inner edge 342 extends so as to be displaced at least partially toward the second side portion 14 as it moves from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. Therefore, the angle (θ12 described above) between the direction from the center point C of the storage section 18 toward the inner edge first connecting portion 346 and the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends is large. This makes it possible to prevent the peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 from progressing in the direction along the second inner edge 342. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to prevent the communication opening 44 from expanding in the portion along the second inner edge 342. As a result, as shown by the arrow T2 in FIG. 11, it is possible to prevent the contents having a velocity component in the left-right direction D1 from flowing through the communication opening 44 into the first unsealed portion 40. This makes it possible to prevent the contents from leaking out to the outside.

In addition, in this embodiment, the angle θ11 between the direction from the center point C of the storage section 18 toward the inner edge first connecting section 346 and the direction in which the first inner edge 341 extends is smaller than the angle θ12 between the direction from the center point C of the storage section 18 toward the inner edge first connecting section 346 and the direction in which the second inner edge 342 extends. For this reason, peeling of the part of the intermediate seal part 33 extending along the first inner edge 341 is more likely to progress than that of the part of the intermediate seal part 33 extending along the second inner edge 342. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the communication opening 44 can be formed larger in the part of the intermediate seal part 33 along the first inner edge 341 than in the part of the intermediate seal part 33 along the second inner edge 342. As a result, as shown by the arrow T3 in FIG. 11, steam having a velocity component in the vertical direction D2 generated in the storage section 18 is more likely to flow into the first non-sealed part 40 through the communication opening 44.

In this embodiment, the third edge 433 of the first non-sealed portion 40 extends from the second connecting portion 437 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10 so as to be at least partially displaced toward the first side portion 13. Therefore, as shown by the arrow T4 in FIG. 11, steam having a velocity component in the vertical direction D2 that flows into the first non-sealed portion 40 through the communication port 44 can be smoothly guided along the third edge 433 to the opening edge portion 41. In the following description, the portion of the edge portion 43 of the first non-sealed portion 40 that is located near the upper seal portion 31 and extends toward the first side portion 13 as it moves toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10, such as the third edge 433 in this embodiment, is also referred to as the guide edge portion. The guide edge preferably extends to the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13, i.e., to the opening edge portion 41, as in the third edge portion 433 in this embodiment.

In addition, in this embodiment, in a plan view, the intersection M3 between the first side edge 13x and the second virtual straight line M is located at the first non-sealed portion 40. Preferably, the virtual straight line M that enters the first non-sealed portion 40 from the storage portion 18 reaches the opening edge portion 41 of the first side edge 13x without contacting any sealed portion such as the upper sealed portion 31, the lower sealed portion 32, or the intermediate sealed portion 33. Therefore, steam that flows from the storage portion 18 into the first non-sealed portion 40 along the direction in which the second virtual straight line M extends smoothly reaches the opening edge portion 41 of the first side edge 13x and is easily discharged to the outside. This makes it possible to prevent steam from accumulating in the first non-sealed portion 40 and blocking the opening edge portion 41.

Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Below, modified examples will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, parts that can be configured similarly to the above-described embodiment will be designated with the same reference numerals as those used for the corresponding parts in the above-described embodiment, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Also, if it is clear that the effects obtained in the above-described embodiment can also be obtained in the modified example, the description may be omitted.

First Modification In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first inner edge 341 of the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 extends from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the lower seal portion 32 in the approximately left-right direction D1. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Fig. 12, the first inner edge 341 may extend so as to be displaced toward the lower portion 12 as it moves from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the lower seal portion 32. The angle θ1 formed between the extending direction of the first inner edge 341 and the extending direction of the second inner edge 342 is, for example, 95° or more and 170° or less.

Second Modification In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the width of the intermediate seal portion 33 is substantially the same regardless of the position. In other words, an example was shown in which the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 and the edge portion 43 of the first non-sealed portion 40 extend substantially parallel to each other. However, this is not limited to this, and the width of the intermediate seal portion 33 may vary depending on the position. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the width W9 of the portion of the intermediate seal portion 33 corresponding to the third inner edge 343 may at least partially increase from the first side portion 13 side toward the inner edge second connecting portion 347 side. This makes it possible to suppress the peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 from progressing between the inner edge first connecting portion 346 and the upper seal portion 31. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the second edge portion 432 of the edge portion 43 of the first non-sealed portion 40 extends linearly so as to be displaced toward the first side portion 13 side as it moves from the first connecting portion 436 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10, and reaches the opening edge portion 41.

