Spout member and packaging bag utilizing same

Abstract

It is aimed to provide a spout member and a packaging bag using the spout member which have excellent handling property and hygiene management performance at the time of supplying water or the like from the outside before and during use such as administration of water and medicine, in which a closure means for freely opening and closing an aperture formed by cutting off parts of peripheral portions of sealed film pieces is protected from a contained content at the time of storage or transportation and which have excellent protecting property even when an inner pressure acts in the packaging bag, excellent contamination preventing property until a spout is opened and excellent contamination preventing property and handling property after opening. In a packaging bag formed by sealing peripheral portions of a plurality of film pieces and including an inlet portion and a spout portion at the peripheral portions, the inlet portion is opened as an inlet port by cutting off parts of the peripheral portions of the sealed film pieces to form an aperture by an unsealed portion, at least two holes are formed at the opposite sides of a part which becomes the inlet port at the peripheral portions near the inlet portion, and the holes serve as a suspension means for enabling the packaging bag to be suspended and a finger holding means. An operable and closable closure means including first and second members engageable with each other is formed by bonding an upper part of a first base member including the first member and an upper part of a second base member including the second member respectively to inner sides of the film pieces forming the aperture and facing each other, and a bottom end portion of one base member is formed to be longer than that of the other base member and bonded to the other film piece opposite thereto by an easily peelable seal, thereby forming an easily peelable portion which is peeled open to open the aperture at the time of opening. A spout member is provided with a spout portion including a base portion and a cylindrical portion projecting from the base portion, a sealing portion for sealing a tip portion of the cylindrical portion via a tearable weakened portion, and a cap portion. The weakened portion is torn by turning the cap portion to separate the sealing portion and the cap portion from the spout portion and simultaneously open the tip portion of the cylindrical portion, thereby forming a spout. The cap portion is shaped to cover the entire cylindrical portion, and the cap portion and the spout portion include a locking mechanism capable of locking the cap portion to the spout portion.

1 . A packaging bag formed by sealing peripheral portions of a plurality of film pieces and including an inlet portion and a spout portion at the peripheral portions, characterized in that:
 the inlet portion is opened as an inlet port by cutting off parts of the peripheral portions of the sealed film pieces to form an aperture by an unsealed portion,   at least two holes are formed at the opposite sides of a part which becomes the inlet port at the peripheral portions near the inlet portion, and   the holes serve as a suspension means for enabling the packaging bag to be suspended and a finger holding means.   
     
     
         2 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein a part of the inlet portion on a line connecting the holes at the opposite sides of the part that becomes the inlet port is made more rigid than other parts. 
     
     
         3 . The packaging bag according to  claim 2 , wherein an openable and closable linear fastener portion is formed in the inlet portion on the line connecting the holes at the opposite sides of the part that becomes the inlet port. 
     
     
         4 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the holes are circular or substantially circular holes having a diameter in the range of 8 to 30 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein peripheral edge portions of the holes are formed by perforation Or half-cutting while leaving parts thereof uncut, the perforation or half-cutting is torn when the packaging bag is used, and the holes are formed in a state where parts of the film pieces are connected to a packaging bag main body. 
     
     
         6 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the holes are slits having a length in the range of 30 to 60 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the film pieces at peripheral edge portions of the holes are not sealed. 
     
     
         8 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein parts of the holes that become upper edge portions when the holes are used as the finger holding means have a downward convex shape. 
     
     
         9 . The packaging bag according to  claim 8 , wherein the film pieces at the upper edge portions of the holes are not sealed. 
     
     
         10 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the holes is so arranged that the spout portion is located at a substantially vertically lower position when the packaging bag is suspended using the hole as the suspension means. 
     
     
         11 . A packaging bag in which a containing portion is formed by sealing a peripheral portion of one or more film pieces and the packaging bag is opened by cutting off a part of the peripheral portion of the sealed film piece to form an aperture by an unsealed portion, characterized in that:
 an openable and closable closure means including first and second members engageable with each other and extending over the entire width of the aperture and an easily peelable portion which extends over the entire width of the aperture, is adapted to isolate the closure means from the containing portion before opening and is peeled open to open the aperture at the time of opening are provided at the aperture,   the closure means is formed by bonding an upper part of a first base member including the first member and an upper part of a second base member including the second member respectively to inner sides of film pieces forming the aperture and facing each other, and   a bottom end portion of one base member is formed to be longer than that of the other base member and bonded to the other film piece opposite thereto by an easily peelable seal, thereby forming the easily peelable portion.   
     
