JP7828605B2 - Spout with narrow opening - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a spout with a constricting nozzle, such as a star-shaped nozzle, integrally molded near the mouth of the spout of a pouch container.

Whipped cream is sold for use in decorating cakes, jellies, and other desserts. Among the commercially available products, there are whipped cream packages that are shipped frozen, containing pre-whipped cream in a funnel-shaped container. For example, there is the whipped cream package described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a whipped cream package in which a dispensing nozzle, having a similar incline to the tapered portion of a plastic funnel-shaped bag containing sealed whipped cream, is built into the inner surface near the opening of the bag.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a non-opening spout with a nozzle, comprising a base for welding a film sheet used for packaging, a hollow cylinder erected on the base, a lid provided at the top of the cylinder, and a spout with an opening in a groove between the cylinder and the lid, with a nozzle having a base at the bottom to prevent it from coming loose. This non-opening spout with a nozzle is designed to prevent cream or other liquids from leaking out of the nozzle portion of a piping bag used for making decorated cakes, etc., by covering it with a cap.

Furthermore, as an example of pouch container use described in Patent Document 3, a pouch container is disclosed that can be used as a piping bag by attaching a nozzle, such as one with a star-shaped slit, to the mouth of the mouthpiece.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-43366 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-147549 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-154753

The whipped cream packaging described in Patent Document 1 required users to cut the opening along the cutting line using scissors or similar tools, necessitating the separate preparation of cutting tools. Furthermore, because the opening of the packaging had to be cut with scissors, it was impossible to reseal and store any remaining whipped cream after use. Users had to either use it all, discard the remaining portion, or store it in a different container.

Therefore, as a non-opening spout with a nozzle, the non-opening spout with a constricted nozzle described in Patent Document 2 has been invented. The procedure for use is to apply force to the lid, which is integrally molded with the cylinder, to break the groove and expose the opening, then push up the base of the nozzle and fit the protruding part into the base of the spout and make contact with the base, so that the opening of the nozzle protrudes from the opening of the spout and is used. Also, if the decoration work is interrupted midway, the tip of the nozzle is pushed into the spout and retracted, and when the decoration work is to be resumed, the lid must be removed and the base of the nozzle pushed up again, which requires the effort of inserting and removing the nozzle. Furthermore, if the nozzle is pushed in too far, a problem may occur in which the nozzle falls out into the packaging containing the contents. Furthermore, if the contents adhere to the outer surface of the nozzle, or if whipped cream or other contents get trapped in the gap between the cylinder and the nozzle, the excess contents may be squeezed out from that gap. This excess cream can then adhere to the traces of the cream originally piped for decoration, resulting in an unsightly appearance.

Furthermore, the pouch container described in Patent Document 3 can be used as a piping bag by attaching a nozzle to the opening of the mouthpiece. However, this requires preparing a separate nozzle that can be attached to the opening before use. Additionally, there are many challenges, such as the effort involved in attaching the nozzle, the inability to reattach the cap if cream or other contents remain after use without removing the nozzle, and the need to clean and store the nozzle separately after use. These issues include the hassle of attaching the nozzle and the risk of loss during storage.

The objective of this invention is to solve the above problems and provide a spout with a nozzle that eliminates the need to replace the spout opening with a nozzle, and also eliminates the need to manufacture a new, dedicated cap, as existing spout caps can be used as is. Furthermore, it provides a spout with a nozzle that leaves a clean trail of cream when squeezed out, and allows the cream to taper straight down and form a peak at the end of squeezing.

The invention described in claim 1 is a spout that is heat-sealed to a pouch container formed from a plastic film into a bag shape, wherein the spout comprises a cylindrical body having an opening at its upper end and a welding portion at the lower end of the cylindrical body that is heat-sealed to the film, the inner wall of the cylindrical body has a constricted opening that tapers upward and protrudes, with the protruding tip having an open notch, the lower end of the constricted opening and the inner wall of the cylindrical body are connected by a connecting portion, the connecting portion has a donut-shaped horizontal surface, and the constricted opening is formed to be housed inside the cylindrical body without protruding outward from the opening.