14, the inner edge 34 of the intermediate seal portion 33 includes a first inner edge 341, a second inner edge 342, a third inner edge 343, a fourth inner edge 344, and a fifth inner edge 345, an inner edge first connecting portion 346 connecting the first inner edge 341 and the second inner edge 342, an inner edge second connecting portion 347 connecting the second inner edge 342 and the third inner edge 343, an inner edge third connecting portion 348 connecting the third inner edge 343 and the fourth inner edge 344, and an inner edge fourth connecting portion 349 connecting the fourth inner edge 344 and the fifth inner edge 345. As in the above-mentioned embodiment and each of the modifications, the second inner edge 342 extends linearly so as to be at least partially displaced toward the second side portion 14 as it moves from the inner edge first connecting portion 346 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. This makes it possible to suppress the progression of peeling of the intermediate seal portion 33 between the inner edge first connecting portion 346 and the upper seal portion 31.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the third inner edge 343 extends linearly from the inner edge second connecting portion 347 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10 in the approximately vertical direction D2. The fourth inner edge 344 extends linearly from the inner edge third connecting portion 348 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10, displacing toward the first side portion 13. The fifth inner edge 345 extends linearly from the inner edge fourth connecting portion 349 toward the upper seal portion 31 in the approximately horizontal direction D1.

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the edge 43 of the first non-sealed portion 40 has a curved shape, for example a semicircular shape. In this case, the upper part of the edge 43 can function as a guide edge that guides the steam that has flowed into the first non-sealed portion 40 to the opening edge 41.

Fourth Modification In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the pouch 10 is a gusset-type pouch including the front film 15, the back film 16, and the bottom film 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pouch 10 may be a so-called flat pouch including the front film 15 and the back film 16, as shown in Fig. 15. In this case, the pouch 10 is heated in a microwave oven while maintaining the posture of the pouch 10 such that the intermediate seal portion 33 is positioned vertically above the center point C of the storage portion 18. For example, when the pouch 10 is sold in a state where it is stored in a paper box (not shown), the pouch 10 can be maintained in a predetermined posture using the box.

Fifth Modification In the above embodiment, the first unsealed portion 40 is formed between the first side edge 13x of the first side portion 13 and the first side seal portion 30, but no unsealed portion is formed between the second side edge 14x of the second side portion 14 and the second side seal portion 35. However, this is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 16, a second unsealed portion 45 may be formed between the second side edge 14x of the second side portion 14 and the second side seal portion 35. In this case, the second unsealed portion 45 may extend to reach the second side edge 14x of the second side portion 14 of the pouch 10. In other words, the second unsealed portion 45 may have an opening edge portion 46 that overlaps the second side edge 14x and opens to the outside.

The second side seal portion 35 may have an upper seal portion 36, a lower seal portion 37, and an intermediate seal portion 38. The upper seal portion 36 extends along the second side portion 14 from the second non-sealed portion 45 toward the upper portion 11 of the pouch 10. The lower seal portion 37 extends along the second side portion 14 from the second non-sealed portion 45 toward the lower portion 12 of the pouch 10. The intermediate seal portion 38 is located between the storage portion 18 and the second non-sealed portion 45. The intermediate seal portion 38 includes one end connected to the upper seal portion 36 and the other end connected to the lower seal portion 37.

