U.S. patent application number 15/707775 was filed with the patent office on 2018-01-04 for pour spout and packaging container.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Isao Morimoto, Kiyoshi Wada.
Application Number | 20180002062 15/707775 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57006923 |
Filed Date | 2018-01-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180002062 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morimoto; Isao ; et
al. |
January 4, 2018 |
POUR SPOUT AND PACKAGING CONTAINER
Abstract
A pour spout that is sufficiently rigid to be prevented from
breaking due to ultrasonic vibrations during welding and that is
readily separated from a packaging container being broken down, and
a packaging container with the pour spout. The pour spout includes
a cylindrical sidewall and a disk-like flange extending outwardly
from one end of the sidewall. The flange has a to-be-cut portion
that is a recess arranged annularly, and a rib disposed at an
annular projection or at the to-be-cut portion.
Inventors: |
Morimoto; Isao; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Wada; Kiyoshi; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
57006923 |
Appl. No.: |
15/707775 |
Filed: |
September 18, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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PCT/JP2016/001804 |
Mar 28, 2016 |
|
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15707775 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/40 20130101; B65D
5/746 20130101; B65D 5/74 20130101; B65D 43/00 20130101; B65D 51/20
20130101; B65D 47/36 20130101; B65D 5/067 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 5/74 20060101
B65D005/74; B65D 5/06 20060101 B65D005/06; B65D 5/40 20060101
B65D005/40; B65D 51/20 20060101 B65D051/20; B65D 47/36 20060101
B65D047/36 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 30, 2015 |
JP |
2015-068389 |
May 26, 2015 |
JP |
2015-106682 |
Aug 24, 2015 |
JP |
2015-164623 |
Sep 4, 2015 |
JP |
2015-175024 |
Claims
1. A pour spout comprising: a cylindrical sidewall; and a disk-like
flange extending outwardly from one end of the sidewall, wherein
the flange has a to-be-cut portion formed with a plurality of
recesses that are annularly arranged and separated by a plurality
of ribs.
2. The pour spout of claim 1, wherein the to-be-cut portion is
formed on the flange's bottom surface opposite the sidewall.
3. The pour spout of claim 2, wherein the plurality of ribs are
formed extending radially from the center of the cylindrical
sidewall in a plan view of the flange.
4. The pour spout of claim 2, wherein an outer peripheral surface
of the sidewall is formed with a screw thread onto which a cap is
screwed, and the plurality of ribs are formed extending from the
inside to the outside of the flange at a first predetermined angle
less than 90.degree. to a direction tangent to the circumferential
direction of rotation of the cap being screwed, in a plan view of
the flange.
5. The pour spout according to claim 4, wherein the a plurality of
ribs are formed extending from the inside to the outside of the
flange at a second predetermined angle to a direction opposite the
direction tangent to the circumferential direction of rotation of
the cap being screwed, in the plan view of the flange.
6. The pour spout of claim 4, wherein the first predetermined angle
is 60.degree..
7. The pour spout of claim 5, wherein the second predetermined
angle is 60.degree..
8. The pour spout of claim 2, wherein top surfaces of the plurality
of ribs are flush with the bottom surface of the flange.
9. The pour spout of claim 2, wherein d2.ltoreq.d1.ltoreq.d3 is
satisfied, where d1 is the thickness of a portion of the flange
where the recess is formed, d2 is the distance by which the
recesses are separated by the plurality of ribs, and d3 is the
width of the recess.
10. The pour spout of claim 2, wherein a surface of the flange on
the sidewall side is welded around the entire circumference of a
container body's pouring opening having a predetermined diameter,
the recess has a first wall surface and a second wall surface on an
outer side of the first wall surface, the first and second wall
surfaces being concentric with the sidewall, and has a top surface
connected to the first and second wall surfaces at a predetermined
angle, and with the flange welded to the container body,
d4+d6.gtoreq.2.times.d5 is satisfied, where d4 is an outer diameter
of the sidewall at a portion facing an inner peripheral surface of
the pouring opening, d5 is an inner diameter of the pouring
opening, and d6 is an outer diameter of the sidewall at a portion
connecting the first sidewall to the top surface.
11. The pour spout of claim 10, wherein the portion of the flange
where the top surface is formed has a thickness d7 of 0.15 mm or
more and 0.45 mm or less.
12. The pour spout of claim 10, wherein the width d8 of the top
surface along a radial direction of the recess is 0.3 mm or more
and 1.0 mm or less.
13. The pour spout of claim 10, wherein the width d9 of the rib
along a circumferential direction of the recess is 0.15 mm or more
and 0.45 mm or less.
14. The pour spout of clam 10, wherein an odd number of the ribs
are provided to equally divide the circumference of the recess.
15. The pour spout of claim 10, wherein the first and second wall
surfaces are rounded at a section connected to the bottom surface
of the flange.
16. The pour spout according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the
flange on the sidewall side is welded around the entire
circumference of a container body's pouring opening having a
predetermined diameter, as the to-be-cut portion, a plurality of
first recesses are annularly arranged and separated by a plurality
of ribs on an inner side of the predetermined diameter, and at
least one annulus concentric with the annulus having the first
recess is formed with a plurality of second recesses separated by a
plurality of ribs.
17. The pour spout of claim 16, wherein the first and second
recesses are disposed on the flange's surface opposite the
sidewall, and the first recess is disposed at an innermost
annulus.
18. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein of the first and second
recesses, one disposed at the innermost annulus has an innermost
diameter equal to a diameter of the sidewall at its lower end
section where the flange and the sidewall are connected.
19. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein an equal number of the ribs
are formed at each of the annuluses.
20. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein the rib separating the
first recess has a circumferential width d10 less than a
circumferential width d11 of the rib separating the second
recess.
21. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein the portions of the flange
where the first and second recesses are formed each have a
respective thickness d12, d13 that is less than the circumferential
width d10 of the rib separating the first recess and that is less
than a radial width d14 of the first recess.
22. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein the portions of the flange
where the first and second recesses are formed each have a
respective depth d12, d13 that is 0. 2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or
less.
23. The pour spout of claim 17, wherein the second recess is formed
to have an arched shape whose radial cross-section has a
predetermined radius of curvature, and the first recess has a
radial cross-section that is not rounded or has a corner rounded to
have a radius of curvature less than the predetermined radius of
curvature.
24. The pour spout of claim 16, wherein at least the plurality of
second recesses are concentrically disposed in the surface of the
flange on the sidewall side.
25. The pour spout of claim 16, wherein the plurality of ribs
separating the first recess and the plurality of ribs separating
the second recess are formed at positions in different directions
as seen from the center of the flange.
26. A pour spout comprising: a cylindrical sidewall; and a
disk-like flange extending outwardly from one end of the sidewall,
wherein the flange has an annular recessed portion and at least one
annular projection that is outwardly spaced apart from the annular
recessed portion by a predetermined distance, on the flange's
bottom surface opposite the sidewall.
27. The pour spout of claim 26, wherein d16.gtoreq.d17.gtoreq.d18
is satisfied, where d16 is the width of the annular recessed
portion, d17 is the distance from the annular recessed portion to
the nearest annular projection that is immediately outside the
annular recessed portion, and d18 is the width of the annular
projection.
28. The pour spout of claim 26, wherein d19.ltoreq.d20.ltoreq.d21
is satisfied, where d19 is the thickness of the annular recessed
portion, d20 is the recess depth of the annular recessed portion,
and d21 is the height of the annular projection outside the annular
recessed portion.
29. A packaging container comprising: a container body that is
formed by folding a sheet material into a box-like shape and that
has a pouring opening; and the pour spout of claim 1 mounted in the
pouring opening, with the flange welded to the sheet material.
30. The packaging container according to claim 29, wherein the
container body is formed with a linear weakened portion, and a
crease formed when the container is folded along the weakened
portion passes through the pouring opening.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application filed under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.111(a) claiming the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn..sctn.120 and 365(c) of International Application No.
PCT/JP2016/001804, filed on Mar. 28, 2016, which is based upon and
claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No.
2015-068389, filed on Mar. 30, 2015, Japanese Patent Application
No. 2015-106682, filed on May 26, 2015, Japanese Patent Application
No. 2015-164623, filed on Aug. 24, 2015, and Japanese Patent
Application No. 2015-175024, filed on Sep. 4, 2015, the entireties
of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a pour spout and a
packaging container with the pour spout.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Packaging containers are known having a container body with
a pour spout such as that shown in FIG. 25. The container body is
formed as follows: a sheet material is formed by laminating a
barrier layer (such as an aluminum foil, aluminum deposited film,
or inorganic deposited oxide film) between a paper substrate layer
and a sealant layer of thermoplastic resin (see PTL 1), the sheet
material is folded into a box-like shape, edges of the sheet
material are overlapped, followed by sealing. Such packaging
containers are widely used as containers of, for example, fruit
drinks, juice, tea, coffee, milk beverages, liquid foods, such as
soups, and alcoholic drinks, such as sake and shochu.
[0004] Such packaging containers can take various forms. One such
packaging container has a gable roof panel formed with a cap and a
pour spout which are made of, for example, polyethylene. The cap
and pour spout allow liquids inside the container to be poured out.
For environmental preservation, a used empty container should
desirably be sorted and collected, and a pour spout welded to a
container body made of a paper sheet material should desirably be
separated from it for disposal to reduce the amount of waste. The
container and pour spout can be separated by opening the top seal
and cutting a sheet material around the pour spout using scissors
or the like. However, such packaging containers are usually hard to
break down because the top seal is firmly welded thereto, and
cutting such packaging containers with scissors or the like is
time-consuming. For these reasons, such containers are often
discarded without separation of a pour spout.
