JP7647021B2 - Pouches and How to Use Them - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pouch that, when heated, thoroughly steams the contents and releases the steam.

Conventionally, there is known a packaging bag that can cook food in a microwave oven while still in the container, and that has the effect of steaming the food with the steam generated during cooking, and that can also partially peel off the heat-sealed part due to the internal steam pressure to allow the steam to escape (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-120550 A

However, the conventional packaging bags described above have a complex mechanism for releasing steam, which makes the manufacturing process complicated and expensive.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a pouch that has a simple structure yet is capable of releasing steam.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides
A pouch having a first surface film and a second surface film opposite the first surface film,
The first surface film has a joint portion,
a first edge portion extending along a direction in which the joint portion extends, a second edge portion opposed to the first edge portion, and a third edge portion and a fourth edge portion extending between the first edge portion and the second edge portion,
the first surface film and the joint portion are formed of a single film,
a third edge seal portion extending along the third edge and a fourth edge seal portion extending along the fourth edge;
the joint portion has a first joint seal portion at a position corresponding to the third edge seal portion and a second joint seal portion at a position corresponding to the fourth edge seal portion,
The joint portion does not have a seal portion between the first joint seal portion and the second joint seal portion,
The pouch is provided with an opening initiation means in at least one of the first seam seal portion and the second seam seal portion.

The pouch of the present invention further comprises:
At least one of the third edge seal and the fourth edge seal may be provided with a second opening initiation means.

The pouch of the present invention further comprises:
The film may include an intermediate film between the first side film and the second side film, the intermediate film being located toward the second edge.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
A method of using a pouch including a first side film and a second side film opposite the first side film, the first side film having a seam and including a first edge parallel to a direction in which the seam extends, a second edge opposite the first edge, and third and fourth edges extending between the first and second edges, the first side film and the seam being constructed from a single film, the method comprising:
and after opening the pouch between the tip of the joint and the base, placing a second content through an opening formed by opening the pouch.
The method for using the pouch includes a step of folding the joint portion so that the tip side of the joint portion faces the second edge portion, and then heating the pouch in a microwave oven.

The present invention provides a pouch with a simple structure that allows steam to escape.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view of a pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing components constituting a pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of a pouch after it has been filled with contents, contained, and sealed. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing the state of a film in a pouch manufacturing method. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pouch according to one embodiment of the present invention in use. FIG. 13 is a front view of the pouch after it has been opened using the second opening initiation means.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
<Overall composition>
Fig. 1 is a front view showing a pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is an exploded view showing members constituting the pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pouch according to the present embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 shows the pouch in a state before contents are contained (a state in which no contents are contained). The pouch according to the present embodiment has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and includes a first edge portion 4 and a second edge portion 5 opposed to each other, and a third edge portion 6 and a fourth edge portion 7 extending between the first edge portion 4 and the second edge portion 5.

In this specification, the term "rectangle" refers not only to a rectangle with right-angled corners, but also to a rectangle with its corners beveled to form an outwardly convex arc, and other shapes that are considered to be approximately rectangular. In this specification, the term "pouch" refers not only to a pouch that does not contain any contents, but also to a pouch that contains contents. In addition, the pouch of this embodiment has a bottom gusset portion 9 with a first pleat portion 9a and a second pleat portion 9b on the second edge portion 5 side. Since the pouch has the bottom gusset portion 9, the pouch can be made to stand on its own by placing it with the first edge portion 4 side facing up and the second edge portion 5 side facing down. It is also possible to place the pouch lying flat with the second surface film 2 side facing down, without making it stand on its own.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pouch of this embodiment is constructed using three laminated films: a first surface film 1 having a substantially rectangular shape, a second surface film 2 having the same shape as the first surface film 1, and an intermediate film 3 having a substantially rectangular shape. The pouch of this embodiment is formed by joining the three films, the first surface film 1, the second surface film 2, and the intermediate film 3, at predetermined locations by heat sealing (thermal fusion) or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate film 3 is folded in half at the fold 3a, and divided into a first portion 3f and a second portion 3g by the fold 3a. The intermediate film 3 has four semicircular cutouts 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e that cut out the side edges, and the cutouts 3b and 3c, and the cutouts 3d and 3e are provided at positions corresponding to each other when the film is folded in half. The second bottom seal portion 15b, which will be described later, is formed through the cutouts 3b to 3e. In addition, from the viewpoint of stabilizing the self-supporting property when heating in a microwave oven, it is preferable that the distance from the fold 3a to the second edge portion 5 of the pouch in the direction perpendicular to the fold 3a is, for example, about 35 mm. The fold 3a is also the boundary between the first fold portion 9a and the second fold portion 9b.

<Placement>
As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the first surface film 1 has a joint portion 8. The first surface film 1 and the joint portion 8 are made of a single film, and the first surface film 1 is folded back at the tip 8a of the joint portion 8, and the base 8b of the joint portion 8 to the tip 8a of the joint portion 8 are overlapped and joined together. As shown in Figure 1, the joint portion 8 extends along the direction in which the first edge portion 4 extends. In other words, the first edge portion 4 extends along the direction in which the joint portion 8 extends. The joint portion 8 has a first joint seal portion 8c at a position corresponding to the third edge seal portion 16, and a second joint seal portion 8d at a position corresponding to the fourth edge seal portion 17. The joint portion 8 does not have a seal portion between the first joint seal portion 8c and the second joint seal portion 8d.

