JP2024090274A - Packaging Bag - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a packaging bag having a self-standing and steam-venting function for making it possible to heat-cook a content in a microwave oven.SOLUTION: There is provided a packaging bag having a self-standing and steam-venting function, which comprises: a notch disposed in the side of the packaging bag to unseal the packaging bag; and at least one unsealing line which continuously extends in the width direction of the packaging bag and is guided to breakage with the notch as a starting point by laser light irradiation and scanning treatment. At least one steam-venting part for releasing steam generated during the heat-cooking to the outside is disposed in the upper portion of the packaging bag. A bottom part is formed by folding in order to make the packaging bag self-stand. A seal part is diagonally disposed from the body side of the packaging bag to the bottom part. The bottom part is formed into a square shape when the packaging bag is filled with a content. A cut is disposed in an oblique direction in the corner of a bottom seal part formed in the bottom part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging bag capable of storing contents, and in particular to a packaging bag that contains food that can be cooked in a microwave oven, can stand on its own, and can also be used as tableware.

Cooked foods that can be heated in microwave ovens are available on the market, and microwave packaging bags that contain cooked or semi-cooked foods, refrigerated foods, frozen foods, and other foods are widely used.

When such a packaging bag is heated in a microwave oven, the internal pressure of the bag increases due to the steam generated by the food and the thermal expansion of the air inside, which can cause the bag to break or deform, and there is also a risk that the food stored in the packaging bag may scatter if the bag breaks. Therefore, packaging bags have been adopted that have the effect of steaming the stored food with the steam generated during cooking and that can allow the steam to escape (steam through) by partially peeling off the heat-sealed part due to the steam pressure inside the bag. Patent Document 1 discloses a pouch that can be cooked in a microwave oven and is self-supporting, and contains frozen food and powder as its contents, while Patent Document 2 discloses a cooking bag for microwave ovens that has a paper material at the top that can be folded and retained, and the bottom of the bag opens into a boat-shaped shape.

However, in Patent Document 1, the main purpose is to add seasonings to the frozen food after it has been thawed and cooked to complete the cooking process, and it is not disclosed for use as tableware. Furthermore, the bag itself falls over during cooking, making it difficult to maintain the shape of the food, and in Patent Document 2, the bottom of the packaging bag is open in a boat-like shape, allowing for stable cooking, but the use of paper means that the bag is prone to tearing, among other problems.

In light of the above situation, the inventors of the present application have developed a packaging bag that can solve the above problems and can be used as tableware after cooking, based on the packaging bag disclosed in Patent Document 3, in which the heat-sealed portion can be partially peeled off and steamed by the steam pressure inside the bag.

JP 2022-16071 A Patent No. 3813273 Patent No. 4252649

The present invention was made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and provides a self-supporting packaging bag with a steaming function for cooking the contents in a microwave oven.

The invention according to claim 1 is a self-supporting packaging bag having a steaming function for cooking contents in a microwave oven,
A notch portion provided on a side of the packaging bag for opening the packaging bag;
At least one or more tear lines extending in a width direction of the packaging bag are configured to be guided starting from the notch portion by irradiation and scanning with a laser light,
Equipped with
At least one steam passage portion is provided in the upper portion of the packaging bag to allow steam generated during cooking to escape to the outside,
In order to make the packaging bag self-supporting, a bottom is formed by folding back,
A seal portion is provided obliquely from the side of the body of the packaging bag to the bottom, and the bottom is formed into a rectangular shape when the content is filled,
The present invention relates to a packaging bag characterized in that a diagonal cut is provided at the corner of the bottom seal portion formed on the bottom.

The invention of claim 2 relates to the packaging bag of claim 1, characterized in that the vapor passage section is provided with an easily sealable thin-film tape.

The invention according to claim 3 relates to the packaging bag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the seal portion forms an angle of 30° to 50°.

The invention of claim 4 relates to the packaging bag of claim 1, characterized in that a side seal portion is provided on the side of the main body of the packaging bag, and the side seal portion is provided with a curved protrusion on the inside or outside to serve as a handle portion of the packaging bag.

The invention of claim 5 relates to the packaging bag of claim 1, characterized in that the contents are a frozen food product having a rectangular parallelepiped shape and consisting of ingredients and rice.

The invention of claim 6 relates to the packaging bag of claim 5, characterized in that the ingredients are placed on top of the rice.

