JP7834375B2 - food packaging bags - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a bag for food packaging.

Traditionally, food items such as sandwiches have been sold in retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. When food is sold in retail stores, it is packaged in food packaging bags made from synthetic resin film.

As an example of such a food packaging bag, Patent Document 1 discloses a sandwich packaging bag in which a front sheet and a back sheet made of plastic film, with the rear being wider, are overlapped, and a predetermined front area of each sheet is left as a head portion by bonding them together. The bag is then sealed on three sides by a top sealing portion formed by bonding the sheets together along a line that crosses both sides, and side sealing portions formed by bonding the sides of each sheet together. The bag is then expanded three-dimensionally into a plate-like triangle with a thickness defined by the width of the top sealing portion, and a pair of opposing triangular shapes are provided, with protruding adhesive areas that bite into the bag portion from the left and right ends of the top sealing portion.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-171326

The sandwich packaging bag described in Patent Document 1 integrates a pair of front and back sheets by heat sealing on both sides. As shown in Figure 9, when a sandwich is placed inside the bag, the heat-sealed portion C is located in the center of the side.

Furthermore, as described above, both sides of the bag's constituent sheets are integrated by heat-sealed connections. Therefore, if tensile stress is applied to the heat-sealed portion in a direction that separates the front and back sheets, there is a risk of rupture at the heat-sealed portion.

Therefore, sandwich packaging bags are made slightly larger than the sandwich they contain, and are designed to prevent excessive tensile stress from being applied to the heat-sealed portion when a sandwich is placed inside.

When a sandwich is placed inside the sandwich packaging bag, the outer and inner sheets have some slack, causing them to slightly ripple and form wrinkles D. Furthermore, a straight, heat-sealed portion C is positioned in the center of the side of the sandwich packaging bag, with a slightly pointed, triangular cross-section (see Figure 10).

On the other hand, food products such as sandwiches are packaged in food packaging bags at factories and then packed into transport boxes, which are then delivered to retail stores by truck. Within the transport boxes, the food packaging bags containing the sandwiches are tightly packed together, and as mentioned above, the sides have wrinkles D and slightly pointed heat-sealed sections C.

Therefore, vibrations during transportation to retail stores can cause wrinkles and heat-sealed sections on the sides of food packaging bags to catch on each other, resulting in significant shaking of the bags and potentially damaging the food contained inside, especially soft foods such as sandwiches.

This invention provides a food packaging bag that can reliably transport food items such as sandwiches by virtually preventing damage caused by vibrations during transport.

The food packaging bag of the present invention is
It has a front film and a back film superimposed on the front film,
The front film and the back film are integrated at one end by a first sealing portion to form a tab, and are also integrated at a second sealing portion that extends from each end of the first sealing portion toward the other end and in a direction away from each other.
A storage compartment is formed between the opposing surfaces of the front film and the back film, surrounded by the first and second sealing compartments, and an opening for the storage compartment is formed at the other end.

In the food packaging bag of the present invention, when food is inserted into its storage compartment through the opening, the outer film is lifted upward by the food, and the inner film deforms upward along the shape of the bottom surface of the food. This deformation of the outer and inner films automatically lifts the flap pieces formed outside the second sealing portion of the outer and inner films upward.

Furthermore, once the food has been placed inside the food packaging bag, the flaps on both sides will be in an upright position, generally aligned with the sides of the food packaging bag containing the food. There is no need to perform any separate operation to adjust the flaps to the sides of the food packaging bag.

Thus, when food is stored in a food packaging bag, both sides are covered by flap pieces. Therefore, even when food packaging bags containing food are placed in a transport box, with the bags tightly packed together, and then transported by truck, the bags will not snag on each other, preventing excessive shaking. This ensures stable transport without damaging the food stored inside.

Furthermore, food packaging bags containing food items are covered on both sides by flaps, which prevents wrinkles from being noticeable, allowing them to be displayed neatly on retail shelves.