[0005] Against this background, liquid paper containers have been
developed having a pour spout readily separable therefrom. PTL 2
discloses a paper package, which is a paper container made with
scores and a pour spout having an annular thin-walled portion
formed on the inner upper surface of an annulus (flange). The paper
package is folded along the scores, which allows the annular
thin-walled portion to break, resulting in a cylindrical section of
the pour spout separating from the paper container.
[0006] PTL 3 discloses a spout assembly formed of a pour spout and
a cap. The spout assembly has a breakable thin-walled portion
formed on the inner upper surface of a flange extending outwardly
from the lower end of the outer surface of a side wall that serves
as a pouring passage of the pour spout. The portion of the upper
surface extending radially outwardly from the thin-walled portion
is bonded to a periphery of an opening of a liquid paper container.
When the thin-walled portion breaks, the portion of the flange
extending outwardly from the thin-walled portion is completely
separated from the side wall.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0007] PTL 1: JP 2003-335362 A
[0008] PTL 2: JP 5469421 B
[0009] PTL 3: JP 2011-73748 A
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0010] However, a pour spout with a thin-walled portion (as
described in PTL 2 and 3) has a less rigid flange. Because of the
reduced rigidity, when the pour spout is welded to a paper
container by ultrasonic welding, the thin-walled portion and its
surroundings may deform due to ultrasonic vibrations, or the
cylindrical section may rise from the flange, or pinholes may form
in the thin-walled portion, or the thin-walled portion may break,
or the thin-walled portion may not be broken after welding. In
these cases, the pour spout may be improperly welded to the paper
container.
[0011] With such a pour spout, stable welding has not been achieved
even if the shape of a horn of an ultrasonic sealing machine or the
intensity of ultrasound is adjusted. For uniform sealing, the
intensity of an ultrasonic energy is conventionally high. This
approach, however, may deform a flange of the spout assembly, in
which case the contents of the paper container are more likely to
leak.
[0012] The present invention has been made in view of these
problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a pour
spout that is sufficiently rigid to be prevented from breaking due
to ultrasonic vibrations during welding and that can still be
readily separated from a packaging container being broken down, and
a packaging container with the pour spout.
Solution to Problem
[0013] To overcome the problems, an aspect of the present invention
provides a pour spout including a cylindrical sidewall and a
disk-like flange extending outwardly from one end of the sidewall.
The flange has a to-be-cut portion formed with a plurality of
recesses that are annularly arranged and separated by a plurality
of ribs.
[0014] Another aspect of the present invention provides a pour
spout including a cylindrical sidewall and a disk-like flange
extending outwardly from one end of the sidewall. On the flange's
bottom surface opposite the sidewall, the flange has an annular
recess and at least one annular projection that is outwardly spaced
from the annular recess a predetermined distance.
[0015] Another aspect of the present invention provides a packaging
container that is formed by folding a sheet material into a
box-like shape, and that includes a container body with a pouring
opening and the above-described pour spout mounted in the pouring
opening, with its flange welded to the sheet material.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0016] The present invention provides a pour spout that is
sufficiently rigid to be prevented from breaking due to ultrasonic
vibrations during welding and that can still be readily separated
from a packaging container being broken down, and a packaging
container with the pour spout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging container
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a pour spout according
to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2B is a plan view of the pour spout according to the
first embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3A is a plan view of a pour spout according to a
variation on the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 3B is a plan view of a pour spout according to a
variation on the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank according to the first
embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a laminate
structure of a sheet material according to the first embodiment of
the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a laminate
structure of a sheet material according to the first embodiment of
the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 6A illustrates a method of separating the pour spout
according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 6B illustrates the method of separating the pour spout
according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 6C illustrates the method of separating the pour spout
according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a packaging container
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a blank used to form a packaging
container according to the second embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of a pour spout for use in
the packaging container according to the second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0031] FIG. 9B is a plan view of the pour spout for use in the
packaging container according to the second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0032] FIG. 10A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a flange and
its surroundings of the pour spout according to the second
embodiment of the present invention, illustrating ultrasonic
welding of the pour spout to a container body.
[0033] FIG. 10B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a flange and
its surroundings of a pour spout according to a comparative example
of the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating
ultrasonic welding of the pour spout to a container body.
[0034] FIG. 11A illustrates a method of separating the pour spout
according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 11B illustrates the method of separating the pour spout
according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view and a bottom view of a
pour spout according to a third embodiment of the present
invention.
[0037] FIG. 13A is a perspective view of a container according to
the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the container according to
the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0039] FIG. 14 is a developed view of a container body according to
the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] FIG. 15A illustrates in perspective view a process of
separating the pour spout according to the third embodiment of the
present invention from a container.
[0041] FIG. 15B illustrates in perspective view a process of
separating the pour spout according to the third embodiment of the
present invention from the container.
[0042] FIG. 16A illustrates in perspective view another method of
separating the pour spout according to the third embodiment of the
present invention from a container.
[0043] FIG. 16B illustrates in perspective view the another method
of separating the pour spout according to the third embodiment of
the present invention from the container.
[0044] FIG. 17A is a perspective view of a flat-top paper container
according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 17B is a perspective view of the flat-top paper
container according to the third embodiment of the present
invention.
[0046] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view and a plan view of a pour
spout according to a variation on the third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0047] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view and a plan view of a pour
spout according to a variation on the third embodiment of the
present invention.
[0048] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view and a plan view of a pour
spout according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0049] FIG. 21 schematically illustrates a pour spout and a cap
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0050] FIG. 22 schematically illustrates a packaging container
according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0051] FIG. 23 schematically illustrates a cross-section of a
flange of the pour spout according to the fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
[0052] FIG. 24 schematically illustrates the cross-section of the
flange of the pour spout according to the fourth embodiment of the
present invention.
[0053] FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view and a plan view of a
conventional pour spout.
DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0054] The preferred embodiments of the invention will be described
below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the
drawings, the same or equivalent components are represented by the
same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will be
omitted. Further, although the description has been made with
reference to a limited number of embodiments, the scope of the
invention is not limited thereto, and modifications of the above
embodiments on the basis of the above disclosure is obvious to a
person having ordinary skill in the art. That is, the present
invention may not be limited to the aforementioned embodiments.
Design modifications or the like can also be made to the above
embodiments on the basis of a knowledge of a skilled person in the
art, and such modifications or the like without departing from the
principle of the present invention are encompassed within the scope
of the present invention.
First Embodiment
[0055] A pour spout 1 and a packaging container 3 according to a
first embodiment of the present invention will now be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0056] <Packaging Container>
[0057] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the packaging container 3.
The packaging container 3 includes a pour spout 1 and a container
body 100 formed by folding a blank 110, which has been formed from
a sheet material 200 (described later), into a box-like shape, and
overlapping and sealing edges of the folded blank 110. By way of
example, the pour spout 1 includes a cap 2. The container body 100
includes a top section 101, body section 102, and bottom section
103. These sections respectively serve as a top part, side surface,
and bottom part when the container 100 is erected. The top section
101 includes two roof panels 106 (106a, 106b), and a fold-back
panel 107 and fold-inward panel 108, which are folded between the
roof panels 106. The roof panel 106a has a circular pouring opening
114 formed therein. The pour spout 1 is mounted in the pouring
opening 114. By way of example, the top section 101 has a weakened
section 105 with lower tensile strength. The weakened portion 105
is seen extending laterally in the left and right directions when
the container body 100 is erected.
[0058] <Pour Spout>
[0059] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the pour spout 1, while
FIG. 2B is a plan view from below of the pour spout 1. The pour
spout 1 includes a cylindrical sidewall 11, partition wall 14
closing the interior of the sidewall 11, disk-like flange 15, and a
plurality of recesses 17 formed in the bottom surface 20 of the
flange 15. The pour spout 1 may be integrally formed with the
container body 100, using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or the
like. For easy separation, the pour spout 1 is preferably made of a
material having a flexural modulus of 100 MPa or more and 180 MPa
or less, more preferably 120 MPa or more and 155 MPa or less.
[0060] The sidewall 11 has an outer screw thread 12 on its outer
peripheral surface 21. The outer screw thread 12 allows the cap 2,
which has a screw thread on its inner peripheral surface, to be
screwed from above. Below the outer screw thread 12 are three
projections 19 which are formed as part of the outer peripheral
surface 21 of the sidewall 11 so as to equally divide the
circumference of the sidewall 11. Below the projections 19 is a
disk-like flange 15 extending outwardly from the outer peripheral
surface 21 of the sidewall 11. A surface of the flange 15 on the
sidewall 11 side is joined to the container body 100 by ultrasonic
welding. The container body 100 is sandwiched between the
projection 19 and the flange 15.
[0061] As shown in FIG. 2B, the bottom surface 20 of the flange 15,
which is the opposite side of the sidewall 11, has a to-be-cut
portion 22 where a plurality of recesses 17 separated by a
plurality of ribs 18 are annularly arranged. The recess 17 is
formed in the bottom surface 20 of the flange 15 and has a
trapezoidal cross-section. The cross-section of the recess 17 may
take various other shapes. The surfaces of the flange 15 may have
projections of various shapes that serve as energy directors for
increasing weldability by controlling the concentration of
ultrasonic energy during ultrasonic welding.
[0062] In the plan view of the flange 15, twenty-four ribs 18 are
disposed extending radially from the center of the sidewall 11 so
as to equally divide the circumference of the sidewall 11. As shown
in FIG. 2A, the top surface 23 of the rib 18 is formed flush with
the bottom surface 20 of the flange 15. Alternatively, the top
surface 23 of the rib 18 may be recessed from the bottom surface 20
of the flange 15.