The invention described in claim 2 is a spout with a constricted opening, wherein the angle of inclination of the protruding constricted opening is 15 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal plane of the connecting portion.

The invention described in claim 3 is a spout with a constricted opening, wherein the inner diameter of the upper end of the notched opening and the inner diameter of the lower end of the notched opening are the same.

This spout eliminates the need to attach a separate nozzle to the spout opening, nor the need to manufacture a new, dedicated cap; existing spout caps can be used as is. Furthermore, it provides a spout with a nozzle that allows for clean cream dispensing, with the cream tapering straight down to a peak at the end of the dispensing cycle.

This is a perspective view of the spout with a constricted opening of the present invention, viewed from diagonally above. This is a plan view showing the state as seen from directly above in Figure 1. This is a cross-sectional view showing the state when Figure 2 is cut along line A-A. This is a cross-sectional view showing the state after cutting along line B-B in Figure 2. This is a perspective view showing the spout with a constricted opening and cap of the present invention. This is a perspective view showing the spout with a constricted opening of the present invention with a cap attached. Figure 6 is a plan view showing the view from above. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state after cutting along line C-C. Figure 1 shows an image of the spout with a constriction of the present invention being welded to a pouch container. Figure 2 shows an image of the spout with a constriction of the present invention being welded to a pouch container. This is a perspective view showing a nozzle support jig that can be attached to a filling nozzle. Figure 11 is a plan view taken from directly above. This is a cross-sectional view showing the state when Figure 12 is cut along line D-D. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle support jig attached to the nozzle of the filling machine. This is a cross-sectional view showing operation 1 in Figure 14. This is a cross-sectional view showing operation 2, in which the filling machine nozzle is lowered from the state shown in Figure 15. This is a cross-sectional view showing operation 3, in which the filling machine nozzle is lowered further from the state shown in Figure 16. This is a mold layout diagram showing how to form a spout from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body without providing a connecting section. This is a mold layout diagram for the spout with a constricted opening of the present invention. This is an illustrative diagram showing a part of the equipment.

The spout with a constricted opening 1 of the present invention, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, is a spout with a constricted opening that can be heat-sealed to the opening of pouch containers 3 and 31 formed from a plastic film sheet in a bag shape. As shown in Figure 1, the spout with a constricted opening 1 comprises a cylindrical body 1a and a welding portion 1b integrally formed on the lower end of the cylindrical body 1a for heat-sealing the film sheet of the pouch containers 3 and 31. The upper end of the cylindrical body 1a is an open mouth portion 1c, and a screw portion 1g is formed on a part of the outer surface of the cylindrical body 1a, projecting spirally in the circumferential direction, so that the mouth portion 1c can be sealed with a cap. Alternatively, the projection of a part of the screw portion 1g may be eliminated, and a drainage slit 1h that serves as a vertical passage may be provided within the screw portion 1g. Alternatively, the screw portion 1g may be omitted, and a projection 1i protruding outward may be provided between the cylindrical body 1a and the welded portion 1b. This projection 1i and a protruding rib (not shown) formed on the inner wall of the cap can be fitted together by pressing the cap into place, thus enabling sealing.

Figure 2 is a top view of the spout 1 with a constricted opening shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction A-A as shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction B-B as shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, a constricted opening 1e is formed near the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a below the opening 1c, projecting upwards and diagonally toward the central axis of the cylindrical body 1a, tapering towards the tip. Between the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a and the lower end of the constricted opening 1e, a donut-shaped connecting portion 1d is formed, forming a horizontal plane along the circumference of the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a. The inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a and the lower end of the constricted opening 1e are connected by the connecting portion 1d.

As shown in Figure 3, the inclination angle a of the protruding nozzle 1e is between 15 and 75 degrees relative to the horizontal plane of the connecting portion 1d. Furthermore, the area near the tip of the nozzle 1e is an open notched opening 1f, as shown in Figure 2. The open peripheral wall surface of the notched opening 1f is a columnar surface, as if cut out by a column. That is, the inner diameter of the upper end 1fa side of the notched opening 1f and the inner diameter of the lower end 1fb side of the notched opening 1f are formed to be the same shape. This allows the contents, such as whipped cream, contained in the pouch container to be squeezed out in a columnar shape while maintaining the shape of the notched opening 1f, resulting in a clean and unobstructed cream output.