This is a plan view showing the food packaging bag of the present invention. (a) This is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in Figure 1. (b) This is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. This is a perspective view showing the usage instructions for food packaging bags. This is a perspective view showing a bag for packaging pre-packaged food products. This is a schematic diagram showing a transport box filled with pre-packaged food packaging bags. This is a perspective view showing how to open the storage compartment of a pre-packaged food packaging bag. This is a perspective view showing the storage compartment of a pre-packaged food packaging bag in an opened state. This is a plan view showing another example of the food packaging bag of the present invention. This is a side view showing a conventional pre-packaged food packaging bag. This is a front view showing a conventional pre-packaged food packaging bag.

An example of the food packaging bag of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, food packaging bag A consists of two overlapping front and back films 1 and 2, both identical in shape and size, forming a planar square. The front film 1 and back film 2 are configured to fuse together and become one unit when heated. The front film 1 and back film 2 do not necessarily have to be planar squares; they may be rectangular, rhombic, or other rectangular shapes.

Furthermore, a first sealing portion 3 is formed at the corner of one end of the front film 1 and the back film 2, integrating the front and back films 1 and 2. At the corner of the front and back films 1 and 2, the first sealing portion 3 is formed connecting the edges 11(21) and 12(22) of the front and back films 1 and 2, dividing the corner of the front and back films 1 and 2 into a triangular section. The triangular portion divided by the first sealing portion 3 forms a tab 4. Note that the first sealing portion 3 only needs to reach the vicinity of the edges 11(21) and 12(22) of the front and back films 1 and 2; it does not need to reach the edges 11(21) and 12(22) themselves. The first sealing portion 3 is formed by thermal deformation of the front film 1, and the outer surface of the back film 2 is a smooth surface.

The tab 4 is configured such that the front film 1 and the back film 2 are separated from each other. By pulling the front and back films 1 and 2 that make up the tab 4 in a direction that separates them from each other, the food S stored in the storage section A1 of the food packaging bag A can be removed. Note that in the food packaging bag A, the lower left side of Figure 1 is considered one end, and the upper right side is considered the other end.

Second sealing portions 5, 5 are formed from each of the longitudinal ends of the first sealing portion 3 toward the other end, thereby integrating the front and back films 1 and 2. The second sealing portions 5, 5 are formed so as to gradually separate from each other from one end toward the other. The other ends of the second sealing portions 5, 5 only need to reach the vicinity of the edges 13(23) and 14(24) opposite the edges 11(21) and 12(22) of the first sealing portion 3, respectively; they do not need to reach the edges 13(23) and 14(24) of the front and back films 1 and 2. The second sealing portions 5 are formed by thermal deformation of the front film 1, and the outer surface of the back film 2 is a smooth surface.

A storage compartment A1 for storing food is formed between the opposing surfaces of the front and back films 1 and 2, enclosed by the first sealing portion 3 and the second sealing portions 5, 5. An opening A2 of the storage compartment A1 is formed in the portion of the storage compartment A1 facing the first sealing portion 3, i.e., between the other ends of the second sealing portions 5, 5. Furthermore, the front and back film portions outside the second sealing portions 5, 5 form the side flaps F, F.

The third seal portions 6, 6 are formed along the edges 11(21), 12(22) of the front and back films 1, 2 from the connecting portions 31, 31 where the second seal portions 5, 5 of the first seal portion 3 are connected, thereby integrating the front and back films 1, 2. The side flaps F, F are integrated at their outer edges, and the front and back films constituting the side flaps F, F are configured to displace integrally.

Furthermore, the third sealing portions 6, 6 only need to reach the vicinity of the edges 13(23) and 14(24) of the front and back films 1 and 2, and do not necessarily need to reach the edges 13(23) and 14(24) of the front and back films 1 and 2. The third sealing portions 6 are formed by thermal deformation of the front film 1, and the outer surface of the back film 2 is a smooth surface.

Next, the usage instructions for food packaging bag A will be explained. An example will be given of storing a sandwich as food S inside food packaging bag A. The sandwich S is formed in a shape with a triangular side profile and a height dimension that matches or is slightly shorter than the length of the first seal portion 3 between one end of the second seal portions 5, 5 (between the connecting portions 31, 31) (a triangular prism shape with a right-angled isosceles triangle base, turned on its side).