A self-supporting packaging bag having a steaming function for cooking the contents in a microwave oven according to the invention of claim 1,
A notch portion provided on a side of the packaging bag for opening the packaging bag;
At least one or more tear lines extending in a width direction of the packaging bag are configured to be guided starting from the notch portion by irradiation and scanning with a laser light,
Equipped with
At least one steam passage portion is provided in the upper portion of the packaging bag to allow steam generated during cooking to escape to the outside,
In order to make the packaging bag self-supporting, a bottom is formed by folding back,
A seal portion is provided obliquely from the side of the body of the packaging bag to the bottom, and the bottom is formed into a rectangular shape when the content is filled,
By providing diagonal cuts at the corners of the bottom seal portion formed on the bottom, the bottom is formed into a square shape, so that the entire bottom of the bag bulges out like a boat, and by placing the contents, which are cooking ingredients, in the center of the bottom, it is held stably in a self-supporting state and can also be used as tableware, allowing meals to be eaten while it is placed still and stable.
In addition, since the inside of the bag can be kept at an appropriate internal pressure during cooking and the bag itself can be expanded appropriately, steam convection is improved and it is possible to prevent the bag from bursting due to excessive internal pressure, causing the contents to leak out.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the vapor passage section is provided with an easily sealable thin-film tape, which prevents the bag from expanding due to excessive internal pressure when cooking in a microwave oven, and prevents the contents from spilling out during cooking.

According to the invention of claim 3, the seal portion is obliquely angled at 30° to 50°, and by making the seal portion obliquely angled, the bottom of the bag opens in a square shape when filled, providing the effect of allowing the bag to be placed stably.

The invention of claim 4 provides a side seal portion on the side of the main body of the packaging bag, and the side seal portion has a curved protrusion on the inside or outside to serve as a handle for the packaging bag. When cooking in a microwave oven, the bag itself heats up and becomes difficult to hold, but the bag can be grasped by the handle, making eating easier.

The invention of claim 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the contents are a frozen food consisting of ingredients and rice, and this has the effect of preventing the food from turning upside down during cooking in a microwave oven, and allowing the food to be cooked while remaining stable and self-supporting.

By placing the ingredients on top of the rice in the invention according to claim 6, the ingredients are cooked and the dissolved moisture is distributed evenly over the entire rice, which has the effect of reducing temperature unevenness.

1A is a front view of a packaging bag according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a front view of a packaging bag according to a conventional technique (Patent Document 3). FIG. 1 is a front view of the bottom of a packaging bag according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the bag in an unfolded state (B) from a closed state (A) in a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' from the side; and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the bag bottom in an unfolded state (D) from a closed state (C) in a cross-sectional view taken along line BB' from the bottom. 1A is a front view of a modified example of a packaging bag according to the present invention, in which handles are provided on both sides of the bag, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the bottom when opened. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a front view showing the container filled with frozen food as the contents, and (B) is a perspective view showing the container being opened after cooking and serving the thawed frozen food as the contents.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the packaging bag according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The packaging bag according to this embodiment is self-supporting and can also be used as tableware. The packaging bag is configured so that cooked food can be provided by heating the contents contained in the bag in a microwave oven. The contents are cuboid-shaped and include pre-frozen ingredients such as curry rice or beef bowl, and frozen rice, and the cooked food is obtained by heating in a microwave oven. The configuration of the packaging bag is described below.

<Composition of packaging bag>
FIG. 1A is a front view showing a packaging bag 10 as viewed from the front side before the content is filled.
FIG. 1(B) shows a front view of a conventional packaging bag disclosed in Patent Document 3 for comparison.
The packaging bag 10 includes a top 11, a bottom 12, a pair of side portions 13, and a pair of oblique linear seal portions 14 extending from the side portions to the bottom. The pair of side portions 13 face each other in a width direction D2 of the packaging bag 10.
The size of the bag is preferably such that the side D1 indicating the up-down direction of the bag is 130-200 mm, the width direction D2 including the top and bottom is 150-200 mm, and the bottom height D3 indicating from the bottom to the fold 17f forming the bottom, which will be described later, is 30-60 mm. If it is smaller than this size, it will be difficult to use it as tableware after cooking, and if it is too large, it cannot be placed in a microwave oven and cannot be used for cooking.