[0063] The partition wall 14 is formed near the lower end of the
sidewall 11 to separate the interior of the sidewall 11 into a
section on the upper end side and a section on the lower end side.
The partition wall 14 is connected to the sidewall 11 by a half-cut
portion 16, which is a thin outer peripheral portion formed
annularly. The upper surface of the partition wall 14 is connected
to a pull ring 13 via a pillar. To open the packaging container 3,
a user raises the pull ring 13, which causes the partition wall 14
to break along the half-cut portion 16, allowing the user to pull
out the broken partition wall 14 from the sidewall 11, which
results in the sections on the upper and lower ends of the sidewall
11 communicating with each other.
[0064] By appropriately setting the number of ribs 18, the
thickness (d1) of a recessed portion of the flange 15, the distance
(d2) by which recesses 17 are separated by a rib 18, and the width
(d3) of a recess 17, the flange 15 and the sidewall 11 are readily
separated from each other along the to-be-cut portion 22, and the
flange 15 has greater rigidity that prevents it from breaking due
to ultrasonic vibrations. For example, the number of the ribs 18
may be in the range from 24 or more to 48 or less, and the d1 and
d2 may be in the range from 0.15 mm or more to 0.3 mm or less,
especially from 0.2 mm or more to 0.25 mm or less. This
configuration prevents breakage of the flange 15 due to ultrasonic
vibrations during welding while allowing the flange 15 and the
sidewall 11 to be readily separated from each other along the
to-be-cut portion 22. When, for example, d1 to d3 satisfy the
relationship d2.ltoreq.d1, the to-be-cut portion 22 breaks in the
order d2, d1 during separation, allowing the flange 15 and side
wall 11 to be separated from each other more readily. In the case
of d1.ltoreq.d3, for example, a portion near the to-be-cut portion
22 bends or extends appropriately for easier separation.
[0065] <Variation 1 on Pour Spout>
[0066] The rib 18 can take various shapes. FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan
views of a pour spout 1 according to a variation, where the shape
of the rib 18 has been changed. The pour spout 1 (FIGS. 3A and 3B)
is viewed from the bottom surface 20 side. A plurality of ribs 181
of a pour spout (FIG. 3A), in the plan view of the flange 15, are
formed extending from the inside to the outside of the flange 15 at
a first predetermined angle less than 90.degree. to the direction
tangent to the circumferential direction of rotation of the cap 2
being screwed (in the case of the pour spout 1, counterclockwise as
viewed from the bottom surface 20 side). The first predetermined
angle is, for example, 60.degree.. With the ribs 181 inclined at an
angle less than 90.degree., the flange 15 has greater rigidity
against torque in the direction in which the cap 2 is tightened.
The flange 15 is thus prevented from breaking during a capping
operation.
[0067] <Variation 2 on Pour Spout>
[0068] Besides the plurality of ribs 181, a plurality of ribs 182
are formed on a pour spout (FIG. 3B). In the plan view of the
flange 15, the ribs 182 extend from the inside to the outside of
the flange 15 at a second predetermined angle less than 90.degree.
to a direction opposite the direction tangent to the
circumferential direction of rotation of the cap 2 being screwed.
The second predetermined angle is, for example, 60.degree.. With
the formation of ribs 182, triangular recesses 17 are arranged
circumferentially. This honeycomb structure allows the flange 15 to
be more rigid against loads applied from directions parallel to a
plane including the flange 15.
[0069] <Blank>
[0070] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank 110, which is an example
blank used to form a container body 100. The blank 110 includes
roof panels 106a, 106b that constitute a top section 101, a
fold-back panel 107 and fold-inward panel 108, four side panels 111
that constitute a body section 102, a bottom panel 112 that serves
as a bottom section 103, and a to-be-sealed section 113 formed at
an edge of the blank 110. The blank 110 is folded along a chain
line (FIG. 4), and the to-be-sealed section 113 is sealed to an
edge on the opposite side thereof. The blank is thus formed into a
box-like shape. Around the center of the roof panel 106a is a
pouring opening 114 in which the pour spout 1 is fixedly mounted.
The roof panels 106a, 106b, fold-back panel 107, and fold-inward
panel 108 are formed with a linear weakened portion 105 laterally
extending across substantially the entire width of the container
body 100 in its erected state. A portion of the weakened portion
105 is interrupted by the pouring opening 114. Accordingly, a
crease formed when the container body 100 is folded along the
weakened portion 105 passes through the pouring opening 114. The
weakened portion 105 may be formed in the longitudinal direction of
the container body 100 as long as a portion thereof is interrupted
by the pouring opening 114.
[0071] <Sheet Material>
[0072] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views of two
example laminate structures of the sheet material 200 used to form
the blank 110. The sheet material 200 includes a printed layer 208,
thermoplastic resin layer 201, paper substrate layer 202, adhesive
layer of resin 203, barrier layer 204, adhesive layer 205, and
sealant layer 206 in that order from the outside of the packaging
container 3.
[0073] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the sheet material 200 is
formed with the weakened portion 105. The weakened portion 105 has
groove-like cut portions 207a, 207b formed at least in the paper
substrate layer 202 and the barrier layer 204 respectively. The cut
portions each have a predetermined depth. Preferably, the cut
portion 207b of the barrier layer 204 is formed to overlap the cut
portion 207a of the paper substrate layer 202 in plan view. The cut
portion 207b is preferably formed extending within the barrier
layer 204; however, the groove-like cut 207b may partially
penetrate another layer because the penetration of small extent has
only a slight influence on the barrier characteristics of the
barrier layer 204. The cut portion 207a should at least be formed
in the paper substrate layer 202. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5b, the
cut portion 207a may also be formed in the stack of the
thermoplastic resin layer 201 and printed layer 208 which are
external to the paper substrate layer 202.
[0074] The cut portion 207a may have any depth that allows the
paper substrate layer 202 to provide sufficient strength of the
packaging container 3. The cut portion 207a may be formed by
half-cutting process or full-cutting process using a cutting die.
The cut portions may be perforations to allow the packaging
container 3 to have sufficient strength. The cut portion 207b may
be formed by laser beam machining after lamination of the barrier
layer 204. Before lamination of the barrier layer 204, the cut
portion 207b may be formed by half-cutting process or full-cutting
process using a cutting die, or by laser beam machining before
lamination of the barrier layer 204. The cut portion 207b may also
be perforations to allow the packaging container 3 to have
sufficient strength.
[0075] The thermoplastic resin layer 201 may be formed on the paper
substrate layer 202 by extrusion lamination or the like, using
low-density polyethylene resin (LDPE), linear low-density
polyethylene resin (LLDPE), or the like.
[0076] The printed layer 208 provided outwardly of the
thermoplastic resin layer 201 may show a pattern or product
information. The printed layer 208 may be formed by gravure
printing, offset printing, or the like using known ink. The
adhesion of the thermoplastic resin layer 201 to the printed layer
208 may be increased by corona treatment or the like that
facilitates the adhesion therebetween. An overcoat layer may be
provided outwardly of the printed layer to increase wear resistance
or degree of freedom in surface decoration.
[0077] The paper substrate layer 202 may be formed of, for example,
base paper for milk cartons. The basis weight and density of a
container may be selected depending on the volume, design, or the
like thereof.
[0078] The adhesive layer of resin 203 is formed of polyolefin
resin and provides adhesion between the paper substrate layer 202
and barrier layer 204. Specifically, the adhesive layer of resin
203 may be formed of, for example, high-density polyethylene resin
(HDPE), medium-density polyethylene resin (MDPE), LDPE, LLDPE,
ethylene methacrylic acid copolymer (EMAA), ethylene acrylic acid
copolymer (EAA), ionomer, polypropylene (PP). For greater adhesion,
a surface of the paper substrate layer 202 or barrier layer 204 may
be subjected to corona treatment, ozonation, anchor coating, or the
like. Another way to increase the adhesion is to use a dry
lamination adhesive instead of the adhesive layer of resin.
[0079] The barrier layer 204 may be formed of a deposition film
including a substrate film 204a and a deposition layer 204b which
is formed by depositing silica, alumina, metal such as aluminum, or
the like. An alternative is to use a laminated film formed by
laminating a metal foil 204c such as of aluminum to the substrate
film 204a using dry lamination. In the example shown in FIG. 5A,
the barrier layer 204, which is a deposition film, is formed of the
substrate film 204a and the deposition film 204b disposed on a
surface of the substrate film 204a, the surface to be on the inner
side of the packaging container 3. In the example shown in FIG. 5B,
the barrier layer 204, which is a laminated film, is formed of the
substrate film 204a and the metal foil 204c disposed on a surface
of the substrate film 204a, the surface to be on the outer side of
the packaging container 3. When a laminated film is used and the
cut portion 207b is formed by irradiation with a laser beam, as
shown in FIG. 5A, the deposition layer 204b or metal foil 204c of
the barrier layer 204 is laminated to face the adhesive layer of
resin 203 so as to prevent the metal foil 204c from blocking a
laser beam directed toward the substrate film 204a. The barrier
layer 204 may be a polyethylene terephthalate film to which barrier
coatings are applied, or a barrier film formed of barrier material
such as EVOH.
[0080] The substrate film 204a may be a resin film formed of
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), nylon, polypropylene (PP), or the
like. In particular, a biaxially-oriented PET film is preferable
because it has low expansion and shrinkage during deposition or
lamination.
[0081] The adhesive layer 205 may be a dry laminating adhesive or
solventless laminating adhesive; instead, an extruded polyolefin
resin may be used to provide adhesion.
