Packaging bag

Abstract

In a packaging bag including a main bag body made of laminate films and a film-shaped pouring nozzle made of laminate films being thinner than the laminate film for the main bag body and developing a self-sealing function, the main bag body is provided on an edge part of a portion formed by cutting out at least a shoulder part with a notch part for fixing and holding the film-shaped pouring nozzle, and the notch part is formed as a protect cover separatably connected to the cutout edge part to house the film-shaped pouring nozzle therein, and an outer face of a base part of the pouring nozzle is fusion-joined to an inner face of the cutout edge part of the main bag body and connected to the main bag body.

Claims

1. A packaging bag comprising: a main bag body defined by at least one main bag body laminate film and having an upper edge part, a lower edge part and a pair of side edge parts sandwiched therebetween such that a filling space for a packed material is defined within the main body bag; and a pouring nozzle attached to an upper portion of the main bag body and defined by at least one pouring nozzle laminate film that is thinner than the at least one main bag body laminate film, the at least one pouring nozzle laminate film being fusion-joined at three peripheral portions thereof other than an end portion defined as a base part configured to form a pouring path that communicates with the filling space of the main bag body and to develop a self-sealing function when the packed material in the filling space is poured through the pouring path, the pouring nozzle protruding from the upper portion of the main bag body such that the pouring nozzle is prevented from extending beyond one side edge part of the pair of side edge parts and the upper edge part of the main bag body when the packed material is poured, wherein the main bag body is provided with, at an upper corner thereof between a portion of the upper edge part and a portion of the one side edge, a removable protective cover configured to house the pouring nozzle, the main bag body is provided with a cutout edge portion that extends along the upper corner of the main bag body from the portion of the upper edge part to the portion of the one side edge part, the pouring nozzle being fixed and held by the cutout edge part of the main bag body such that the pouring nozzle is fit into the protective cover at a position between the upper edge part and the one side edge part of the main bag body, the protective cover has an outer edge extending from the upper edge part and the one side edge part of the main bag body and is directly connected to and separable from the cutout edge part, and an outer face of the base part is fusion-joined to the inner face of the cutout edge part in the main bag body such that the pouring nozzle is connected to the main bag body and inner faces of the pouring path are unfused to permit the packed material to be poured.

2. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing seal portion is provided on a boundary portion between the upper and lower end portions of the base part in the pouring nozzle and the cutout edge part in the main bag body, the reinforcing seal portion being formed via at least one pressurized fusion treatment after a fusion-joining of the pouring nozzle and the main bag body.

3. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pouring nozzle laminate film is a film in which a melting point of a first sealant layer that defines the pouring path of the pouring nozzle is higher than a melting point of a second sealant layer that contacts the at least one main bag body laminate film of the main bag body.

4. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover comprises a pair of bag-shaped laminate films for housing the pouring nozzle in a sandwiched state.

5. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the cutout edge part is one of an inclination edge part linearly inclined from the upper edge part of the at least one main bag body laminate film toward the one side edge part thereof at a downward gradient, a curved edge part expanded toward the filling space of the main bag body, or one or more horn-shaped edge parts connecting the upper edge part and the one side edge part.

6. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the pouring path in the pouring nozzle extends one of upward, obliquely upward or parallel to the upper edge part of the main bag body.

7. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pouring nozzle laminate film is provided with at least one bent surface section that extends across the pouring path.

8. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the main bag body is provided with a bottom wall disposed in the lower edge part of the main bag body, the bottom wall is fusion-joined to an inner face wall located at a lower side of the at least one main bag body laminate film such that the main bag body is self-standing, and the lower edge part is separated into two lower edge parts having end portions that are configured to contact a surface to permit the self-standing of the main bag body.

9. The packaging bag according to claim 8, wherein when the main bag body is filled with packed material, a gas is encapsulated into the filling space of the main bag body at an amount of not less than 2 vol % per volume of the packed material filled under atmospheric pressure.

10. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the main bag body is provided with a bottom wall disposed at the lower edge part of the main bag body, the bottom wall is fusion-joined to an inner face wall located at a lower side of the at least one main bag body laminate film such that the main bag body is self-standing, the lower edge part is separated into two lower edge parts having end portions that are configured to contact a surface to permit the self-standing of the main bag body, and a thickness of the at least one main bag body laminate film is 80-300 m.

11. The packaging bag according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover includes a tear guiding trace at a position adjacent to the cutout edge portion such that the tear guiding trace extends along the extending direction of the cutout edge part from the portion of the upper edge part to the portion of the one side edge part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a state of cutting out a protect cover from a main bag body.

(3) FIG. 3 is a section view taken along a line X-X in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is partial enlarged views illustrating another embodiments of the cutout edge part.

(5) FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating another embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a partial plain view (a) and a section view (b) in a line A-A when irregular stripes are disposed in a film-shaped pouring nozzle.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(7) An embodiment of the packaging bag according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings below.

(8) As shown in FIG. 1, a packaging bag 1 according to the invention comprises a main bag body 2 for housing and holding a packed material and a film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 for pouring the packed material inside the main bag body 2.

(9) The main bag body 2 is formed by superimposing laminate films of two or more layer lamination structure comprised of a base film layer and a sealant layer located in a portion of at least contacting the packed material with an outer sealant layer of the film-shaped pouring nozzle, two films in this figure (superimposing the sealant layers so as to oppose to each other) and fusion-joining lower edge parts 6 and a pair of side edge parts 7a, 7b thereof to form a filling space 8 for the packed material therein.

(10) As a characteristic construction of the main bag body 2 according to the invention, a shoulder part of intersecting the side edge part 7a with an upper edge part 9 is provided with a notch part 5 of, for example, an approximately triangular geometry formed by cutting out portions of the side edge part 7a and upper edge part 9, and an outer face of a base part 3b (outer sealant layer) of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is fixed and held (connected) to an inner face of the laminate film of the cutout edge part 5a by performing heat fusion treatment (heat sealing) so as to leave a pouring path therein.

(11) The main bag body 2 may be formed by folding one laminate film for the main bag body at its central portion instead of the aforementioned superimposition of the two laminate films. Although the notch part 5 is formed only at a side of the side edge part 7a, it may be formed at a side of the side edge part 7b or at both sides of the side edge part 7a and side edge part 7b.

(12) The film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is separate from the main bag body and is attached to an upper portion of the main nag body, particularly a portion of the shoulder part by fusion. Also, the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is comprised of at least a base film layer and sealant layers laminated on both faces thereof, and is formed by superimposing two plastic laminate films or folding one laminate film being softer and thinner than the laminate film for main bag body and having a high flatness and fusing three peripheral parts other than an end side as a base part 3 to each other to form a pouring path 3a communicating to the filling space 8 of the main bag body 2 therein. Moreover, the liquid packed material is always interposed in membrane between inner faces of the pouring path 3a in the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 through capillary action or the like. As a result, the inner faces of the pouring path are mutually adhered to each other through surface tension, whereby the self-sealing function for blocking penetration of ambient air instead of the packed material poured can be developed.

(13) Moreover, when the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is fixed and held to the inner face of the cutout edge part 5a by fusion-joining or the like, it is preferable to use a laminate film for the nozzle wherein a melting point of a sealant layer located side an inner face of the pouring path 3a is higher, for example, by about 20 C. than that of a sealant layer located side an outer face of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3. Furthermore, as the sealant layer located side the outer face, a film heat-sealable at a temperature higher than a heat sealing temperature of an inner face of the cutout edge part 5a (sealant layer of the laminate film for the main bag body) is preferable. According to such a laminate film, the base part 3b of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 can be surely fusion-joined to the cutout edge part 5a as is expected without interposing a releasing material or another fusion-preventive material between the sealant layers in the inner faces of the pouring path 3a and without fearing an unintended fusion-joining of the mutual inner faces in the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3.