As shown in Fig. 1(A) and Fig. 1(B), the seal portion includes a pair of oblique linear seal portions 14 extending from the side to the bottom, a side seal portion 20 located on the side 13 of the packaging bag 10, and a bottom seal portion 21 located on the bottom 12. The side seal portion 20 joins the front film of the bag to the back film of the bag.

Furthermore, the packaging bag 10 may include a tear line 23 that is a portion to be broken by a user when opening the packaging bag 10 (see Figs. 1(A) and 1(B)). The packaging bag 10 is opened along the width direction D2 based on the tear line 23, whereby an opening is formed in the packaging bag 10.
The opening line is formed in the width direction of the bag, and may be either linear or curved. To make opening easier, an opening assist line may be provided separately.
In addition, when processing the opening line, laser processing in which laser light is irradiated and scanned is preferred from the viewpoint of allowing a wide degree of freedom in the shape of the opening line.

The opening line 23 may also include a notch 25 formed in the side portion 13 of the bag (see Figs. 1(A) and 1(B)). The notch 25 is, for example, a notch, but may also be a cut, and the shape is not limited. The opening line 23 may also include a half-cut line, etc., in place of or in addition to the notch.
In FIG. 1(A), the position H1 of the opening line is preferably located 55 mm to 95 mm from the bottom end (1/4 to 1/2 of the bag height), and particularly preferably 70 to 90 mm (1/3 to 1/2 of the bag height).
The above-mentioned position is a setting for ease of use, taking into consideration use as tableware after cooking; if it is too low, the food contents may leak out, and if it is too high, it may become difficult to remove the cooked food from the packaging bag 10, making it difficult to eat.

In sealing the packaging bag 10, the contents are filled into a storage section (not shown) using the upper portion 11 as a filling port, and then the storage section is sealed by forming an upper seal section 26 along the upper portion 11. In Figures 1(A) and 1(B), the inner edge of the portion that will later become the upper seal section 26 is indicated by a black line or a dashed dotted line.
It is preferable that an easily sealable thin film tape 2 (not shown in FIG. 1(A)) be provided in the width direction of the bag on at least one inner surface of the upper part of the bag. The upper part 11 serves as a steam passage through which steam is discharged, and can prevent the packaging bag from expanding excessively during cooking.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1A, the seal portion 14 is located at the bottom 12 of the packaging bag 10 and is disposed obliquely from the side to the bottom.
The bottom portion 12 also includes front and back films that are joined by a pair of seal portions 14 that are obliquely provided from the above-mentioned sides to the bottom portion.

By providing this seal portion 14 at an angle, as shown in each drawing of Figure 2, when the contents, ie, cooked food, are filled in, the bottom opens in a square shape, enabling the container to stand stably.
The width of the seal is preferably at least 5 mm. The angle formed by the seal from the side to the bottom of the bag body is preferably 30 to 50 degrees, and most preferably 45 degrees.

Furthermore, by providing a pair of diagonal cuts 28 at the corners of the bottom seal portion 21, the corners do not protrude when the bottom is unfolded, and both the front and rear of the packaging bag 10 come into contact with the ground, allowing it to stand upright more stably against the ground surface.

Furthermore, as shown in (A) to (D) of Figures 2 (2) and (3), the weight of the contents in the bottom 12 pushes down the fold 17f that forms the bottom, which will be described later, and the gap between the lower end of the first bottom 12a and the lower end of the second bottom 12b that form the bottom 12 in the horizontal direction widens, so that the fold 17f may come into contact with the contact surface.
The stability of the packaging bag 10 standing by itself on a surface on which it is placed, such as a flat table of a microwave oven or a table at mealtimes, is improved, and the bag itself is prevented from falling over and tilting.

The bottom height D3, which is the distance from the bottom 12 to the fold 17f, is preferably 30 to 60 mm (1/3 to 1/4 or less of the vertical direction D1 of the bag, and more preferably 1/5 or less) (see FIG. 2 (1)).

In addition, when heated in a microwave oven, the entire bag becomes hot and difficult to hold, so in order to make it function as tableware, the side seal portion on the side of the packaging bag body can be deformed to form a handle portion 27 (see Figure 3).
The handle portion 27 may have a curved protruding shape that digs into the inside of the bag, or a curved protruding shape that bulges outward.

<Films that make up packaging bags>
The inner film (not shown), which forms the storage bag 10 of the present invention and has an outer surface which is a base film and a back surface, is a laminated film made of synthetic resin consisting of at least one layer, and can be heat-sealed so that the inner films face each other to form a storage section for storing the contents, and can be welded, and thermoplastic resin is preferred.
The number of layers and the lamination method are not particularly limited, but a laminated film in which a base film and a sealant layer are laminated is used.