First, as shown in Figure 3, open the opening A2 of the storage section A1 of the food packaging bag A. Insert the sandwich S into the storage section A1 through the opening A2, with its bottom surface S1 facing the back film 2 and its inclined surface S2 facing the front film 1, until its insertion end S4 approximately reaches the first seal section 3.

As a result, the outer film 1 of the food packaging bag A is lifted upward by the inclined surface S2 of the sandwich S, and the inner film 2 bends upward along both side edges S11, S11 of the bottom surface S1 of the sandwich S.

Since the second sealing portions 5, 5 are formed to be spaced apart from each other from one end to the other, the upward lifting of the front film 1 and the upward bending of the back film 2 along both side edges S11, S11 of the bottom surface S1 of the sandwich S cause the flap pieces F, F on both sides to automatically displace in a direction approaching the side surface of the sandwich S, with their other ends moving upward using the connecting portions 31, 31 of the first sealing portion 3 as a pivot point. At the same time, the front film 1 is bent along the second sealing portions 5, 5, resulting in an upright state along the side surfaces S3, S3 of the sandwich S.

Subsequently, as shown in Figure 4, by folding the front and back films 1 and 2 on the side of the opening A2 of the storage compartment A1 of the food packaging bag A, the opening A2 of the storage compartment A1 of the food packaging bag A can be closed, and the sandwich S can be stored in a sealed state within the storage compartment A1 of the food packaging bag A.

In this state, the flap pieces F, F of the food packaging bag A, together with a portion of the backing film continuous with these flap pieces F, F, stand upright along the sides S3, S3 of the sandwich S, covering the sides S3, S3 of the sandwich S. Furthermore, the portion of the backing film covering the sides S3, S3 of the sandwich S and the exposed surfaces of the flap pieces F, F are formed as smooth, wrinkle-free surfaces.

As shown in Figure 5, the food packaging bags A containing the sandwiches S (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "pre-packaged food packaging bags A'") are packed into transport boxes G, arranged front to back and side to side, and delivered to each retail store by truck or other means. During this transport, as described above, the sides of the pre-packaged food packaging bags A' are almost entirely covered by flap pieces F, F and a portion of the backing film 2 continuous with these flap pieces F, F, forming a smooth surface. Therefore, the pre-packaged food packaging bags A' contained within the transport boxes G do not snag on each other, and the unforeseen situation of the pre-packaged food packaging bags A' shaking excessively due to interference during transport can be largely suppressed. This allows the sandwiches S inside the food packaging bags A to be transported to each retail store without damage.

Furthermore, as described above, since the pre-packaged food packaging bags A' contained within the transport box are less likely to interfere with each other due to vibrations during transport, it becomes possible to pack the pre-packaged food packaging bags A' more tightly together within the transport box. This allows for the efficient transport of a larger number of pre-packaged food packaging bags A' in the transport box G.

Furthermore, as described above, the sides of the pre-packaged food packaging bag are covered by flap pieces F, F (the outer surface of which is made of backing film 2) and a portion of the backing film 2 that is continuous with these flap pieces F, F. That is, the sides of the pre-packaged food packaging bag A' are almost entirely covered by a portion of the backing film 2. Therefore, by constructing the front film 1 from a transparent synthetic resin film and the backing film 2 from an opaque film (e.g., paper, colored synthetic resin film, etc.), in the pre-packaged food packaging bag A', the food stored inside the food packaging bag A can be seen through the transparent front film, while the remaining surface is entirely covered by the opaque backing film. This minimizes food deterioration due to light entering the storage compartment A1 of the food packaging bag A, thereby improving storage stability.

Next, we will explain how to remove and consume the food from the pre-packaged food packaging bag A'. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, by grasping the outer film piece 41, which constitutes the tab 4 of the pre-packaged food packaging bag A', with your fingers and pulling the outer and inner films 1 and 2 apart, the first seal portion 3, the second seal portion 5, and the third seal portion 6 are peeled off, the outer film 1 is removed, the storage portion A1 is opened, and the food S inside the storage portion A1 can be removed and consumed.

