HK1051521A - Pivotable spout for a pouch - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a closing element for a packaging for liquid or paste goods, in particular for a film bag.

Packaging for liquid or paste goods, especially film bags, is widely used, particularly as containers for beverages or for cosmetics, detergents, etc.

The main use of beverage containers is still to open them with straws in a puncture area, but this has the disadvantage that such containers cannot be closed again, which makes them easy to leak and the filling easily spoils.

It has also been proposed to close film bags with screw closures. However, such screw closures have the disadvantage that their outlets protrude far from the edge of the bag, so that the bags are poorly stackable and take up a lot of space during transport. Furthermore, such a closure element has the disadvantage that if the lid is lost, the closure element cannot be re-closed. However, another problem with the known closures elements is that they are not tight, especially after filling, i.e. these closures are not suitable for microbiological packaging or unconsolidated liquids, as these can quickly spoil in the bags after filling. Although screw closures may be microbiologically dense, there is always a risk that small scratches or manufacturing defects on the parts to be sealed together will cause leaks which go unnoticed during the production process and cause problems.

Another disadvantage is that both hands are needed to open and close bolt-on fasteners.

The present invention is therefore intended to provide a closing element which is easy to open and close, requires little space and closes the packaging microbiologically safely after filling.

According to the invention, this task is solved by a closing element as claimed 1.

The inventive sealing part allows the sealing element to microbiologically seal the filling medium in the packaging. This results in a longer shelf life and microbiological safety of the filling medium, so that the inventive sealing element can also be reliably used in the food sector. To open the packaging, the tilt-able caster is then tipped so that the sealing part mounted on the outlet is torn open. This allows the liquid of the packaging to be released by opening the outlet and the liquid to be released by the opening of the opening of the outlet. This can be achieved by opening the first caster in the outlet position, which can be easily closed.

If the tilting cask is essentially tubular, i.e. having a round or rectangular cross-section, it is particularly suitable as straw for beverage packaging, thus eliminating the need for a separate straw, which saves costs and material and is also environmentally beneficial, since less material is required and used straw or straw packaging is not simply thrown away.

The sealing part is a membrane, which is connected to the caster by adhesive or welding. All common welding methods, such as thermal welding, pulse welding, etc., are suitable, preferably by welding the membrane with ultrasound.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the seal is a plastic part with a point of failure.

A special space-saving design allows the tilting caster to be placed in the first tilting position in a gap of the closing element, ensuring that the closing element only slightly or not at all protrudes from the bag.

To ensure originality, the opening in which the flip-off is located can be closed by a removable film, which allows the consumer to see whether the packaging is still original. Such a removable film also prevents the flip-off from becoming soiled during storage, for example, and thus contaminating the filling material when it is removed.

To facilitate the removal of the film, a removal chamber is located next to the gap, with at least part of the removable film protruding into the chamber area, making it easier for the consumer to grasp the film.

In the simplest case, the removable film is glued or welded around the gap. To ensure easy opening, welding can be done in a single spot or using peel-able, i.e. easily removable, sealing media.

In another embodiment, the closing element continues to include a tubular part that connects to the outlet on the opposite side of the outlet. Such extension of the outlet channel has the advantage that when a foil bag is emptied, the front and back of the bag can no longer stick together, which would prevent the liquid from flowing out.

The advantage is that the tilting caster is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the casing.

It is advantageous if the outlet is in close contact with the outlet, so that liquid from the packaging enters the outlet of the outlet into the outlet of the outlet and does not flow into the outlet of the closing element.The end of the outlet facing the outlet and an area around the outlet can have a sealing surface that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the tip between 0 and 90° for the tip movement.This prevents uncontrolled leakage of liquid.

In a preferred embodiment, the caster has a rounded cross-section at its end facing the outlet, with this end being fitted to the outlet. The correspondence of the cross-sections of the caster and the area around the outlet is not relevant. The smallest cross-section of the caster essentially determines the maximum flow rate. It may therefore be useful to provide a closing element whose rounded area around the outlet has a maximum cross-section, with the cross-section of the caster then being adjusted according to the product and target group. The rounded design of the caster allows the throughput to pass through the outlet. This ensures that the caster is well-rounded.

The angle of inclination between the first and second inclination positions is essentially 90°.