(14) The notch part 5 is formed as a protect cover 4 connected to a cutout edge part 5a and having outer edges 4a extended from the upper edge part 9 and the side edge part 7a of the main bag body 2, in which the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is housed inside the outer edges 4a. Moreover, the protect cover 4 may be formed as a unit with the main bag body 2 through the laminate films for the main bag body, or may be formed aside from the main bag body 2 and connected thereto at a position of the cutout edge part 5a by fusion-joining or the like.

(15) In the packaging bag 1 according to the invention, therefore, the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is positioned in the notch part 5 of the main bag body 2 and the outer edges 4a of the protect cover 4 housing the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 therein are formed along the upper edge part 9 and the side edge part 7a of the main bag body 2, so that the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 does not protrude from each edge part of the packaging bag different from the conventional bag. According to the packaging bag having such a construction, it is effective to decrease the housing or displaying space, and there is no fear of mistakenly opening or breaking the film-shaped pouring nozzle in handling.

(16) In the protect cover 4, it is preferable that perforation-like pinholes or tear guiding trace 11 such as continuous or discontinuous fusion trace or the like formed by laser working or the like is arranged in a position near to the cutout edge part 5a. In use, the protect cover 4 is cut out by tearing downward along the tear guiding trace 11 from a starting point of a notch or the like formed, for example, in an upper edge part of the protect cover 4 as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 located therein can be exposed to exterior. Moreover, the protect cover 4 may be cut out by forming a starting point of the tear guiding trace 11 on the side edge part and tearing upward therefrom toward the upper edge part.

(17) The protect cover 4 takes a triangular bag having an approximately triangular form corresponding to the notch part and constructed with a pair of laminate films interleaving the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 from both sides thereof and enclosing therein. According to the protect cover 4, the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 can always hold at a flat state through the pair of laminate films interleaving it, so that the self-sealing function can be developed effectively. Further, even if the protect cover 4 is cut out from the main bag body 2, a portion near to the base part 3b of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is pushed by residual portion of the pair of laminate films, whereby the bending of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 can be suppressed to improve the pouring directionality of the packed material.

(18) The laminate film for the main bag body is a laminate film of two or more layers made of at least base film layer and sealant layer as mentioned above. For example, the base film layer is made from a polyethylene terephthalate film, a nylon resin film, polypropylene, polyethylene or the like, while the sealant layer is made from polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. In order to impart a strength as a package to provide a self-supporting property when filled with a constant amount of the packed material therein, a laminating thickness of the laminate film is 80-300 m, preferably 100-200 m. A gas burlier layer comprised of SiO.sub.2 deposited layer, vinylidene chloride coating layer, aluminum oxide coating layer, Al deposited layer or a sputtering layer thereof is formed on either surface of the base film layer at a thickness of preferably 0.5-20 m. In this case, steam impermeability, gas burlier property or the like is given to the main bag body 2, whereby it is possible to keep the packed material inside the main bag body 2 over a long time of period without deterioration.

(19) The laminate film for the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is a laminate film of three or more layers being thin and soft as compared to the laminate film for the main bag body and made of a base film layer and sealant layers sandwiching it therebetween, a laminating thickness of which is not less than 30 m but less than 80 m, preferably 40-70 m. The base film layer is preferable to be made of a uniaxially or biaxially oriented film of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, EVOH or the like. A gas burlier layer comprised of SiO.sub.2 deposited layer, vinylidene chloride coating layer, aluminum oxide coating layer, Al deposited layer or a sputtering layer thereof is formed on either surface of the base film layer at a thickness of preferably 0.5-20 m. In this case, the inner faces of the film-shaped pouring nozzle wetted with the packed material are well adhered to each other and the steam impermeability, gas burlier property or the like is given to develop the effective self-sealing function over a long time of period, whereby penetration of ambient air into the bag can be blocked. As the sealant layer, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol, ionomer, EVOH or the like.