[0082] The sealant layer 206 may be formed of HDPE, MDPE, LDPE,
LLDPE, or the like. There may be a layer containing polybutene. In
particular, LLDPE is preferable. Preferably, the sealant layer 206
is a non-oriented film formed by T-die extrusion or blown film
extrusion. The layer structure of the sheet material 200 and the
weakened portion 105 are not limited to the above examples, and can
be embodied in various forms.
[0083] The pour spout 1 is ultrasonically welded to the container
body 100 in the following way. First, the sidewall 11 of the pour
spout 1 is inserted into the pouring opening 114 of the container
body 100 from the inner surface side of the container body 100, and
the surface of the flange 15 on the sidewall 11 side is placed
against the inner surface of the roof panel 106a. As shown in FIG.
1, the pour spout 1 is temporarily fastened to the container body
100, with a portion around the pouring opening 114 of the container
body 100 sandwiched between the projection 19 and the flange 15.
Then, an anvil inserted inside the container body 100 and an
ultrasonic horn (which are not shown) are placed on the roof panel
106a on the flange 15, and ultrasonic vibrations are produced to
weld the roof panel 106 and flange 15. Although the vibrations
cause the flange 15 to vibrate, this vibration is absorbed by the
ribs 18, which prevents breakage of a portion around the recess 17.
The rib 18 increases the rigidity of the flange 15. The increased
rigidity allows the flange 15 to be welded to the roof panel 106
while the shape of the flange 15 is maintained. This prevents
non-uniform welding.
[0084] <Separating Method>
[0085] A method of separating the pour spout 1 will now be
described. FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C each illustrate a process of
separating the pour spout 1.
[0086] <<Flattening Process>>
[0087] FIG. 6A illustrates a process of flattening the packaging
container 3. In this process, a user of the packaging container 3
presses the opposing two side panels 111, which extend down from
the roof panel 106, in opposing directions, to flatten the body
section 102. The other two side panels 111 in contact with the
flattened side panels 111 are folded inwardly of the packaging
container 3.
[0088] <<Folding Process>>
[0089] FIG. 6B illustrates a process of folding the packaging
container 3 along the weakened portion 105. In this process, the
user folds the roof panel 106 along the weakened portion 105, as
shown in FIG. 6B. This results in the roof panel 106 having a
crease passing through the pouring opening 114.
[0090] Since the crease of the roof panel 106 passes through the
pouring opening 114, a portion of the flange 15 of the pour spout 1
mounted in the pouring opening 114 is bent in the same direction as
the roof panel 106 when subjected to loads. Since the to-be-cut
portion 22 is formed in the pour spout 1, a portion around the pour
spout 1 breaks at least partially as shown on the right portion of
FIG. 6B.
[0091] <<Process of Separating Pour Spout>>
[0092] FIG. 6C illustrates a process of separating the pour spout 1
from the packaging container 3. Broken in the former process, the
portion around the recess 17 of the pour spout 1 allows the user to
cut the pour spout 1 along the to-be-cut portion 22 with very
little force, and to thus separate the pour spout 1 including the
sidewall 11 from the packaging container 3.
[0093] As described above, the present embodiment provides a pour
spout that is sufficiently rigid to be prevented from breaking due
to ultrasonic vibrations during welding and that is readily
separated from a packaging container being broken down, and a
packaging container with the pour spout.
Second Embodiment
[0094] The second embodiment of the present invention will now be
described.
[0095] <Packaging Container>
[0096] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a packaging container 3. The
packaging container 3 includes a pour spout 1 and a container body
100 formed by folding a blank 110, which has been formed from a
sheet material (described later), into a box-like shape, and
overlapping and sealing edges of the folded blank 110. By way of
example, the pour spout 1 includes a cap 2. The container body 100
includes a top section 10, body section 102, and bottom section
103. These sections respectively serve as a top part, side surface,
and bottom part when the container body 100 is erected. The top
section 101 includes two roof panels 106 (106a, 106b), and a
fold-back panel 107 and fold-inward panel 108, which are folded
between the roof panels 106. The roof panel 106a has a circular
pouring opening 114 formed therein. The pour spout 1 is mounted in
the pouring opening 114.
[0097] <Blank>
[0098] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a blank 110, which is an example
blank used to form the container body 100. The blank 110 includes
roof panels 106a, 106b that constitute a top section 101, a
fold-back panel 107 and fold-inward panel 108, four side panels 111
that constitute a body section 102, a bottom panel 112 that serves
as a bottom section 103, and a to-be-sealed section 113 formed at
an edge of the blank 110. The blank 110 is folded along a chain
line (FIG. 8), and the to-be-sealed section 113 is sealed to an
edge on the opposite side thereof. The blank 110 is thus formed
into a box-like shape. Around the center of the roof panel 106a is
a pouring opening 114 in which the pour spout 1 is fixedly
mounted.
[0099] <Sheet Material>
[0100] The sheet material may have a layer structure similar to
that of the first embodiment. That is, the sheet material may
include a printed layer, thermoplastic resin layer, paper substrate
layer, adhesive layer of resin, barrier layer, adhesive layer, and
sealant layer in that order from the outside of the packaging
container 3.
[0101] <Pour Spout>
[0102] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of a pour spout 4, while
FIG. 9B is a plan view from below of the pour spout 4. The pour
spout 4 includes a cylindrical sidewall 31, partition wall 34
closing the interior of the sidewall 31, disk-like flange 35
extending from one end of the sidewall 31, and a plurality of
recesses 37 formed in the bottom surface 40 of the flange 35. The
pour spout 4 may be integrally formed with a container body 120,
using LDPE, LLDPE, or the like.
[0103] The sidewall 31 has an outer screw thread 32 on its outer
peripheral surface 41. The outer screw thread 32 allows the cap 5,
which has a screw thread on its inner peripheral surface, to be
screwed from above. Below the outer screw thread 32 are three
projections 39 which are formed as part of the outer peripheral
surface 41 of the sidewall 31 so as to equally divide the
circumference of the sidewall 31. Below the projections 39 is a
disk-like flange 35 extending outwardly from the outer peripheral
surface 41 of the sidewall 31. A surface of the flange 35 on the
sidewall 31 side is joined to the container body 120 by ultrasonic
welding. The container body 120 is sandwiched between the
projection 39 and the flange 35.
[0104] As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the bottom surface 40 of the
flange 35, which is the opposite side of the sidewall 31, has a
to-be-cut portion 42 where a plurality of recesses 37 separated by
a plurality of ribs 38 are annularly arranged. The recess 37
includes a first wall surface 44 and a second wall surface 45,
which are formed concentric with the sidewall 31. The second wall
surface 45 is outward of the first wall surface 44. The recess 37
further includes a top surface 46 connected to the first and second
wall surfaces 44 and 45. The top surface 46 is connected to the
first and second wall surfaces 44 and 45 at a predetermined angle.
Preferably, the bottom surface 40 is connected to the first and
second wall surfaces 44 and 45 via a rounded section 47. If a
section with an edge, for example, is formed between the first and
second wall surfaces 44 and 45 instead of the rounded section 47,
the recess 37 easily buckles in the left and right directions in
FIG. 9A due to ultrasonic vibrations delivered to the recess 37
during ultrasonic welding. As a result of the buckling, a portion
of the flange 35 around the recess 37 may deform to have the
material squeezed out. This results in the flange 35 having an
excess portion, for example, which may separate from the flange 35
to become foreign material. The surfaces of the flange 35 may have
projections of various shapes that serve as an energy director for
increasing weldability by controlling the concentration of
ultrasonic energy during ultrasonic welding.
[0105] In the plan view of the flange 35, fifteen ribs 38 are
disposed extending radially from the center of the sidewall 31 so
as to equally divide the circumference of the sidewall 31. As shown
in FIG. 9A, the bottom surface 43 of the rib 38 is formed flush
with the bottom surface 20 of the flange 35; however, the bottom
surface 43 of the rib 38 may be recessed from the bottom surface 40
of the flange 35.
[0106] The partition wall 34 is formed near the lower end of the
sidewall 31 to separate the interior of the sidewall 31 into a
section on the upper end side and a section on the lower end side.
The partition wall 34 is connected to the sidewall 31 by a half-cut
portion 36, which is a thin outer peripheral portion formed
annularly. The upper surface of the partition wall 34 is connected
to a pull ring 33 via a pillar. To open the packaging container 6,
a user raises the pull ring 33, which causes the partition wall 34
to break along the half-cut portion 36, allowing the user to pull
out the broken partition wall 34 from the sidewall 31, which
results in the sections on the upper and lower ends of the sidewall
31 communicating with each other.
[0107] By appropriately setting the number of ribs 38, the
thickness (d7) of a portion of the flange 35 where the recess 37
with the top surface 46 is formed, the circumferential width (d9)
of the rib 38, and the radial width (d8) of the recess 37, the
flange 35 and the sidewall 31 are readily separated from each other
along the to-be-cut portion 42, and the flange 35 has greater
rigidity that prevents it from breaking due to ultrasonic
vibrations.
[0108] The number of the ribs 38 may be adjusted depending on the
required tensile strength. Preferably, an odd number of the ribs 38
are provided to equally divide the circumference for the following
reason. As described later, the user folds the packaging container
6 along a line substantially passing through the diameter of the
pour spout 4 when separating the pour spout 4 from the container
body 120. The odd number of ribs 38, which each have greater
rigidity, will not be located at ends of the pour spout 4's
diameter simultaneously, so that separation of the pour spout 4 is
not difficult.
[0109] Preferably, d7 and d9 are 0.15 mm or more and 0.45 mm or
less. With d7 and d9 of 0.15 mm or more, incomplete filling is
prevented during integral molding using LDPE, LLDPE, or the like.