Furthermore, at the end of squeezing, by pointing the nozzle 1c directly downwards and swinging it upwards, the cream can be piped straight down, creating a firm peak. While the angle of inclination a was described as 15 to 75 degrees relative to the horizontal plane of the connecting portion 1d, a more stable and aesthetically pleasing angle of inclination a is preferable to 35 to 55 degrees.

Furthermore, the shape of the notched opening 1f can be a star shape as shown in Figure 2, or a round or flower shape (though not shown), and similar squeezing and spiking effects can be achieved. Therefore, by preparing and using multiple pouch containers 3 and 31 with spouts 1 of the present invention, each with a different notched opening 1f shape, the variations in the squeezing patterns of contents such as whipped cream can be increased, allowing for a variety of decorative effects.

Figure 5 shows the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention before the cap 2 is attached, and Figures 6 to 8 show the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention with the cap 2 attached. Figure 7 is a top view of the state in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction C-C of Figure 7. As shown in Figure 5 or Figure 8, the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention is formed so that the tip of the constricted opening 1e does not protrude outward from the opening 1c. That is, when the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention is sealed with the cap 2, the tip of the constricted opening 1e does not come into contact with the back surface of the top plate 2a of the cap 2, so the constricted opening 1e is formed to be housed inside the cylindrical body 1a. As a result, there is no need to manufacture a mold for a dedicated cap to fit over the spout 1 with a constricted opening, and conventional spout caps can be used as is, reducing mold manufacturing costs.

Next, we will explain how to fill pouch containers 3 and 31, to which the spout 1 with a nozzle of the present invention is attached, with contents such as whipped cream. First, as shown in Figure 9, when the spout 1 with a nozzle is heat-sealed to the angled pouch container 3, a portion of the film sheet on the upper end of the angled pouch container 3 remains unsealed and open. Therefore, this opening becomes the filling port 3a, and the contents can be filled by inserting the filling nozzle of the filling machine into the filling port 3a.

The pouch container 31 in Figure 10 has a different shape from the angled pouch container 3 shown in Figure 9. The pouch container 31 shown in Figure 10 does not have a filling port on the pouch container 31 side; instead, the filling is done through the spout opening 1c. The spout with a constricted opening 1 of the present invention has an opening diameter large enough to allow filling from the spout opening, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by inserting a thin cylindrical nozzle, such as a filling nozzle of a filling machine, into the notched opening 1f for filling.

However, depending on the shape of the notched opening 1f and the method of inserting the filling nozzle, if the insertion position of the filling nozzle is slightly misaligned, it is conceivable that a part of the tip of the constriction opening 1e and a part of the filling nozzle may collide, causing a part of the tip of the constriction opening 1e to be crushed. Therefore, we have developed a nozzle auxiliary jig for filling through the notched opening 1f for the constriction spout 1 of the present invention. The nozzle auxiliary jig 4 shown in Figures 11 to 13 can be attached to the tip of the filling nozzle of the filling machine, as shown in Figure 14.

The nozzle support jig 4 will now be described. As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the nozzle support jig 4 comprises a jig body 4a having a substantially hemispherical side wall surface, and a cylindrical nozzle insertion port 4b formed on the central axis of the jig body 4a, into which the tip of the filling nozzle 5a can be inserted and set. Figure 12 is a top view of the nozzle support jig 4 of Figure 11, and Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle support jig 4 of Figure 12, cut from D to D. Figure 14 is an image cross-sectional view showing the nozzle support jig 4 attached to the filling nozzle 5a.