(20) The film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is fixed by fusion-joining the outer surface of the base part 3b to the laminate film for the main bag body located at the inner face of the cutout edge part 5a. As shown in an end view (FIG. 3) at a position of line X-X in FIG. 1, four films of the laminate films for the nozzle 20a, 20b and the laminate films for the main bag body 21a, 21b are overlapped with each other in a boundary portion between the base part 3b of the nozzle and the cutout edge part 5a of the main bag body 2, or both end portions of the base part 3b of the nozzle, so that the thickness of the films becomes thicker and hence a gap 22 is easily formed due to the difference of the thickness to the overlapped portion of only the laminate films for the main bag body 21a, 21b in the cutout edge part 5a and there is a fear of leaking out the packed material in the filling space 8 of the main bag body 2 from the gap 22.

(21) In the invention, therefore, boundary portions between upper and lower end portions of the base part 3b of the nozzle and the cutout edge part 5a of the main bag body 2 (laminate films for the main bag body 21a, 21b) are preferable to be provided with plural reinforcing seal portions 10 formed by further performing at least one thermal fusion treatment after the fusion-joining between the cutout edge part 5a and the base part 3b of the nozzle as shown in FIG. 2 and so on. According to this structure, the joint strength between the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 and the main bag body 2 can be increased and there is no fear of liquid leakage. Also, the strength of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 made of the thin and soft laminate films can be made equal to the film strength of the main bag body 2 by the reinforcing seal portion 10, so that the pouring performance can be improved without bending the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 at the position of the base part 3b.

(22) The cutout edge part 5a of the notch part 5 is preferable to be an inclination edge part linearly inclined from the upper edge part 9 of the main bag body 2 toward the side edge part 7a of the film as shown in FIG. 1, or a curved edge part (a), (c) expanded toward the filling space 8 or a horn-shaped edge part (b) connecting one or plural corner portions (one in the figure) to each other as shown in FIG. 4. The form of the cutout edge part 5a is properly determined in accordance with the pouring direction of the packed material from the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3, the form of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 or the like. Moreover, the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 is arranged so as to make the pouring path 3a parallel to the upper edge part 9 of the main bag body 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4(b), or may be arranged so as to render the pouring path 3a into an obliquely upward direction as shown in FIG. 4(a) or in an upward direction (just above) as shown in FIG. 4(c). In the latter case, when the packaging bag 1 is returned to a standing posture after the pouring of the packed material, liquid returning of the packed material into the pouring path 3a can be improved to suppress the occurrence of liquid dripping effectively.

(23) In such a packaging bag 1, it is preferable that the laminate films for the main bag body overlapped on the upper edge part 9 of the main bag body 2 other than the notch part 5 are separated away from each other and the packed material is filled in the filling space 8 of the main bag body 2, for example, under deaeration through in-liquid seal-filling or at a state of diffusing microbubbles of nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas (diameter of about 1 m to 150000 m) into the packed material and thereafter the upper edge part 9 is fusion-joined to seal the filling space 8 airtightly.

(24) In another embodiment of the packaging bag 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 5, a self-supporting bottom portion 12 of a ship bottom type is formed by a bottom wall disposed in a lower edge part 6 of the laminate films for the main bag body corresponding to the lower end of the main bag body 2. The bottom wall is made, for example, from the same laminate film as the laminate film for the main bag body or a film being thick and chewy as compared to the laminate film for the main bag body. The bottom wall is heat-sealed together with the laminate film for the main bag body to a required form at a state of inserting between the overlapped laminate films for the main bag body and fusion-joined to inner edge faces of the lower edge parts 6 of the laminate films for the main bag body to form the self-supporting bottom portion 12. In the packaging bag 1 provided with the self-supporting bottom portion 12, when the packed material is filled into the filling space 8 of the main bag body 2, the lower edge parts 6 of the laminate films for the main bag body are separated away from each other to contact their end portions to ground, whereby the packaging bag 1 can be self-supported.