With d7 and d9 of 0.45 mm or less, a portion around the recess 37
is prevented from breaking due to ultrasonic vibrations while the
flange 35 and the sidewall 31 are readily separated from each other
along the to-be-cut portion 42. With d7 and d9 set to approximately
the same value, an approximately equal load is required to break
the recesses 37 and ribs 38. This allows the pour spout 4 to break
and separate smoothly with a constant force. More preferably, d7
and d9 are 0.2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. With d7 and d9 of 0.2
mm or more, poor filling during integral molding is less likely to
occur; d7 and d9 of 0.3 mm or less allow easy cutting.
[0110] Preferably, d8 is 0.3 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. With d8
of 0.3 mm or more, a mold for integral molding of the pour spout 4
has sufficient strength and is thus durable. With d8 of 1.0 or
less, the to-be-cut portion 42 has sufficient strength to prevent
deformation and thus improper feeding of the pour spout 4 during
use of a capping machine or a filling machine. More preferably, d8
is 0.5 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less. With d8 of 0.5 mm or more, a
molding die has sufficient strength; d8 of 0.8 mm or less allows
the to-be-cut portion 42 to have sufficient strength.
[0111] <Pour Spout>
[0112] With the flange 35 welded to the container body 120, the
flange 35 is prevented from rising from the to-be-cut portion 42
toward the sidewall 31 due to ultrasonic vibrations during welding
when d4 (diameter), d5 (diameter), and d6 (diameter) satisfy
Formula 1 for the reason given later, where d4 is an outer diameter
of the sidewall 31 at a portion facing the inner peripheral surface
of the pouring opening 134, d5 is an inner diameter of the pouring
opening 134, and d6 is an outer diameter of the sidewall 31 at a
portion connecting the first wall surface 44 to the top surface
46.
d4+d6>2.times.d5 (Formula 1)
[0113] FIG. 10A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the flange
35 and its surroundings of the pour spout 4, illustrating
ultrasonic welding of the pour spout 4 to the container body 120.
FIG. 10A illustrates welding of the packaging container 6, while
FIG. 10B illustrates, for comparison, welding of a pour spout that
does not satisfy Formula 1.
[0114] The pour spout 4 is ultrasonically welded to the container
body 120 in the following way. First, the sidewall 31 of the pour
spout 4 is inserted into the pouring opening 134 of the container
body 120 from the inner surface side of the container body 120, and
the surface of the flange 35 on the sidewall 31 side is placed
against the inner surface of the roof panel 126a. Then, an anvil
(not shown) is inserted inside the container body 120, and is
placed on the under surface of the roof panel 126a. An ultrasonic
horn 209 is placed on the upper surface of the roof panel 126a on
the flange 35, and ultrasonic vibrations are produced to weld the
roof panel 126 and flange 15.
[0115] With d4, d5, and d6 set to satisfy Formula 1, as long as the
pour spout 4 is inserted into the pouring opening 134, the pouring
opening 134 will not have an inner diameter D2 on the outside of an
outer diameter D3 of the first wall surface 44 at any mounting
location. With this configuration, the sheet material of the
container body 120 covers the top surface 46 of the recess 37 to
serve as a bracer, allowing the pour spout 4 to be properly welded
without deformation due to ultrasonic vibrations during welding.
Further, during distribution, or storage, for example, the recess
37 is protected by the sheet material, providing for a packaging
container 6 which will not suffer from unintended breakage.
[0116] Formula 1 is derived in the following way. When the pour
spout 4 is inserted into the pouring opening 134, with the flange
35 in contact with the sheet material, the clearance between the
inner peripheral surface of the pouring opening 134 and a portion
of the sidewall 31 facing the inner peripheral surface has a value
of 0 or more and (d5-d4) or less, depending on the amount of
misalignment between the central axis of the pour spout 4 and the
central axis of the pouring opening 134. If the clearance has a
maximum value (d5-d4) less than or equal to the distance
([d6-d4]/2) between the outer periphery of the sidewall 31 and the
outer periphery of the first wall surface 44, that is, if the
formula, (d5-d4).ltoreq.(d5-d3)/2, holds, the sheet material of the
container body 120 will cover the top surface 46 of the recess 37.
Formula 1 is a rearrangement of this formula.
[0117] If Formula 1 does not hold, a large amount of misalignment
between the central axes of the pour spout 4 and pouring opening
134 leads to the sheet material of the container body 120 not
covering and protecting the top surface 46 of the recess 37, as
indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 10B. In this case, ultrasonic
vibrations cause the flange 35 to rise from the recess 37 toward
the sidewall 31.
[0118] The pour spout of the present invention is not limited to
the above embodiments, and various modifications of, for example,
the cross-section of the recess 37 are possible.
[0119] <Separating Method>
[0120] A method of separating the pour spout 4 will now be
described. FIGS. 11A and 11B each illustrate a process involved in
separating the pour spout 4.
[0121] <<Flattening Process>>
[0122] FIG. 11A illustrates a process of flattening the packaging
container 6. In this process, a user of the packaging container 6
presses the opposing two side panels 131, which extend down from
the roof panel 126, in opposing directions, to flatten the body
section 122. The other two side panels 131 in contact with the
flattened side panels 131 are folded into the packaging container
6.
[0123] <<Folding Process>>
[0124] FIG. 11B illustrates a process of folding the packaging
container 6. In this process, with the packaging container 6 in its
erected state, the user folds the roof panel 126, side surface 131,
and bottom panel 132 in the left and right directions as shown on
the left portion of FIG. 11B. This results in the roof panel 126
having a crease passing through the pouring opening 134.
[0125] Since the crease of the roof panel 126 passes through the
pouring opening 134, a portion of the flange 35 of the pour spout 4
mounted in the pouring opening 134 is bent in the same direction as
the roof panel 126 when subjected to loads. Since the to-be-cut
portion 42 is formed in the pour spout 4, a portion around the pour
spout 4 breaks at least partially.
[0126] <<Process of Separating Pour Spout>>
[0127] The right portion of FIG. 11B illustrates a process of
separating the pour spout 4 from the packaging container 6. Broken
in the former process, the portion around the recess 37 of the pour
spout 4 allows the user to cut the pour spout 4 along the to-be-cut
portion 42 with little effort, and to thus separate the pour spout
4 including the sidewall 31 from the packaging container 6.
[0128] The processes are merely illustrative, and are susceptible
to various modifications. For example, the packaging container 6
may be provided with a weakened line as appropriate, and folded
along it. Further, before or after separation of the pour spout,
there may be a process of separating the packaging container 6 into
two or more parts.
Third Embodiment
[0129] A fourth embodiment will now be described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in a
cross-sectional view (upper) of FIG. 12 showing a pour spout welded
to a container 1, a pour spout 87 of the present embodiment
includes a cylindrical sidewall 82 and a disk-like flange 871
extending outwardly from near the lower end of the sidewall.
[0130] The sidewall 82 has on its outer side a male thread 821 onto
which a cap 88 is screwed, and on its inner side a closure plate
831 of a pull tab 83. The closure plate 831 is connected with the
inner side of the sidewall via a weakened line 830, and has a pull
ring 8311 connected to the closure plate 831 via a pillar 8312 on
the spout side of the closure plate 831. At the lower end of the
sidewall 82 is a pedestal 84. The flange 871 is welded into an
opening 86 of the paper container 1, extending horizontally from
the lower end of the pedestal 84 to the outer side.
[0131] The flange 871 has a plurality of concentrically arranged
annular recesses 811 in its bottom surface opposite the sidewall.
An outer annular recess 8111 has an arched top surface with a large
radius of curvature R when viewed in transverse cross-section. With
this configuration, the outer annular recess 8111 is less likely to
break due to vibrations during ultrasonic welding. The outer
annular recess absorbs ultrasonic vibrations produced during
welding so that they are not delivered to an inner annular recess.
Thus, the outer annular recess prevents breakage of the inner
annular recess, and absorbs excess portions of the flange which are
melted during welding to the container.
[0132] An inner annular recess 8112 has a top surface with a corner
having a radius of curvature of 0 or less than the above radius of
curvature R when viewed in transverse cross-section. Further, the
inner wall of the inner annular recess 8112 is formed near a
standing wall 841 of the pedestal 84. Preferably, the inner wall of
the inner annular recess 8112 is formed near the position directly
under the standing wall 841, or formed inwardly of the standing
wall 841. A horn for ultrasonic welding is configured so that it is
not positioned directly above the inner annular recess 8112 when
the pour spout 87 is welded to a container 81. This configuration
prevents breakage of the annular recess due to ultrasonic
vibrations of the horn. Thus, the corner of the inner annular
recess 8112 on its end breaks first when the pour spout 87 is
broken and separated. The horn delivering ultrasonic vibrations to
weld the pour spout 87 to the container 81 is basically designed to
be in contact with a portion outward of the outer annular recess
8111 or the inner outer recess 8112.
[0133] The lower portion of FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the pour
spout 87. As shown, the closure plate 831 of the pull tab is
located at the center, and is connected with the sidewall by the
weakened line 830. Near the lower end of the sidewall or its
pedestal, the pedestal is provided with a thinned portion 832. The
thinned portion is a recess separated by ribs; however, the ribs
may be omitted. Alternatively, the thinned portion may be just a
step. Outside the thinned portion 832 of the pedestal, the inner
annular recess 8112 and the outer annular recess 8111 are
concentrically provided. A part of the bottom view of the pour
spout 87 is enlarged for better understanding.
