JPH0451185Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a pouring spout for use in a sterile packaging container for storing liquid foods and beverages such as dairy products and juices.

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, a method of enclosing sterilized food in a sterilized container has been widely used as a packaging form for long-term food storage. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the base film (outer bag)
1 and another film (inner bag) 2 are stacked on top of each other, and the periphery 4 is sealed to form a bag-like sealed container (sterile packaging container) 5. A cylindrical spout 6 is attached to a part of the film 3, and the spout 6
A method of aseptically filling cream, juice, etc. into an aseptic packaging container having a spout and a cap 7 that closes the outer end of the container using an aseptic filling machine has been known for some time (Utility Model Application No. -117341).

However, the area around the spout of a sterile packaging container with a spout is exposed to the atmosphere even if the cap 7 is installed as shown in Figure 6, and is inevitably contaminated with bacteria. In order to prevent bacteria from entering the container, it is necessary to sterilize the spout part of the sterile packaging container with hydrochloric acid water mist in a sterile room, and then fill the container with the material from the filling port of the aseptic filling machine. After filling, the spout must be sealed with a cap or the like under aseptic conditions, which requires a large sterile room.

Problems to be solved by the invention This invention enables filling under aseptic conditions with a simple device without using a sterile room, and also makes it possible to easily seal the spout. This is what I am trying to do.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a seal by fitting a locking stopper to the inner wall surface of the spout of a sterile packaging container, and when pouring, the locking plug is pressed down to seal the inner wall of the spout. By forming a communication passage between the stopper and the stopper, the contents can be poured out under aseptic conditions by simply sterilizing the inside of the spout when pouring the contents into the container. After the dispensing operation is completed, the spout can be easily closed under sterile conditions by moving the stopper.

That is, the spout for a sterile packaging container according to the present invention is
The spout is configured to be slidable along the inner wall of the cylindrical spout, has a guide flange on the upper part, and has a lower circumferential wall that fits and locks with an annular ridge provided on the inner wall of the spout to seal the spout. The spout is configured to be sealed by a bottomed cylindrical stopper provided with an annular groove, and a control rod extending upward is provided at the center of the bottom of the stopper;
Further, a communication passage portion is formed on the circumferential wall of the locking plug to enable communication between the spout inlet and the inside of the container by downward displacement of the locking plug via the control rod.

Function: When pouring a substance into a sterile packaging container having a spout according to the present invention, by moving the locking stopper inside the spout using an operating rod built into the filling head, the inside area of the spout is Since it is possible to open and close the spout simply, the lower part of the filling head of the filling machine is brought into close contact with the upper end of the spout, and then the inside of the spout above the locking stopper is steam sterilized, and after sterilization, the steam is released. It can be discharged, maintained in a sterile state at the filling head, and filled without using a sterile room.
The spout can also be closed immediately after filling, and after closing, the inside of the spout is steam sterilized, the filling that has adhered to the inside of the spout is discharged, and the upper part of the spout is then sealed with a sealing film. This allows the inside of the spout to be kept sterile.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a sterile packaging container having a spout according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing the spout according to the present invention with a sealing film adhered to the upper surface, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the contents are filled.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sterile packaging container 5 according to the present invention includes an outer bag 1 (for example, medium density polyethylene) and an inner bag 2 (for example, low density polyethylene).
A cylindrical spout 1 is attached to a bag-like container made by thermally bonding the peripheral edge 4 of a package film 3 formed by overlapping
In the conventional spout shown in FIG. 6, sealing is performed by the cap 7, whereas in the spout of the present invention, the spout 10 is
This is done by a locking stopper 11 that is slidably provided inside.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the spout 10 according to the present invention is configured to be slidable along the inner wall of the cylindrical spout, and includes a guide flange 12 at the top, and
The spout is sealed by a bottomed cylindrical locking plug 11 provided with an annular groove 14 on the lower peripheral wall that fits and locks into an annular protrusion 13 provided on the inner wall of the spout to seal the spout. A control rod 16 extending upward is provided at the center of the bottom 15 of the stopper 11, and by operating from the outside via this control rod 16 to displace the stopper 11 downward, the spout entrance and the inside of the container are connected. A communication passage portion 17 is formed in the locking stopper peripheral wall 18 to enable communication between the stopper and the stopper. In addition, the locking plug 11
a stopper 19 for engaging with the guide flange 12 and regulating the amount of downward displacement when the is displaced downward;
is provided, and the locking stopper 11 is connected to the guide flange 12.
It moves up and down while being guided by the inner wall of the spout, the locking stopper peripheral wall 18, and the peripheral surface 20 on which the annular protrusion 13 of the spout is provided. Further, the sealing film 21 at the upper part of the spout shown in FIG. This is used to close the spout by raising the water, remove any adhering residue by steam cleaning, and then seal the spout.