(25) Since penetration of ambient air into the packaging bag is blocked by the self-sealing function of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3, the main bag body 2 is shrinking associated with the pouring of the packed material. In the packaging bag 1 having the self-supporting bottom portion 12 as shown in FIG. 5, therefore, it is preferable to encapsulate a gas of nitrogen or carbon dioxide together with the packed material into the filling space 8 of the main bag body 2 at an amount of not less than 2 vol %, preferably not more than 30 vol % per volume of the packed material. In such a construction, the shrinking of the main bag body 2 can be suppressed by the gas to stably self-support the packaging bag 1 till the last. Even when the residual amount of the packed material is decreased up to not more than , the adhesion force between the mutual inner faces of the main bag body 2 (two laminate films for the main bag body) is mitigated by the gas, while the flowing of the packed material is guided (replaced) into a space occupied with the gas, whereby the packed material can be poured smoothly and the residual amount of the packed material in the bag can be decreased.

(26) Moreover, the gas encapsulated into the main bag body 2 together with the packed material is preferable to be selected in accordance with the kind of the packed material. Particularly, when the packed material is easily oxidized or contaminated with air (for example, seasoning such as soy source or the like, oils, cosmetics, medicines and so on), it is preferable to use an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide gas or the like. On the other hand, when the quality is not deteriorated even by contacting the packed material with a constant amount of an active gas (for example, various alcohols), an active gas such as oxygen, diluted air or the like may be used. In the invention, since the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 has a self-sealing function as previously mentioned, the penetration of ambient air into the main bag body 2 is blocked by the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 and hence the growth of aerobic bacteria in the main bag body 2 can be suppressed effectively. However, since the amount of dissolved oxygen in the main bag body 2 is small, there is a problem of fearing the growth of anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens. In this connection, a gas having a bacteriostatic effect such as carbon dioxide gas, a mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas is encapsulated together with the packed material, whereby pH of the packed material can be lowered to suppress the growth of anaerobic bacteria effectively.

(27) According to the invention, in order to improve the self-sealing function by adhesion between mutual inner faces of the pouring path 3a in the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 when the pouring of the packed material is stopped and the packaging bag returns to a standing posture, as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable to arrange at least one irregular stripe 23, 24 extending across the pouring path 3a of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 and entering between the mutual laminate films for the nozzle 20a, 20b as shown in a section view (FIG. 6(b)) in a line A-A of FIG. 6(a) at a position of the vicinity of a pouring port on the laminate films 20a, 20b constituting the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3. In this case, elastic restoring force of the laminate films 20a, 20b to initial state can be increased to perform the adhesion between the mutual inner faces of the pouring path 3a rapidly and surely, whereby the self-sealing function can be developed effectively. Particularly, the formation of the irregular stripe 23, 24 is very effective because there is a fear of penetrating the gas into the pouring path 3a of the film-shaped pouring nozzle to block the adhesion between the mutual inner faces of the pouring path 3a when the gas is encapsulated into the main bag body 2 together with the packed material as mentioned above.

(28) The method of forming the packaging bag 1 according to the invention is not specified to the above case. For example, an example of integrally uniting the protect cover 4 with the main bag body 2 can be performed simply by superimposing the two laminate films for the main bag body, fusion-joining their side edge parts 7a, 7b and lower edge parts 6 to each other, inserting the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 into the shoulder part intersecting the upper edge part 9 with the side edge part 7a through the upper edge part 9, heat-sealing the base part 3b of the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 to the laminate films for the main bag body from their upper edge parts 9 to form the cutout edge part 5a, and fixing and holding the film-shaped pouring nozzle 3 in the packaging bag 1 by the cutout edge part 5a and defining the packaging bag 1 into the protect cover 4 (notch portion 5) and the main bag body 2.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(29) 1 packaging bag 2 main bag body 2a side edge of main bag body 3 film-shaped pouring nozzle 4 protect cover 4a outer edge of protect cover 5 notch part 5a cutout edge part 6 lower edge part 7a, 7b side edge part 8 filling space 9 upper edge part 10 reinforcing seal portion 11 tear guiding trace 12 self-supporting bottom portion 20a, 20b laminate film for nozzle 21a, 21b laminate film for main bag body 22 gap 23 concave stripe 24 convex stripe