[0134] The outer annular recess 8111 and the inner annular recess
8112 are provided with a plurality of ribs. An outer annular rib
81110 of the outer annular recess 8111 and an inner annular rib
81120 of the inner annular recess 8112, which are adjacent to each
other, are offset from each other. That is, these ribs are formed
at the positions in different directions as viewed from the center
of the flange. Accordingly, the outer annular rib 81110 and the
inner annular rib 81120 of the annular recesses are preferably
equal in number. With regard to the rib configuration of the
plurality of the annular recesses, an outer annular rib thickness
d11 of the outer annular recess is set greater than an inner
annular rib thickness d10 of the inner annular recess. This is done
to increase the strength of the flange of the outer annular recess
and to thus prevent the outer annular recess from being easily
broken due to ultrasonic vibrations.
[0135] A flange thickness d12 at the outer annular recess and a
flange thickness d13 at the inner annular recess are set less than
the inner annular rib thickness d10 of the inner annular recess,
and less than a ring width d14 of the inner annular recess. The
flange thicknesses d12 and d13 of the annular recesses are each 0.2
mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. This is because a flange thickness
of less than 0.2 mm may result in formation of cracks during
ultrasonic welding of the flange to the container body, and a
flange thickness of more than 0.3 mm makes cutting difficult. A
preferable thickness is 0.23 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.
[0136] An outer annular recess width d15 and an inner annular
recess width d14 are 0.3 mm or more, preferably 0.5 mm or more.
This is because a width of less than 0.3 mm may result in an
injection mold having low strength and thus low durability.
[0137] FIGS. 13A and 13B show a packaging container 81 with the
pour spout 87. FIG. 13A is a perspective view of the packaging
container 81 as viewed from its front surface 822 connected to an
upper inclined surface 815 to which the pour spout is welded. FIG.
13B is a perspective view of the packaging container 81 as viewed
from its rear surface 824. The upper inclined surface 815, to which
the pour spout is welded, and an upper rear inclined surface 814
are provided with a horizontal score 800 passing through the center
of the opening 86 to which the pour spout 87 is welded.
[0138] FIG. 14 is a developed view of a blank used to form the
container 81 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B. All the upper surfaces
constituting an upper portion 810 are provided with the score 800
passing through the center of the opening 86.
[0139] FIGS. 15A and 15B each illustrate a process of separating
the pour spout 87 after discharging the contents of the paper
container welded with the pour spout 87 of the present invention
shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B and 14. FIG. 15A illustrates a process of
flattening the paper container by inwardly folding the left and
right side surfaces of the container 81. In the next process of
folding, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 15A, a force is applied
to the flattened container so that it is folded along the score 800
formed of ruled lines. With the application of force, as shown in
FIG. 15B, the flattened container is folded along the score 800,
causing the flange to break at the inner annular recess 8112
without the sidewall 82 and pedestal 84 of the pour spout 87 being
folded. This results in half of the flange separated by the score
800 being broken. Since the remaining inner annular recess 8112 of
the flange is also thin, the breakage of half the flange allows the
pour spout to be easily broken at a portion between the pedestal
and the remaining flange and separated from the container.
[0140] FIGS. 16A and 16B show an example paper container welded
with the pour spout 87 of the present invention, with a score 800
passing through the container in its longitudinal direction,
illustrating a process of separating the pour spout 87 from the
container whose contents have been discharged. FIG. 16A illustrates
a process of flattening the paper container by inwardly folding the
left and right side surfaces of the paper container 81. In the next
process of folding, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 16A, a force
is applied to the flattened container so that it is folded along
the score 800 formed of ruled lines. With the application of force,
as shown in FIG. 16B, the flattened container is longitudinally
folded along the score 800, causing the flange to break at the
inner annular recess 8112 without the sidewall 82 and pedestal 84
of the pour spout 87 being folded. The longitudinal score 800 is
positioned so that, with the left and right side surfaces of the
paper container 81 folded and collapsed, the longitudinal score 800
allows the container to be easily folded. Accordingly, the position
of the longitudinal score 800 is advantageous for folding the
flattened container with very little force. With the longitudinal
folding of the flattened container, half of the flange separated by
the score 800 breaks. Since the remaining inner annular recess 8112
of the flange is also thinned, the breakage of half the flange
allows the pour spout to be broken at a portion between the
pedestal and the remaining flange and separated from the
container.
[0141] FIGS. 17A and 17B show examples in which the present
invention is applied to a flat-top paper container instead of to a
gable-top paper container. The flat-top paper container includes a
top surface folded in half and sealed thereto. Although the
flat-top paper container requires its top plate to be folded for
separation of the pour spout 87 from the top portion, the pour
spout can be used. In this case, since the top plate has high
strength, the pour spout can be broken by simply pushing down the
sidewall 82 thereof without separation of the top portion.
[0142] FIG. 18 is an example pour spout where a plurality of
annular recesses having a plurality of ribs are concentrically
provided at a to-be-welded region of the upper surface of the
flange on the sidewall side. This pour spout can be subjected to
welding even if it has a soft flange, and is provided with an
annular recess 85 in a surface to be welded, with the annular
recess 85 separated by the plurality of ribs. The annular recesses
include ribs 853 formed such that ribs of an inner side annular
recess 852 are disposed adjacent to and offset from ribs of an
outer side annular recess 851. That is, these ribs are formed at
the positions in different directions as viewed from the center of
the flange. The rib 853 of the annular recess prevents a horn which
delivers ultrasonic waves from falling into the recess. The rib and
the recess allow ultrasonic vibrations to be uniformly delivered to
the to-be-welded surface. Thus, the flange of the pour spout 87 can
be uniformly welded to the container 81 with almost no fine height
adjustment which is usually required for the welding. This welding
method enables stable welding without a large decrease in
weldability even under the condition that the pressure, amplitude,
and work of welding are reduced. Furthermore, the welded portion of
the pour spout is formed without an energy director, which is a
protrusion. Such an energy director would cause the pour spout and
another pour spout to be caught on each other during conveyance, or
keep pushing up an opening section of the paper container even if a
stopper is mounted to an end of the pedestal. The pour spout
without such an energy director overcomes these problems.
[0143] FIG. 19 shows a pour spout using a combination of the
features of the pour spouts (FIGS. 12 and 18). On the upper
portion, a cross-sectional view of the pour spout is shown; on the
middle portion, a plan view of the pour spout as seen from a bottom
surface side (inner side of a container); and on the bottom
portion, a plan view of the pour spout as seen from the outside. A
container shown in FIG. 19 has a soft flange with a plurality of
inner and outer annular recesses. This structure improves
weldability and ease of breakdown.
[0144] The requirements for the material of the pour spout 87 is
that it have good weldability to a sealant layer used in a
container body, have high resistance to stress cracking so as to be
less affected by the contents, and have appropriate rigidity that
allows easy capping. The pour spout 87 is preferably formed of a
material having a density of 0.900 g/cm.sup.3 or more to 0.950
g/cm.sup.3 or less, such as low-density polyethylene, linear
low-density polyethylene, or the like. Examples of the material of
the pour spout 87 include medium-density polyethylene, mixed resin
of low- and high-density polyethylene, ionomer resin, and
ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer added thereto and mixed. In
particular, linear low-density polyethylene is preferable. For
practical use, such resins are subjected to a test for
environmental stress cracking. For this test, pour spouts are
molded with various resins, and are each welded to a paper
container having the contents with which such containers are
intended to be filled. Then the test is conducted, and appropriate
material is selected from such resins.
[0145] A paper container of the present invention has a substrate
formed primarily of paper. The substrate is made of a cardboard
having a basic weight of 200 g/m.sup.2 to 800 g/m.sup.2. For a
surface of the substrate to be printed, a coated manila board,
coated board, ivory board, or the like that is white on one side
may be used. For heat sealing to a portion around an opening of the
container, a laminated sheet is used having a sealant layer on its
rear surface formed of a thermoplastic film with good sealability,
such as a thin polyethylene film, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer
film, or polypropylene film, with the thickness of such films set
to 15 .mu.m to 100 In particular, the sealant layer is preferably
formed of linear low-density polyethylene having a density of 0.925
g/cm.sup.3 or less, a melt flow rate of 4 g/10 min or more, and a
thickness of 30 to 100 .mu.m. To protect an edge of the paper
container, such a sealant layer is preferably disposed on the front
surface side as well. Between the paper substrate and the sealant
layer, there may be a film that is a laminate of, for example, a
high barrier aluminum foil, aluminum deposited polyethylene
terephthalate, metal oxide deposited polyethylene terephthalate,
saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or polyamide resin
with high resistance to breakage. Examples of the layer structure
may include the following from the outside: polyethylene, paper,
and polyethylene; polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, inorganic
oxide deposited polyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene;
polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum deposited polyethylene
terephthalate, and polyethylene; polyethylene, paper, polyethylene,
aluminum foil, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene;
polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, saponified ethylene-vinyl
acetate copolymer, and polyethylene; and polyethylene, paper,
polyethylene, adhesive resin, polyamide, adhesive resin, and
polyethylene. These structures can be easily made by dry laminating
machine, extrusion laminating machine, or the like.
[0146] The pour spout according to the present embodiment has good
ultrasonic weldability, which enables rapid welding and thus high
productivity. Further, the pour spout can be removed for disposal
without using cutting tools such as a knife, thus making it safe to
use and reducing the burden on a person disposing of it. With the
ease of breaking it down, more people are expected to remove the
pour spout when disposing of it. Further, since a mold for the
present invention is made by adding only an annular recess to a
pour spout mold, the mold can be produced in high volume, and the
existing production facilities can be used. Thus the present
invention offers great advantages.
Fourth Embodiment
[0147] A third embodiment of the present invention will now be
described.