During and after removing the outer film 1 from the pre-packaged food bag A', the food is covered from below by the inner film 2, which is bent to conform to the shape of the food. Therefore, the food can be stably supported from below by hand via the inner film 2, allowing the outer film 1 to be removed and the storage compartment A1 opened without dropping the food, and the food S to be consumed stably.

In the above-described food packaging bag A, the second seal portion 5 is shown to be formed in a continuous, linear manner. However, as shown in Figure 8, the second seal portion may be formed intermittently. In the following description, components similar to those in food packaging bag A shown in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanation is omitted.

Virtual lines L, L for forming the second seal portion 5' are set from each end in the longitudinal direction of the first seal portion 3 toward the other end. On these virtual lines L, one or more (two in Figure 8) second seal portions 5', 5' are formed intermittently. The number of second seal portions 5' is not limited, but it is preferable to have multiple portions for the sake of integrating the front and back films 1, 2 and for allowing the flap pieces F, F to be stably and automatically raised when food S is placed in the storage portion A1 of the food packaging bag A.

Furthermore, fourth seal portions 7, 7, connecting the other ends of the third seal portions 6, 6 and the other ends of the virtual lines L, L for forming the second seal portion 5', are formed along the edges 13(23) and 14(24) of the front and back films 1, 2, thereby integrating the front and back films 1, 2.

In the food packaging bag A shown in Figure 1, the second sealing portions 5, 5 are formed continuously. These second sealing portions 5, 5 and the first sealing portion 3 form the storage portion A1. By closing the opening A2 of the storage portion A1, the storage portion A1 of the food packaging bag A can be completely sealed.

On the other hand, in the food packaging bag A shown in Figure 8, the second sealing portions 5, 5 are formed intermittently, so that when the storage portion A1 of the food packaging bag A is closed, the storage portion A1 is sealed by the third sealing portions 6, 6 and the fourth sealing portions 7, 7.

The instructions for using and opening food packaging bag A shown in Figure 8 are the same as described above, so the explanation is omitted.

Furthermore, while the above-described explanation used the example of a food packaging bag A where the outer film 1 and the inner film 2 are formed to be the same shape and size, the outer and inner films 1 and 2 do not necessarily need to be the same shape and size; they may be different shapes and/or different sizes. When the outer and inner films 1 and 2 are formed to be different shapes and/or different sizes, the edges of the outer and inner films 1 and 2 refer to the inner edges of the films when viewed from a plane, in the state where the outer and inner films 1 and 2 are overlapped.

1 Front film 2 Back film 3 First seal section 4 Tick 5 Second seal section 6 Third seal section 7 Fourth seal section A Food packaging bag
A' Pre-packaged food packaging bag F, flap S, for food, sandwiches

Claims (3)

It has a front film and a back film superimposed on the front film,
The front film and the back film are integrated at one end by a first sealing portion to form a tab, and are also integrated at a second sealing portion that extends from each end of the first sealing portion toward the other end and in a direction away from each other.
A storage compartment is formed between the opposing surfaces of the front film and the back film, which are surrounded by the first and second sealing portions, and an opening for the storage compartment is formed at the other end.
The flap pieces on both sides are formed by the front and back film portions that are outside the second sealing portion mentioned above.
A food packaging bag characterized in that , when a food item having a triangular shape on its sides and a height dimension matching or slightly shorter than the length of the first seal portion between one end of the second seal portion is stored in the above-mentioned storage compartment with its bottom surface facing the back film and its inclined surface facing the front film , the front film is bent along the second seal portion so that the front film faces inward , and the two side flap pieces are displaced in a direction approaching the side of the food item, with the other end moving in a direction approaching the inclined surface of the food item, using the connection between the first seal portion and the second seal portion as a pivot point, so that the side of the food item is covered by the two side flap pieces and a part of the back film that is continuous with the two side flap pieces, and the exposed surfaces of the back film and two side flap pieces covering the side of the food item are formed as smooth surfaces. The food packaging bag according to claim 1, characterized in that a third seal portion is formed along the edges of the front and back films from the longitudinal end of the first seal portion, the front and back films constituting the side flap pieces are integrated by the third seal portion, and the front and back films constituting the side flap pieces are configured to displace integrally. A food packaging bag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second sealing portion is continuously formed.