When the contents are frozen foods, the structure is generally a base film/printing layer/adhesive layer/sealant layer, but it may be a single layer without lamination, or an intermediate layer may be laminated between the base film and the sealant layer.

Examples of materials constituting the outer base film include biaxially oriented films such as polyamide films such as nylon (ONY), polyester films such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate, and polypropylene films.
Also preferably used are single-layer or multi-layer films such as unstretched polyamide films, or such single-layer or multi-layer films provided with the above-mentioned intermediate layer.
The intermediate layer may be, for example, a vapor-deposited layer of a metal oxide such as aluminum oxide or an inorganic oxide such as silicon oxide.
The thickness of the base film is often set to 10 to 40 μm, which can prevent the front and back surfaces of the packaging bag 10 from being deformed due to the weight of the contents, and allows the outer shape of the cooked food to have a natural roundness.

The sealant layer on the inner surface is preferably made of a propylene-based polymer (CPP) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE or LLD). The thickness of the sealant layer is often 20 to 150 μm.

The lamination of the sealant layer to the substrate film may include an adhesive layer, which bonds the substrate layer and the sealant layer.
The adhesive layer is formed by a method such as a dry lamination method, an extrusion method, or a coextrusion method.

The base film may also include a printed layer.
The printing layer is a layer on which any desired printed pattern such as letters, numbers, pictures, figures, symbols, designs, etc., is formed for the purpose of decoration, indication of contents, indication of expiration date, indication of manufacturer, seller, etc., or for imparting aesthetic appeal, and is formed from printing ink containing a binder and a pigment.

<How to make the bag>
Although not shown in the figure, bags are made by heat sealing the inner surfaces of the above-mentioned laminated film so that they face each other. In order to make a packaging bag that can stand on its own, heat sealing is performed so that both sides of the bag form side seal portions 20 and the bottom of the bag forms a bottom seal portion 21 that can stand on its own (see Figure 1 (A)).
The bottom of the bag is formed by folding the laminated film inward in a W shape, or by inserting a different film having the same layer structure as the above-mentioned film in a Λ shape (mountain shape), thereby forming a fold 17f of the film.
Furthermore, during the bag making process, a laser beam of a specified output is irradiated and scanned at any location on the bag to form a tear line, and a notch is formed by adding a cut or slit, etc.

During bag production, an easy-peel tape, which is an easily sealable thin film tape 2 (see FIG. 1(B)), is placed across the width of the bag on at least one inner surface of the upper portion of the bag.
This tape 2 can be applied partially on the bag opening side, but in terms of the manufacturing process, it is more preferable for it to extend to the seal portions 20 on both sides of the bag, and the upper edge of the tape 2 may be extended to the upper end of the bag opening, or may be applied so as to be lower than that upper end.

The easily sealable thin film tape 2 has a structure of sealant layer/base film/easily sealable sealant layer, with the base film being provided as an intermediate layer. As the sealant layer, a layer made of non-oriented polypropylene (CPP) or linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE or LLD), similar to the sealant layer of the laminated film described above, is preferably used.
In the constituent layers of the tape 2, the base film used is the same as the base film in the laminated film described above.

<Contents and cooking instructions>
Next, the contents packed in the packaging bag 10 and the cooking method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B).
First, prepare the packaging bag 10 in a sealed state containing the contents 61. Although the contents 61 are exemplified as frozen curry rice in each of the drawings in Fig. 4, the contents 61 may be a rice bowl dish such as a beef bowl or an oyakodon, and are not limited to any particular combination of ingredients and rice.
In addition, the ingredients and rice to be frozen are preferably formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape, which allows them to stand on their own on a turntable when heating in a microwave oven and allows for stable heating and cooking.

Although not shown in the figure, the ingredients to be frozen and the rice may be arranged sideways or the ingredients may be arranged on top of the rice. It is particularly preferable to arrange the ingredients on top of the rice, as this allows the cooked ingredients and the dissolved moisture to be evenly distributed over the entire rice, reducing temperature unevenness.

When the packaging bag 10 is opened along the opening line 23, an opening 23a is formed at the opening line 23. The user places the packaging bag 10, which has been opened along the opening line 23, on a surface such as a table and can eat a meal through the opening 23a of the bag (see FIG. 4(B)).