[0148] FIG. 21 schematically illustrates an example of a pour spout
and a cap according to the present embodiment. FIG. 22
schematically illustrates a packaging container according to the
present embodiment. FIG. 23 schematically illustrates in
cross-section an example flange of the pour spout according to the
present embodiment. FIG. 24 is a partial enlarged view of the
example flange (FIG. 23).
[0149] As shown in FIG. 21, a spout assembly 900 with a cap
according to the present embodiment includes a pour spout 91 and a
cap 92. The pour spout 91 includes a sidewall 911 serving as a
pouring passage, and a flange 912 extending outward from a lower
end of the sidewall 911. As shown in FIG. 22, the spout assembly
900 is mounted to a container body from inside thereof, so that the
sidewall 911, the cap 92, and the like are located outside thereof,
with the upper surface of the flange 912 sealed to the inner
surface of the container body 902.
[0150] The sealing is achieved by ultrasonic sealing. The mounting
procedure will be described below. First, a trunk portion and a
side portion are formed. Then the spout assembly 900 is put into
the container body from its upper end opening, and the sidewall 911
of the spout assembly 900, which is fitted with the cap 2, is
inserted into a spout assembly-mount opening.
[0151] Then, the flange 912 is brought into contact with the
perimeter area of the spout-plug-mount opening on the inside of the
container body. The flange 912 is then pressed against the
perimeter area from inside by a sealing-receiving anvil of an
ultrasonic sealing machine, followed by ultrasonically vibrating
the container body from outside using an ultrasonic sealing horn to
thereby achieve ultrasonic sealing.
[0152] FIG. 23 shows in cross-section of the flange 912 of the
spout assembly 900 according to the present embodiment, taken along
the center line perpendicular to the left and right direction in
the right half of the flange 912. As shown, the flange 912 has a
lower surface provided with an asperity, and a flat upper surface.
The asperity is formed of a thin annular recessed portion 913
surrounding the sidewall 911, and a plurality of annular
projections 914 provided apart from the annular recessed portion
13.
[0153] When the flange 912 with this cross-sectional shape is
ultrasonically sealed to the container body 902 as mentioned above,
the annular projections 914 are brought into contact with the
sealing-receiving anvil, with the rest of the flange not being in
contact therewith. Also, since the annular projections 914 each
have a greater thickness, the vibration energy of the ultrasonic
waves is concentrated on the annular projections 914 for melting
and sealing. Consequently, melting and sealing are unlikely to
occur between the annular projections 914. In addition, no sealing
occurs at the annular recessed portion 913.
[0154] Accordingly, the thin annular recessed portion 913 remains
unchanged even after the flange 912 has been mounted to the
container body by ultrasonic sealing. Thus, when the container is
discarded after consumption of the contents, the sidewall 11 can be
detached from the container body 902 by breaking the annular
recessed portion 913. Thus, the container body 902 can be collected
for paper recycling, contributing to enhancing ecology.
[0155] Since the annular projections 914 are melted and adhered in
a concentrated manner, the sealing properties are unlikely to be
adversely affected even if the conditions for normally conducted
ultrasonic sealing are eased. With the eased ultrasonic sealing
conditions, the flange 912 will not be deformed by heat, and the
contents are thus prevented from leaking due to insufficient
sealing which would otherwise occur due to the deformation.
[0156] With regard to the asperity of the flange 912, it is
preferred that d16.gtoreq.d17.gtoreq.d18 is satisfied, where d16 is
the width of the annular recessed portion 913, d17 is a distance
from the annular recessed portion 913 to the nearest annular
projection 914 that is immediately outside the annular recessed
portion 913, and d18 is the width of each annular projection
914.
[0157] In particular, the width d18 of the annular projection 914
is preferably small. With this configuration, the ultrasonic
vibration energy is likely to be concentrated on the annular
projections 914 to easily melt the projections 914. In addition,
the energy is unlikely to be transferred to the annular recessed
portion 13, eliminating the occurrence of leakage of the contents
due to otherwise insufficient sealing.
[0158] It is preferred that d19.ltoreq.d20.ltoreq.d21 is satisfied,
where d19 is the thickness of the annular recessed portion 913, d20
is a recess depth of the annular recessed portion 913, and d21 is a
height of the annular projections 914 outside the annular recessed
portion 913. When the height d21 of the annular projections 914 is
large, energy is likely to be concentrated on the projections 914
to easily melt the projections 914. The annular recessed portion
913, when having a small thickness d19, can be easily cut off and
separated when the packaging container is discarded.
[0159] The thickness d19 is preferably 0.20 mm or more, and more
preferably 0.25 mm or more. If the thickness is less than this, the
flange 912 may come off when the cap is opened for example. When an
inner lid to be opened by a pull ring is provided to an end of the
sidewall, the thickness d19 is preferably greater than the
thickness of the thin and easily-broken portion provided along the
perimeter of the inner lid. Otherwise, the annular recessed portion
913 may be broken when the inner lid is opened by pulling the pull
ring.
[0160] The pour spout 91 and the cap 92 of the spout assembly 900
can be produced by injection molding or the like. The pour spout
91, which is for sealing to the inner surface of the container
body, is formed by molding a thermoplastic resin that is sealable
with a thermoplastic resin, such as polyethylene, that forms the
inner surface of the container body. The cap 92 preferably has
flexibility sufficient to cap the pour spout 91. Preferably, a
thermoplastic resin, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, is used
as a material for the cap 92.
[0161] The container body 902 to which the spout assembly 900 is
mounted is made of a laminate material that is a paper board, such
as milk carton base paper, with a thermoplastic resin provided to
both the inner and outer surfaces of the paper board. If the
laminate material is required to have gas barrier properties, a
barrier layer is provided between the paper board and the
thermoplastic resin on the inner surface thereof.
[0162] An inorganic oxide deposited film is preferably used as the
barrier layer. Silica, alumina, or the like is preferably used as
the inorganic oxide to be deposited. Examples of materials that can
be used for the base of the inorganic oxide deposited film include
resin films such as of polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, or
polypropylene. In particular, a biaxially-oriented resin film is
preferably used because such a film is less stretchable during
bonding, deposition, or the like. Although not suitable for paper
recycling, an aluminum foil may be used as the barrier layer.
[0163] The shape of the packaging container in FIG. 22 is of a
gable top type (gable roof type). However, the shape is not limited
to this. The packaging container may be of a brick type with a flat
top, or may be of a type with a front-inclined and rear-flat top.
Any packaging container may be used as long as it is of a type
where a spout assembly is attached to the opening of the container
body thereof.
[0164] Since the spout assembly 900 of the present embodiment is
provided with the annular projections 914 on the flange 912, the
ultrasonic sealing conditions when the spout assembly 900 is
mounted to the container body 902 can be eased as described above.
The conventional spout assemblies with a flange having flat front
and back surfaces have been sealed under standard sealing
conditions. Compared with this, the spout assembly 900 of the
present embodiment can allow the sealing conditions to be eased as
shown in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Standard sealing Eased sealing condition
condition Sealing energy 120 110 [J] Amplitude 75 70 [%] Air
pressure 300 280 [Kpa] Sealing time 0.155 0.155 [Sec] Sealing
deformation Large Small of flange (Recess shape remained) Adhesion
OK OK (Picking occurred) (Picking occurred)
[0165] Comparison was made after ultrasonic sealing, in terms of
flange sealing deformation and adhesion. The comparison revealed
that the conventional spout assembly sealed under the standard
sealing conditions had a large deformation in the flange, which
would lead to possible leakage of the contents due to the
insufficient sealing. In contrast, the spout assembly of the
present embodiment sealed under the eased sealing conditions had
only a small deformation in the flange, which meant there was
substantially no probability of leakage.
[0166] In the sealed flange, the thin annular recessed portion 913
remained unchanged. Thus, when the cap of the spout assembly was
held and obliquely pulled up, with the container body crushed, the
annular recessed portion 913 was broken, and the cap 92 and the
sidewall 911 of the pour spout 91 were removed.
[0167] To check adhesion, the remaining flange was pulled off from
the container body. At this time, the paper board of the container
body was delaminated to cause picking. This meant that adhesion had
been achieved with uniform sealing, even under the eased sealing
conditions.
[0168] As described above, the pour spout of the present
embodiment, which is provided with the annular projections, enables
uniform sealing and is reliably sealed to the container body. In
addition, when the pour spout is sealed to the container body, no
pin hole is formed in the annular recessed portion due to heat,
which prevents leakage of the contents. After use, the pour spout
can be easily detached from the container body by breaking the
annular recessed portion, and thus is suitable for paper
recycling.
[0169] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments
described above, and may be implemented with appropriate
modifications. For example, the pour spout of the first embodiment
may be combined with the container body of other embodiments.
EXAMPLES
[0170] <Evaluation 1>
[0171] Pour spouts of Examples 1 and 2, and Comparative Example
were made, for comparison of the sealing conditions therebetween
with which the pour spouts were each appropriately sealed to the
container body. Table 2 shows the obtained sealing condition.
Example 1
[0172] As Example 1, the pour spout 1 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) was made,
with the ribs 18 being formed radially extending from the center of
the sidewall 11.
Example 2
[0173] As Example 2, the pour spout 1 according to Variation 1 was
made. In the pour spout 1, as shown in a plan view (FIG. 3A) of the
flange 15, the ribs 181 were formed extending outward from the
inside of the flange 15 at an angle of 60.degree. relative to the
direction tangent to the circumferential direction of rotation of
the cap 2 being screwed.