In a special case, the membrane is an inner film of a film bag.

The membrane may be, for example, a polyethylene or polypropylene film or a co-extruded film with a well-sealing outer layer.

The invention also relates to a foil bag made of mono or composite material with the closing element of the invention. The closing element of the invention is welded or glued between the front and back of the foil bag on a top edge or in a corner area.

The invention is explained in more detail below by reference to the following figures: Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-section of a closing element of the invention in the original closed state;Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-section of the closing element of the invention in the open state;Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of the closing element of the invention shown in Fig. 1;Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of another embodiment of the closing element of the invention with a tubular part;Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the closing element of the invention with spacer holders;Fig. 6 and 7 show a sheet bag with a wide opening with a closed section of the closing element of the invention.Fig. 8 shows an example of a closing element of the invention in a different embodiment of the original closing element according to the present invention.

As can be seen from Figures 1 to 3, where Fig. 1 is a section along lines I to I of Fig. 3, the closing element 1 according to the invention, e.g. made of plastic, comprises a tilting caster 2 with an outlet channel 13. The tilting caster 2 is in an original closed state within a gap 5 in the closing element 1. The caster 2 is laid around an axis 14 rotating bar which runs perpendicular to the outlet channel 13. The rotating or tilting caster is only schematically shown in the figures.

Alternatively, the caster 2 may also have two opposite protrusions in areas A, which are fitted into two slots in the closing element 1 (this embodiment is not shown), so that the caster 2 is rotatable around an axis 14.

In another embodiment, also not shown here, the closing element 1 may have two opposite protrusions which fit into two slots in the caster 2.

The outlet 2 has a length l of about 1 to 6 cm. In this example the upper area extending above the surface 10a of the closing element in the folded position is tubular. The diameter d of the outlet in this area is 2 to 12 mm, preferably 5 mm. The inner diameter i of the outlet channel 13 of the outlet 2 is between 2 and 10 mm. The height h1 of the closing element is in a range of 0.5 to 3 cm, preferably 1 cm. The h2 around which the outward sloping outlet 2 of the surface 10a of the closing element 10 is located is in the range of 1 to 5 cm. The width of the outlet 2 cm.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outlet 3 facing the inside of the package is closed by the caster 2 in a first tilting position and brought into a second tilting position in conjunction with the outlet channel 13 of the caster 2 so that filler material can flow out of the package through the outlet 3 and through the outlet channel 13.

The cross-section could, for example, be essentially rectangular.

This end 12 is stored in a compartment of the casing, which is complementary to the rounded compartment 12 of caster 2 at least in compartment 11 next to the outlet 3, so that the caster 2 can slide precisely over the surface of the closing element and close it as shown in Figure 1 when tilting. The position of the caster around the outlet is also precisely positioned to ensure that the sealing compartments 11 are formed next to the outlet 3, thus preventing liquid from flowing from the packaging, from the connecting compartment between caster 3 and outlet channel 13, into the caster 5.

It is important that the sealing surface of the caster and the area around the outlet be rotationally symmetrical with respect to the 14th axis, at least for the tilt movement between 0° and 90°. In the simplest case, the caster may have a cylindrical surface extending beyond the outlet to seal.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, the caster 2 is located in the original closed closing element 1 within the gap 5. The caster 2 is connected to a sealing part in the area of the caster 3 opening, here the membrane 4. In this example, the membrane is welded to the caster 2. The membrane 4 is welded around the caster 3 opening, or glued and seals it microbiologically tightly. As a material for the membrane 4, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene or also a co-extruded material with a good sealing surface is suitable. As a material for the caster 2, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and a variety of modifications of these raw materials or other thermoplastic materials are also suitable.In the closed state, the slide 5 is further closed by a film 6. The film is glued or welded around the slide 5 or in full or in a point and serves both to ensure the originality and hygiene of the caster. In addition to the slide 5, a hollow 7 is further provided over which the films 6 extend at least partially, so that the consumer can remove the film more easily. The following materials are suitable as slides 6 for example: mono- or composite films made of plastic, films based on paper or metals such as aluminum with a plastic sawed-off coating or suitable lacquers.The film is then removed from the film, which ensures that the film is held tightly and that it is easy to remove.