When the filling nozzle 5a, with the nozzle auxiliary jig 4 attached, descends from the state shown in Figure 15 and enters the opening 1c, as shown in Figure 16, a portion of the outermost protruding side wall surface of the nozzle auxiliary jig 4 and a portion of the inner wall surface of the opening 1c come into contact, thereby adjusting the insertion position.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 17, when the filling nozzle 5a is lowered, the bottom surface of the jig leg portion 4c formed at the lower end of the nozzle auxiliary jig 4 rests on the connecting portion 1d, thereby holding the filling nozzle 5a at the center position of the opening portion 1c. This prevents the tip of the filling nozzle 5a from interfering with the tip of the constriction opening 1e, allowing the contents to be filled through the notched opening 1f. The nozzle auxiliary jig 4 is preferably made of a soft, elastic resin material such as rubber or elastomer. Note that the shape of the nozzle auxiliary jig 4 described here is merely an example; other forms of nozzle auxiliary jigs may also be used.

Thus, by welding the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention onto the pouch container 3, 31 in various variations, the shape and size of the aforementioned cut-out opening 1f can be freely selected by the user. Furthermore, with the pouch container 3, 31 equipped with the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention, it is not necessary to use up all of the contents. If any contents remain, they can be sealed with the cap 2 and stored in the refrigerator, allowing for repeated use.

Next, the mold structure will be explained. Figure 19 shows a mold structure 61 in which the connecting portion 1d is omitted, and the spout is formed from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a. As shown in Figure 19, if there is a thinned portion at the end 61a of the mold, repeated injection molding will cause the end 61a to become unable to withstand the clamping force and become prone to breakage. However, Figure 18 shows the mold structure 6 with the shape of the spout 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 18, by adopting the shape of the spout of the present invention, it is possible to create a mold end 6a that does not require sharpening or thinning a portion of the mold. This results in a mold structure 6 with good durability, and consequently, a product that can be provided with reduced product costs.

Furthermore, the spout 1 with a constricted opening of the present invention may be provided with a flange portion 1j and clamping plates 1k as shown in Figure 1. The flange portion 1j is a plate-shaped flange that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body 1a, further below the projection 1i. The clamping plates 1k are formed near the back surface of the flange portion 1j and are designed to clamp the sides of the cylindrical body 1a in a pair, parallel to each other.

The roles of the flange portion 1j and the clamping plate 1k are as follows: When filling the contents using the equipment 5 shown in Figure 20, the clamping plate 1k, which is positioned parallel to the left and right sides of the cylindrical body 1a, is inserted along the U-shaped holder 5b. This causes the flange portion 1j to catch within the U-shaped holder 5b, resulting in the pouch container 31 hanging down. From this state, the filling nozzle 5a can be inserted into the notched opening 1f to begin filling the contents.

The contents to be filled into the pouch containers 3 and 31 fitted with the spout 1 of the present invention are whipped cream, chocolate cream, etc., and can be used when decorating cakes, jellies, etc., by squeezing out whipped cream, chocolate cream, etc.

1 Spout with constricted opening 1a Cylinder body 1b Welded part 1c Mouth part 1d Connecting part 1e Constricted opening 1f Notched opening 1fa Upper end of notched opening 1fb Lower end of notched opening 1g Screw part 1h Drainage slit 1i Protrusion 1j Flange part 1k Clamping plate 2 Cap 3 Pouch container 31 Pouch container 3a Filling opening 4 Nozzle auxiliary jig 4a Jig body 4b Nozzle insertion opening 4c Jig leg part 5 Equipment device 5a Filling nozzle 5b Holder 6 Mold structure 6a End part 61 Mold structure 61a End part

Claims (3)

A spout that is heat-sealed to a pouch container formed from a plastic film into a bag shape,
The spout comprises a cylindrical body having an opening at its upper end,
The lower end of the cylindrical body consists of a welding portion that heat-welds to the film,
The inner wall of the cylindrical body has a constricted opening that tapers upward and protrudes, with the protruding tip having an open notched opening.
The lower end of the aforementioned constriction opening and the inner wall of the cylindrical body are connected by a connecting portion, and the connecting portion has a donut-shaped horizontal surface.
A spout with a constricted opening, characterized in that the constricted opening is formed in a state where it is housed inside the cylindrical body without protruding outward from the opening. The spout with a constricted opening according to claim 1 , characterized in that the angle of inclination of the protruding constricted opening is 15 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal plane of the connecting portion. The spout with a constricted opening according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the inner diameter at the upper end of the cut-out opening and the inner diameter at the lower end of the cut-out opening are the same.