<Each seal part>
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pouch of this embodiment includes a bottom seal portion 15, a third edge seal portion 16, and a fourth edge seal portion 17, and the first edge portion 4 side is unsealed and has an opening for filling the contents. The bottom seal portion 15 includes a first bottom seal portion 15a and a second bottom seal portion 15b. As described above, the joint portion 8 is formed with a first joint seal portion 8c and a second joint seal portion 8d. In Figures 1 and 2, each seal portion is indicated by hatching with oblique lines.

The third edge seal portion 16 and the fourth edge seal portion 17 are formed by sealing and joining the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2. The third edge seal portion 16 is formed along the third edge portion 6 so as to include the third edge portion 6 (the left end in FIG. 1, the right end in FIG. 2), and the fourth edge seal portion 17 is formed along the fourth edge portion 7 so as to include the fourth edge portion 7 (the right end in FIG. 1, the left end in FIG. 2). The seal width of the third edge seal portion 16 and the fourth edge seal portion 17 is preferably, for example, 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The pouch according to this embodiment is heated in a microwave oven or the like, so it becomes very hot immediately after heating. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing burns when the third edge seal portion 16 and the fourth edge seal portion 17 are held by hand, the seal width can be 15 mm or more. In this embodiment, the seal portion is not particularly designed to prevent burns, so the seal width is about 6 mm. The seal width is the width in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the seal extends.

The bottom seal portion 15 is a seal portion formed on the second edge portion 5 side (lower side in Figs. 1 and 2) from the folded portion 3a, and is composed of a first bottom seal portion 15a and a second bottom seal portion 15b. The first bottom seal portion 15a is formed by sealing the first surface film 1 and the first portion 3f of the intermediate film 3, and the second surface film 2 and the second portion 3g of the intermediate film 3. The second bottom seal portion 15b is formed by sealing the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the second bottom seal portion 15b formed on the third edge portion 6 and the fourth edge portion 7 has a semicircular shape with an arc-shaped inner side.

The first and second joint seal portions 8c and 8d are seal portions formed by joining the overlapping opposing surfaces of the joint portion 8. As described above, the joint portion 8 has the first joint seal portion 8c at a position corresponding to the third edge seal portion 16, and the second joint seal portion 8d at a position corresponding to the fourth edge seal portion 17. In this embodiment, the first joint seal portion 8c has the same width as the third edge seal portion 16, and is formed at a position where it overlaps with the third edge seal portion 16 when the joint portion 8 is folded at the base portion 8b. Similarly, the second joint seal portion 8d has the same width as the fourth edge seal portion 17, and is formed at a position where it overlaps with the fourth edge seal portion 17 when the joint portion 8 is folded at the base portion 8b. In the joint portion 8, the opposing surfaces are not joined to each other in the portions other than the first joint seal portion 8c and the second joint seal portion 8d. Therefore, in the joint section 8, except for the first joint seal section 8c and the second joint seal section 8d, the film is only folded back at the tip 8a and continues.

<Bottom gusset>
The first portion 3f of the intermediate film 3 and the portion of the first surface film 1 corresponding to the first portion 3f of the intermediate film 3 are joined by the first bottom seal portion 15a to form the first fold portion 9a. The second portion 3g of the intermediate film 3 and the portion of the second surface film 2 corresponding to the second portion 3g of the intermediate film 3 are joined by the first bottom seal portion 15a to form the second fold portion 9b. The first fold portion 9a and the second fold portion 9b form the bottom gusset portion 9. In order to form the bottom gusset portion 9 for making the pouch stand upright, the intermediate film 3 is located closer to the second edge portion 5. In the front view of FIG. 1, the first fold portion 9a is visible below the fold portion 3a. In the rear view of FIG. 2, the second fold portion 9b is visible below the fold portion 3a.

<Storage section>
After the contents are accommodated through the opening on the first edge 4 side, the first edge seal portion 14 is formed at the first edge seal portion (above the dashed line) indicated as 14a in Figs. 1 and 2, and the pouch is sealed (see Fig. 5). The first edge seal portion 14 is formed along the first edge 4 from the third edge seal portion 16 to the fourth edge seal portion 17. The accommodation portion 11 is defined by the inner edge of the third edge seal portion 16, the inner edge of the fourth edge seal portion 17, the inner edge of the first bottom seal portion 15a, and the inner edge of the first edge seal portion 14. Therefore, the inner edge of the third edge seal portion 16, the inner edge of the fourth edge seal portion 17, the inner edge of the first bottom seal portion 15a, and the inner edge of the first edge seal portion 14 become the outer edge of the accommodation portion 11. Fig. 5 is a front view of the pouch after it has been filled with and contained the contents, and sealed. For convenience of illustration, the contents have been omitted. In the example of Fig. 5, the contents (foodstuffs, seasonings, etc.) are filled and contained in the containing section 11, and then sealed with the first edge seal section 14.