     
         12 . The packaging bag according to  claim 11 , wherein the first and second base members are not exposed at an outer edge portion of a sealed portion formed by sealing the peripheral portion of the film piece. 
     
     
         13 . The packaging bag according to  claim 11 , wherein the closure means is a fastener seal projecting from a base portion and including a male first member and a female second member. 
     
     
         14 . The packaging bag according to  claim 13 , wherein the closure means is formed such that a tip portion of the male first member has an elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to a longitudinal direction, a recess of a tip portion of the female second member has substantially the same cross sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction as the tip portion of the first member, and a clearance is formed between the tip portion of the first member and that of the second member only near a base portion of the first member when the first and second members are engaged. 
     
     
         15 . The packaging bag according to  claim 11 , wherein an easily openable portion for enabling the peripheral portion of the film piece to be easily cut off is provided in a part which becomes an aperture and so formed that an opening end position cut off using the easily openable portion differs between the film pieces. 
     
     
         16 . The packaging bag according to any one of  claim 11 , comprising a spout portion at the peripheral portion of the sealed film piece. 
     
     
         17 . A spout member, comprising:
 a spout portion including a base portion and a cylindrical portion projecting from the base portion;   a sealing portion for sealing a tip portion of the cylindrical portion via a tearable weakened portion; and   a cap portion,   the weakened portion being torn by turning the cap portion to separate the sealing portion and the cap portion from the spout portion and simultaneously open the tip portion of the cylindrical portion, thereby forming a spout,   wherein:   the cap portion is shaped to cover the entire cylindrical portion, and   the cap portion and the spout portion include a locking mechanism capable of locking the cap portion to the spout portion.   
     
     
         18 . The spout member according to  claim 17 , wherein a plurality of annular projecting portions for locking a tube are formed on an outer surface of the cylindrical portion of the spout portion. 
     
     
         19 . The spout member according to  claim 17 , wherein the cap portion is capable of resealing the spout. 
     
     
         20 . The spout member according to  claim 17 , wherein the weakened portion is formed by a thinned portion having a thickness of 0.15 mm or more and below 0.2 mm. 
     
     
         21 . A packaging bag in which a containing portion is formed by a first sealing portion formed by sealing a peripheral portion of one or more film pieces and a spout member sealing portion is provided at the peripheral portion, characterized in that:
 the spout member sealing portion is formed by arranging the spout member according to  claim 17  between two film pieces forming the packaging bag such that the cylindrical portion of the spout portion projects from the containing portion, fixing the base portion of the spout portion between the film pieces in the first sealing portion, and sealing the cap portion by a second sealing portion formed by sealing the film pieces around the cap portion such that the cap portion is sandwiched between the film pieces, and   the spout is opened and the cap portion is separated from the spout portion by cutting off the film pieces forming the spout member sealing portion at a side more toward a tip of the spout member than the base portion of the spout member and simultaneously turning the cap portion of the spout member together with the film pieces.   
     
     
         22 . The packaging bag according to  claim 21 , comprising an easily openable portion used to cut off the film pieces forming the spout member sealing portion at the side more toward the tip of the spout member than the base portion of the spout member. 
     
     
         23 . The packaging bag according to  claim 21 , wherein the easily openable portion is formed such that an opening end cut off using the easily openable portion is so curved as to be closer to the base portion of the spout portion at an intermediate part than at an opening start position and an opening end position. 
     
     
         24 . The packaging bag according to  claim 21 , wherein the easily openable portion is provided at a position more toward a tip of the cap portion than a skirt portion of the cap portion. 
     
     
         25 . The packaging bag according to  claim 21 , comprising an inlet portion at the peripheral portion of the sealed film piece. 
     
     
         26 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , characterized by being for a tube-feeding enteral liquid diet.