Comparative Example
[0174] As Comparative Example, the pour spout 1 was made that had
no recesses 17 and no ribs 18.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example 1 Example 2 Comparative Example
Sealing energy 105 110 125 [J] Amplitude 70 70 75 [%] Air pressure
300 300 300 [Kpa] Sealing time 0.195 0.200 0.200 [Sec]
[0175] Appropriate conditions necessary for ultrasonic sealing were
determined for the pour spouts of Examples 1 and 2, and Comparative
Example, in respect of ultrasonic energy and amplitude (percentage
relative to a predetermined amplitude), air pressure when the
ultrasonic horn is used, and the time. As shown in Table 1, the
ultrasonic energy and amplitude required for sealing was minimized
in Examples 1 and 2, compared to Comparative Example. It was
confirmed that, in Examples 1 and 2, there was no breakage caused
by the ultrasonic vibration in the pour spout after sealing. Also,
the pour spouts were easily detached from the respective packaging
containers.
[0176] <Evaluation 2>
[0177] Pour spouts for Examples 3, 4 and 5 were made and
evaluated.
Example 3
[0178] A laminate sheet was made with a layer structure including
the following from the outside: polyethylene (20 .mu.m in
thickness)/paper (400 g/m.sup.2 in basis weight)/polyethylene (20
.mu.m in thickness)/silicon oxide deposit (60 .mu.m in deposition
thickness)/polyethylene terephthalate (12 .mu.m in
thickness)/polyethylene (20 .mu.m in thickness)/linear low-density
polyethylene (40 .mu.m in thickness). Based on the developed view
(FIG. 14), the laminate sheet was cut to size, followed by creasing
and folding to obtain a paper container for 1-liter liquid with a
70 mm-square bottom. The pour spout 87 with a shape shown in FIG.
12 was formed by injecting a low-density polyethylene resin. The
pour spout was sealed to the paper container by using an ultrasonic
sealing machine with a frequency of 20 KHz, under the conditions
shown in Table 1.
Example 4
[0179] The same laminate sheet as that of Example 3 was made, and,
based on the developed view shown in FIG. 14, cut to size, followed
by creasing and folding in the same manner as in Example 1, to
thereby obtain a paper container for 1-liter liquid with a 70
mm-square bottom. The same pour spout 87 as in Example 3 was used.
The pour spout was sealed to the paper container by using an
ultrasonic sealing machine with a frequency of 20 KHz, under the
conditions shown in Table 1.
Example 5
[0180] The same laminate sheet as that of Example 3 was made, and,
based on the developed view shown in FIG. 14, cut to size, followed
by creasing and folding in the same manner as in Example 3, to
thereby obtain a paper container for 1-liter liquid with a 70
mm-square bottom.
[0181] The pout spout 87 with only one annular recessed portion as
shown in FIG. 20 was made by injection molding the same low-density
polyethylene resin as in Example 3. The pour spout was sealed to
the paper container by using an ultrasonic sealing machine with a
frequency of 20 KHz, under the conditions shown in Table 1.
[0182] <Evaluation Tests>
[0183] The paper containers of Examples 3, 4 and 5 were tested, and
comparatively evaluated.
[0184] <Deformation of Pour Spout>
[0185] It was confirmed whether deformation would occur in the
entirety of the pour spout or in the flange at the annular recessed
portion due to vibrations during ultrasonic sealing.
[0186] The mark ++ indicates that deformation occurred neither in
the entirety of the pour spout, nor in the flange at the annular
recessed portion.
[0187] The mark - indicates that deformation occurred both in the
entirety of the pour spout and in the flange at the annular
recessed portion.
[0188] The mark + indicates that deformation occurred either in the
entirety of the pour spout, or in the flange at the annular
recessed portion.
[0189] <Leakage from Pour Spout>
[0190] Five paper containers with a pour spout were made for each
Example to confirm the occurrence of breakage and split, or
formation of a hole in each pour spout, due to vibrations during
ultrasonic sealing. Specifically, water was filled in each paper
container, placed upside down, and left standing for 3 days to
confirm the occurrence of leakage. The mark + indicates that none
of the five paper containers suffered leakage. The mark - indicates
that at least one of the five paper containers suffered
leakage.
[0191] <Breakage of Pour Spout When Dismantled (Ease of
Breakdown)>
[0192] Three paper containers with a pour spout for each Example,
that is, a total of nine paper containers with a pour spout, were
tested by each of three ordinary housewives to confirm whether the
pour spout was broken in the annular recessed potion of the flange
and easily detached from the paper container by folding the paper
container along the score passing through the center of the pour
spout. The mark ++ indicates successful breakdown of eight or more
paper containers, the mark + indicates successful breakdown of five
or more and seven or less paper containers, and the mark -
indicates successful breakdown of four or less paper containers,
all within 15 seconds.
[0193] <Sealing Between Pour Spout and Paper Container>
[0194] Five paper containers were made for each example and 1-liter
of water was filled in each of the paper containers. The paper
containers were placed upside down, and left standing for 7 days to
check for the occurrence of leakage. The mark +++ indicates that
none of five paper containers suffered leakage for 7 days. The mark
++ indicates that four paper containers suffered no leakage for 7
days, and one suffered no leakage for 5 or more days. The mark +
indicates that three paper containers suffered no leakage for 7
days, and two suffered no leakage for 3 or more days. The mark -
indicates that more leakage was caused than in the above.
[0195] <Evaluations>
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Annular recessed portion Two One Example 3
Example 4 Example 5 Sealing energy [J] 140 130 120 Amplitude [%] 95
90 80 Air pressure [Kpa] 300 300 300 Sealing time [Sec] 0.200 0.200
0.200 Deformation of pour spout ++ ++ + Leakage + + + (Breakage of
recessed portion) Breakage when dismantled ++ ++ - (Ease of
breakdown) Adhesion between pour spout +++ ++ + and paper container
Overall evaluation OK OK NG
[0196] In Example 3, neither pour spout deformation nor leakage was
found, and there was no problem in adhesion. Further, in terms of
ease of breakdown, the pour spouts of the nine paper containers
were reliably detached.
[0197] In Example 4, neither pour spout deformation nor leakage was
found. Only one paper container suffered little leakage on the 7th
day. Further, in terms of ease of breakdown, the pour spouts of the
nine paper containers were detached.
[0198] In Example 5, the pour spout was deformed to cause strain in
the upper plate of the paper container to which the pour spout was
mounted. Although there was no leakage, non-uniformity was found in
the adhesion test, that is, a problem was found in adhesion. In the
breakdown test, the pour spouts were not easily broken at all.
Cutters, such as scissors or a knife, were required to be used for
detachment.
[0199] The pour spouts of Examples 3 and 4 are considered to
enhance adhesion to the paper container more than in Examples 1 and
2, owing to the sealing at high temperature and large amplitude.
The pour spout of Example 5 was highly evaluated in all evaluation
items, under sealing conditions similar to those of Example 1.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0200] The present invention is useful for a paper packaging
container or the like for containing liquid or the like.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0201] 1. Pour spout; 2. Cap; 3. Packaging container; 11. Sidewall;
12. Outer screw thread; 13. Pull ring; 14. Partition wall; 16.
Half-cut portion; 15. Flange; 17. Recess; 18, 181, 182. Rib; 19.
Projection; 20. Bottom surface; 21. Outer peripheral surface; 22.
To-be-cut portion; 23. Top surface of rib; 100. Container body;
101. Top section; 102. Body section; 103. Bottom section; 105.
Weakened portion; 106, 106a, 106b. Roof panel; 107. Fold-back
panel; 108. Fold-inward panel; 110. Blank; 111. Side panel; 112.
Bottom panel; 113. To-be-sealed section; 114. Pouring opening; 200.
Sheet material; 201. Thermoplastic resin; 202. Paper substrate
layer; 203. Adhesive layer of resin; 204. Barrier layer; 204a.
Substrate film; 204b. Deposition layer; 204c. Metal foil; 205.
Adhesive layer; 206. Sealant layer; 207a, 207b. Cut portion; 208.
Printed layer; 4. Pour spout; 5. Cap; 6. Packaging container; 31.
Sidewall; 32. Outer screw thread; 33. Pull ring; 34. Partition
wall; 36. Half-cut portion; 35. Flange; 37. Recess; 38. Rib; 39.
Projection; 40. Bottom surface; 41. Outer peripheral surface; 22.
To-be-cut portion; 23. Top surface of rib; 44. First wall surface
of recess; 45. Second wall surface of recess; 46. Top surface of
recess; 47. Rounded section; 120. Container body; 121. Top section;
122. Body section; 123. Bottom section; 126, 126a, 126b. Roof
panel; 127. Fold-back panel; 128. Fold-inward panel; 130. Blank;
131. Side panel; 132. Bottom panel; 133. To-be-sealed section; 134.
Pouring opening; 209. Ultrasonic horn; 81. Packaging container;
800. Score; 810. Top part; 815. Upper inclined surface; 814. Upper
rear inclined surface; 822. Front-side surface; 824. Rear-side
surface; 86. Opening; 87. Pour spout; 871. Flange; 811. Annular
recess; 8111. Outer annular recess; 81110. Outer annular rib; 8112.
Inner annular recess; 81120. Inner annular rib; 82. Sidewall; 821.
Male thread; 83. Pull tab; 830. Weakened line; 831. Closure plate;
8311. Pull ring; 8312. Pillar; 84. Pedestal; 841. Standing wall;
842. Thinned portion; 85. Inner annular recess (welded side); 851.
Outer annular recess (welded side); 852. Inner annular recess
(welded side); 853. Rib (welded side); 88. Cap; 900. Spout
assembly; 91. Pour spout; 911. Sidewall; 912. Flange; 913. Annular
recessed portion; 914. Annular projection; 92. Cap; 902. Container
body.
* * * * *