The effects of the present invention will be made clearer by showing examples of packaging bags according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1
A polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film was prepared as the first base material layer, and a biaxially oriented nylon film (ONY) film was prepared as the second base material layer. The thickness of the first base material layer was 12 μm, and the thickness of the second base material layer was 15 μm.

A non-oriented polypropylene film (semi-retort CPP) was prepared as the sealant layer. The thickness of the sealant layer was 70 μm.

The film, the sealant layer, and the print layer were laminated via an adhesive layer by a dry lamination (DL) method to prepare a laminate film. The thickness of the laminate film was 97 μm. The layer structure of the laminate film is expressed as follows.
PET/printed layer/DL/ONY/DL/semi-retort CPP

Using the above laminated film, a packaging bag 10 shown in FIG. 1(A) was produced.
The packaging bag 10 had a width D2 of 180 mm and a height D1 of 160 mm, the opening line position H1 was set 83 mm from the bottom (about 1/2 the height ratio of the bag), and the two seal parts obliquely set on the bottom of the bag were set at a 45 degree angle. Furthermore, the oblique cuts on the corners of the seal parts were set at positions 5 to 7 mm from the sides in the depth direction and 27 mm in the width direction, respectively.
Further, an easy-to-seal thin film tape 2, an easy-peel tape, was inserted into the upper part of the bag to seal it, thereby forming a vapor passage portion.

The packaging bag 10 was filled with 170 g of rectangular parallelepiped frozen curry and 180 g of frozen rice, and the upper seal portion 26 was formed to seal the packaging bag 10.
Next, a heating step was carried out in which the frozen curry and rice were heated using a microwave oven. The packaging bag 10 was heated in a microwave oven set to an output of 500 W, and steamed for 7 minutes and 40 seconds, whereby curry rice was prepared inside the packaging bag 10.
The packaging bag 10 was then heated in a microwave oven set to an output of 1000 W, whereby curry rice was prepared inside the packaging bag 10.

Example 2
The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that the contents were changed to 120 g of the frozen curry and 150 g of frozen rice.
When the packaging bag 10 was heated in a microwave oven set to an output of 500 W, it was steamed in 5 minutes and 30 seconds, and curry rice was similarly prepared inside the packaging bag 10.

The present invention can be modified in various ways other than the above-described embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in addition to cooking in a microwave oven, it is also possible to process the food in a hot water bath, etc. Also, the food may be thawed in advance and then cooked.

The present invention can be used, for example, not only with the frozen foods described above, but also with cooked foods that are rectangular shaped.

2: Easy-seal thin film tape 10: Packaging bag 11: Top 12: Bottom 12a: First bottom 12b: Second bottom 13: Side 14: Sealed section 17f: Fold-back 20: Side sealed section 21: Bottom sealed section 23: Opening line 23a: Opening 25: Notch section 26: Top sealed section 27: Handle section 28: Slit 61: Contents D1: (Bag) Height D2: (Bag) Width D3: Bottom height H1: Opening line position

Claims (6)

A self-supporting packaging bag having a steaming function for cooking contents in a microwave oven,
A notch portion provided on a side of the packaging bag for opening the packaging bag;
At least one or more tear lines extending in a width direction of the packaging bag are configured to be guided starting from the notch portion by irradiation and scanning with a laser light,
Equipped with
At least one steam passage portion is provided in the upper portion of the packaging bag to allow steam generated during cooking to escape to the outside,
In order to make the packaging bag self-supporting, a bottom is formed by folding back,
A seal portion is provided obliquely from the side of the body of the packaging bag to the bottom, and the bottom is formed into a rectangular shape when the content is filled,
A diagonal cut is provided at the corner of the bottom seal portion formed on the bottom.
A packaging bag characterized by: The packaging bag according to claim 1, characterized in that the vapor passage section is provided with an easily sealable thin-film tape. The packaging bag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the seal portion forms an angle of 30° to 50°. The packaging bag according to claim 1, characterized in that a side seal is provided on the side of the main body of the packaging bag, and a curved protrusion is provided on the inside or outside of the side seal to serve as a handle for the packaging bag. The packaging bag according to claim 1, characterized in that the contents are a frozen food product consisting of ingredients and rice, having a rectangular shape. The packaging bag according to claim 5, characterized in that the ingredients are placed on top of the rice.