17 is an enlarged front view of the intermediate seal portion 38 and the second non-seal portion 45 of the second side seal portion 35 of the pouch 10 of FIG. 16. The edge of the second non-seal portion 45 includes the above-mentioned opening edge portion 41 located at the second side edge 14x and an edge portion on the intermediate seal portion 38 side. The edge portion on the intermediate seal portion 38 side of the second non-seal portion 45 includes a first edge portion 481, a second edge portion 482, and a third edge portion 483. The first edge portion 481 and the third edge portion 483 extend from the opening edge portion 46 toward the storage portion 18 side. The first edge portion 481 may extend in the same direction as the first edge portion 431 of the first non-seal portion 40. The third edge portion 483 may extend in the same direction as the third edge portion 433 of the first non-seal portion 40. The second edge 482 includes a lower end connected to the first edge 481 and an upper end connected to the third edge 483, and extends in the up-down direction D2. The second non-sealed portion 45 having such a shape is formed at the same time as the first non-sealed portion 40 by cutting one non-sealed portion, as disclosed in JP 2016-74457 A, for example. When a front film 15, a back film 16, and a lower film 17 that are partially joined to each other and extend along the conveyance direction are cut along the sealed portion and the non-sealed portion to manufacture a plurality of pouches 10, one of the cut non-sealed portions becomes the first non-sealed portion 40 and the other becomes the second non-sealed portion 45.

In FIG. 17, the symbols W11, W12, and W13 respectively represent the width of the upper seal portion 36, the width of the lower seal portion 37, and the width of the intermediate seal portion 38. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 and the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37 are the same. The width W13 of the intermediate seal portion 38 is smaller than the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 and the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37.

As shown in FIG. 16, the pouch 10 may include a notch 35a formed in the upper seal portion 36 of the second side seal portion 35. The notch can serve as a starting point when the film constituting the pouch 10 is torn to open the pouch 10. As shown in FIG. 16, a notch 30a may also be provided in the upper seal portion 31 of the first side seal portion 30 so as to face the notch 35a of the second side seal portion 35 in the left-right direction D1.

Sixth Modification In the fifth modification described above, an example was shown in which the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 and the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37 are the same in the second side seal portion 35. However, this is not limited to this, and as shown in Fig. 18, the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 may be larger than the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37. This makes it possible to prevent the user from feeling excessive heat when pinching the upper seal portion 36 with his/her fingers after heating the pouch 10.

Seventh Modification In the sixth modification described above, an example was shown in which the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 of the second side seal portion 35 is larger than the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37, and the second non-seal portion 45 is formed between the second side seal portion 35 and the second side edge 14x. However, this is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 19, the width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 of the second side seal portion 35 is larger than the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37, but the second non-seal portion 45 may not be formed between the second side seal portion 35 and the second side edge 14x. In this case, the intermediate seal portion 38 of the second side seal portion 35 is defined as a portion of the second side seal portion 35 that faces the intermediate seal portion 33 of the first side seal portion 30 across the storage portion 18 in the left-right direction D1. The width W13 of the intermediate seal portion 38 may be larger than the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37. The width W11 of the upper seal portion 36 and the width W13 of the middle seal portion 38 may be the same or different.

Eighth Modification As in the case of the upper seal portion 36 and the lower seal portion 37 of the second side seal portion 35 shown in Figs. 18 and 19, the width W1 of the upper seal portion 31 of the first side seal portion 30 may be larger than the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32. This can prevent the user from feeling excessive heat when pinching the upper seal portion 31 with his/her fingers after heating the pouch 10. Fig. 20 is a front view showing a case where the upper seal portion 31 having a width W1 larger than the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32 is applied to the first side seal portion 30 of the above-mentioned embodiment shown in Fig. 3A. Fig. 21 is a front view showing a case where the upper seal portion 31 having a width W1 larger than the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32 is applied to the first side seal portion 30 of the above-mentioned second modification shown in Fig. 13. Although not shown, the upper seal portion 31 having a width W1 larger than the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32 may be applied to the other modifications described above.

Although several modified examples of the above-mentioned embodiment have been described, it is naturally possible to apply a combination of multiple modified examples as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, the pouch 10 may have a first side seal portion 30 including an upper seal portion 31 having a width W1 larger than the width W2 of the lower seal portion 32 shown in FIG. 20, and a second side seal portion 35 including an upper seal portion 36 having a width W11 larger than the width W12 of the lower seal portion 37 shown in FIG. 18, and a notch 35a may be provided in the upper seal portion 36 of the second side seal portion 35, and a notch 30a may be provided in the upper seal portion 31 of the first side seal portion 30.