When opening a closing element of an original packaging, the consumer first picks up film 6 in the area of the nozzle 7 and pulls it out. He then tilts the outlet 2 90° outwards about the 14th axis. An unrepresented rest or stop element may limit the maximum deflection of the outlet 2. This first tilt of the outlet 2 causes the seal attached to the outer 2 to break, here the membrane 4 is torn, so that the opening 3 is exposed to the inside of the packaging and furthermore connects to the outlet channel 13 of the outlet 2. Now the outlet can suck liquid through this outlet 2, but it can also be used as a drink or as a drink, but either by exhaling or by exhaling liquid or by using a bottle.

If the packaging is to be re-sealed, this can be done by simply flipping the outlet 2 back into slot 5, thus sealing the outlet 3 by the end area of the outlet 2.

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Fig. 4 shows another example where the closing element 1 of the invention, as shown, for example, in Fig. 1 to 3 or 8 and 9, has a tubular part 8 on a side 10b of the closing element opposite the caster 2 which extends into the packaging and is an extension of the caster channel 13; the tubular part 8 prevents, for example, when a film bag is emptied, the front and back sides of the bag from being overlapped during the emptying process, which makes further emptying difficult; the deformed part 8 extends into a raw part of the bag.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment, whereby, as in Figure 4, on page 10b of the closing element 1, spacing elements 9 are formed, which are also intended to prevent the front and back of the bag from overlapping when a bag is emptied.

Figures 6 and 7 show closing elements 1 according to the invention with sheets 6 welded or glued between the front and back of the film bag 17 either on a top edge or in a corner area of the film bag 17. It is also possible that an inner film of the packaging, here of the film bag, is used as a closing membrane for the outlet 3.

Claims (21)

1. Closing element (1) for a package intended to contain liquid or paste, in particular for film bags, with: Other

   - a tilting caster (2) with an outlet channel (13), and

   - a drainage opening (3) closed by the drainage pipe (2) in a first tilting position and connected to its drainage channel (13) in a second tilting position of the drainage pipe (2),

   - the caster (2) in the area of the caster opening (3) is connected to a sealing part (4) which closes the caster opening (3) and which opens when the caster is tilted.
2. The seal element (1) described in claim 1 is characterised by the fact that the seal is a membrane.
3. The closing element (1) described in claim 1 is characterised by the fact that the tilting caster (2) is essentially tubular.
4. Closure element (1) according to claim 2, characterised by the membrane welded to the casing (2), preferably ultrasonic welded.
5. Closure element according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the sealing part is a plastic part with a fixed fracture point.
6. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the tilting caster (2) being in the first tilting position in a recess (5) of the closing element.
7. Closure element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the opening (5) in which the tilting caster (2) is located being closed by a removable film.
8. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the presence of a hollow (7) in the closing element next to the gap (5) for removing the film (6), with the removable film (6) at least partially protruding into the hollow area.
9. Closure element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the removable film being glued around the gap (5) or peel-able or point-welded.
10. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the closing element continuing to include a tubular part which connects to the outlet on the side opposite the caster (2).
11. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the closing element having a spacer (9) on the side opposite the caster (2).
12. A closing element according to at least one of the above requirements, characterised by the fact that the tilting caster (2) is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the casing.
13. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the closeness of the outlet to the outlet channel.
14. The closing element according to claim 12, i.e. the end 12 of the caster facing the outlet (2) and a region around the outlet having a sealing surface that is symmetrical with respect to the axis (14) for the tilt movement between 0 and 90°.
15. Closure element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the tilting caster having a rounded cross-section facing the outlet (12) and fitted on a rounded area around the outlet (3).
16. Closure element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the membrane (4) being an inner film of the packaging.
17. Closure element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the membrane (4) being a polyethylene or polypropylene film or a co-extruded film with a well-sealable outer layer.
18. A closing element according to at least one of the above claims, characterised by the membrane (4) being glued or welded around the outlet.
19. Film bags made of mono- or composite material with a closing element according to at least one of claims 1 to 18.
20. Film bags according to claim 19, characterised by the closing element welded or glued between the front and back of the bag at an upper edge or corner.
21. Foil bags according to one of claims 19 or 20, characterised by the fact that the foil bag is a beverage bag.