The packaging container 5 equipped with such a pouring spout is
After being made into a sealed bag, it is sterilized by gamma ray sterilization treatment and stored until filling operation, but the inside of the packaging container is completely free of bacteria due to the stopper 11 fitted to the spout. However, since the surface of the sterile packaging container and the spout surface are exposed to the atmosphere, contamination by bacteria in the atmosphere is unavoidable. Therefore, when the aseptic filling machine fills the contents through the spout 10, it is necessary to sterilize at least the vicinity of the spout, as in the past.

Since the spout 10 according to the present invention is configured to close only inside the spout,
When injecting the object to be contained, only the inside of the spout including the stopper 11 needs to be sterilized. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower part of the filling head 22 of the filling machine is tightly attached to the upper end of the spout 10, and then the inside of the spout 10 above the locking plug 11 is sterilized with steam, and the steam is released after sterilization. After that, the stopper 11 is moved from the dotted line position to the solid line position by pushing down the control rod 16, and the object is injected from the filling head 22 while the filling head 22 maintains the sterilized state. The contents flow into the container through the communication passage section 17 in the direction of the arrow. After the injection is completed, the stopper 11 is raised to the dotted line position to complete the closing as shown in the third figure, and then the inside of the spout 10 above the stopper 11 is steam sterilized and the inside of the spout 10 is Drain the stuck filling. Next, by sealing the upper part of the spout 10 with a sealing film 21, the inside of the spout 10 can be kept in a sterile state.

Effects of the invention In the conventional spout as shown in Fig. 6,
Since it was necessary to sterilize the area around the spout, remove the cap, and install it all in a sterilization room, a large sterile room was required.However, according to the present invention, sterilization can be performed only on the inside of the spout 11. Therefore, a sterile room is not required, and steam sterilization can be easily performed, and complete sealing after filling can be accomplished by simply lifting the stopper 11. Also,
After closing the spout 10 with the locking stopper 11, the inside of the spout 10 is steam sterilized and the filling material adhering to the inside of the spout 10 is discharged, and then the upper part of the spout 10 is sealed with a sealing film 21. This allows the inside of the spout 10 to be kept sterile.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a sterile packaging container with a spout according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of Fig. 1.
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which filling is performed from the spout of the container according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which contents are being filled, and FIG. 5 is a conventional example of a container for aseptic packaging. 6 is a sectional view of the spout portion of FIG. 5. 1... Outer bag, 2... Inner bag, 3... Package cage film, 4... Periphery, 5... Aseptic packaging container, 9
...Operation rod, 10... Outlet, 11... Locking stopper,
12... Guide flange, 13... Annular ridge, 14...
Annular groove, 15... Bottom, 16... Control rod, 17...
...Communication passage portion, 18...Peripheral wall, 19...Stopper, 21...Sealing film, 22...Filling head.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The spout is configured to be slidable along the inner wall of the cylindrical spout, has a guide flange on the upper part, and has a lower circumferential wall that fits and locks with an annular ridge provided on the inner wall of the spout to seal the spout. The spout is configured to be sealed by a bottomed cylindrical stopper provided with an annular groove, and a control rod extending upward is provided at the center of the bottom of the stopper;
A spout for a sterile packaging container, characterized in that a communication passage portion is formed on the circumferential wall of the locking stopper to enable communication between the spout inlet and the inside of the container by downward displacement of the stopper via a control rod.