10 pouch 11 upper part 11a upper seal part 12 lower part 12a lower seal part 13 first side part 13x first side edge 14 second side part 14x second side edge 15 surface film 16 back film 17 lower film 18 storage part 30 first side seal part 31 upper seal part 32 lower seal part 33 intermediate seal part 34 inner edge 341 first inner edge 342 second inner edge 343 third inner edge 346 inner edge first connecting part 347 inner edge second connecting part 35 second side seal part 36 upper seal part 37 lower seal part 38 intermediate seal part 40 first non-sealed part 41 opening edge part 43 seal part side edge part 431 first edge part 432 second edge part 433 third edge part 436 first connecting part 437 second connecting part 45 second non-sealed part 46 opening edge part 481 First edge 482 Second edge 483 Third edge 50 Laminate 50x Inner surface 50y Outer surface 51 Base material layer 52 Sealant layer 53 Adhesive layer

Claims (10)

A pouch in which a storage section for storing contents is defined between a front film and a back film,
a first side seal portion located on a first side of the pouch and joining an inner surface of the front film and an inner surface of the back film;
a second side seal portion located on a second side of the pouch opposite the first side, the second side seal portion defining the receiving portion between the first side seal portion and the second side seal portion;
a lower seal portion connected to the first side seal portion and the second side seal portion;
a first unsealed portion located toward a top of the pouch and separated from the containing portion by the first side seal portion, the first unsealed portion extending to a first edge of the first side of the pouch;
the first side seal portion includes an upper seal portion extending along the first side from the first non-seal portion toward an upper portion of the pouch, a lower seal portion extending along the first side from the first non-seal portion toward a lower portion of the pouch, and an intermediate seal portion having one end connected to the upper seal portion and the other end connected to the lower seal portion and positioned between the containing portion and the first non-seal portion;
an inner edge of the intermediate seal portion includes a first inner edge, a second inner edge, and an inner edge first connecting portion located closer to the lower seal portion and connecting the first inner edge and the second inner edge;
The center point of the storage portion is located below the inner edge first connecting portion,
The first inner edge extends linearly from the inner edge first connecting portion toward the lower seal portion,
the second inner edge extends linearly from the inner edge first connecting portion toward an upper portion of the pouch so as to be at least partially displaced toward the second side portion,
an angle between a direction in which the first inner edge extends and a direction in which the second inner edge extends is greater than or equal to 95° and less than or equal to 170°;
The inner edge first connecting portion is a portion that extends in a direction different from a direction in which the first inner edge extends and also extends in a direction different from a direction in which the second inner edge extends,
With respect to an angle θ11 formed by a direction in which the first inner edge extends with respect to a virtual line passing through the center point of the storage portion and the inner edge first connecting portion, and an angle θ12 formed by a direction in which the second inner edge extends with respect to the virtual line,
θ11<θ12 and θ12<90°
That's it, a pouch. 2. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the inner edge of the intermediate seal portion includes a third inner edge located closer to an upper portion of the pouch than the second inner edge, and an inner edge second connecting portion connecting the second inner edge and the third inner edge. The pouch of claim 2, wherein the third inner edge extends from the inner edge second connection portion toward the top of the pouch so as to be at least partially displaced toward the first side portion. The pouch according to claim 3, wherein the width of the portion of the intermediate seal portion corresponding to the third inner edge at least partially increases from the side of the first side portion toward the side of the inner edge second connecting portion. The pouch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the angle between a line passing through the center point of the first inner edge connection part and the storage part and the direction in which the first inner edge extends is smaller than the angle between a line passing through the center point of the first inner edge connection part and the storage part and the direction in which the second inner edge extends. The pouch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the edge of the first unsealed portion is located near the upper sealed portion and includes a guide edge that extends so as to be displaced toward the first side portion as it moves toward the top of the pouch. The pouch of claim 6, wherein the guide edge extends to the first side edge of the first side portion. The pouch according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the guide edge extends linearly. The pouch according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the guide edge portion at least partially includes a shape that is convex from the side of the first non-sealed portion toward the side of the storage portion. The pouch of any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the guide edge is at least partially curved.