<Contents>
The contents are not particularly limited, but are preferably food. The food may be food ingredients that are the main object to be eaten, or seasonings that season the food ingredients. The food ingredients that are the main object to be eaten may be, for example, solids or dried foods (dried noodles, dried food ingredients, powdered seasonings, dried fruits, etc.). In this embodiment, these contents that are contained before sealing by the first edge seal portion 14 are called the first contents. Then, the user contains the second contents in the pouch. The second contents are contents that the user prepares separately. For example, when the first contents are food ingredients, the second contents may be seasonings, and when the first contents are seasonings, the second contents may be food ingredients.

<Method of starting opening>
In this embodiment, in order to facilitate opening, two opening initiation means, a first opening initiation means 18 and a second opening initiation means 19, are provided. The first opening initiation means 18 is provided in the first gable seal portion 8c and the second gable seal portion 8d of the gable portion 8, and the second opening initiation means 19 is provided in the third edge seal portion 16 and the fourth edge seal portion 17. The opening initiation means can be realized by a cut or a notch, which is also called a notch. As is often seen in pillow packaging, when the third edge portion 6 and the fourth edge portion 7 are not linear but have a so-called jagged shape (a shape connected by straight lines whose inclination is inverted alternately), a large number of notches formed by two straight line portions are formed in the third edge portion 6 and the fourth edge portion 7. In this case, the notch-shaped portions recessed toward the storage portion 11 side of the third edge portion 6 and the fourth edge portion 7 function as opening initiation means. In this case, a planned opening line can be formed by printing on at least one of the outer surfaces of the joint portion 8 and at least one of the first film 1 and the second film 2. This allows opening to begin from the third edge 6 or the fourth edge 7 that corresponds to the planned opening line.

The first opening start means 18 is used to cut off the tip 8a side of the joint portion 8 and form an opening on the tip side of the joint portion 8. As will be described in detail later, when the pouch is heated in a microwave oven or the like, steam is released from the storage portion 11 through this opening. The position of the first opening start means 18 is not particularly limited as long as it is on the joint portion 8, but it is preferably closer to the tip 8a than the base 8b. The second opening start means 19 is used to cut off the first edge 4 side and form an opening in the storage portion 11. As a result, a large opening is formed in the storage portion 11, and the user can eat the contents after cooking by using the pouch as a dish as it is. The position of the second opening start means 19 is not particularly limited as long as it is other than the joint portion 8, but it is preferably closer to the second edge 5 than the base 8b. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second opening start means 19 is formed in a position that overlaps with the joint portion 8 when the tip 8a of the joint portion 8 is folded toward the second edge 5 and overlapped.

In addition to the opening initiation means, a planned opening line may be formed so as to be continuous with the opening initiation means. The planned opening line may be a half-cut line that penetrates the base layer but does not penetrate the sealant layer. In the case of a half-cut line, the planned opening line may be formed using a blade or by laser processing. In addition, in the case of a half-cut line, the planned opening line may be a line that extends continuously or a line that extends intermittently. In addition, the planned opening line may be provided so as to reach from the third edge 6 to the fourth edge 7 of the pouch.

The opening line may be realized by a straight-cut film. A straight-cut film is a film that can be torn in a straight line in one direction. The straight-cut film has a tensile strength in the MD direction (the flow direction of the film) that is greater than the tensile strength in the TD direction (the direction perpendicular to the MD direction). When the opening line is realized by a straight-cut film, a straight-cut film is used for at least one of the base layer and the sealant layer. When a straight-cut film is used for the base layer, for example, Emblem (registered trademark) PC or Emblem (registered trademark) NC manufactured by Unitika Co., Ltd. can be used as the base layer. The tensile strength of Emblem (registered trademark) PC in the MD direction is 200 MPa, and the tensile strength in the TD direction is 180 MPa. When a straight-cut film is used for the sealant layer, for example, ZK500R manufactured by Toray Film Processing Co., Ltd. can be used as the sealant layer.

When creating a planned opening line using straight-cut film, the package can be opened at any position along the first edge 4. For this reason, if there is no indication, it is difficult to determine where to cut. Therefore, when creating a planned opening line using straight-cut film, the indication of the planned opening line is printed.

Even if there is no half-cut line, straight-cut film, or printed marking as the intended opening line, if an opening initiation means such as a notch is formed on at least one of the third edge 6 and the fourth edge 7, a line passing through the opening initiation means and parallel to the first edge 4 is defined as the intended opening line.

<Film details>
A laminated film can be used as the first surface film 1, the second surface film 2, and the intermediate film 3 of the pouch. The laminated film is a laminate including at least a base layer and a sealant layer from the outside. For example, the laminated film is formed by laminating a base layer, a printed layer, other layers (e.g., a barrier layer), and a sealant layer in this order from the outside. The printed layer and other layers are not essential. An adhesive layer can also be used to laminate these layers. The sealant layer is a layer that constitutes the innermost surface of the pouch. The pouch according to this embodiment is required to be resistant to heat. For this reason, the base layer is preferably made of a material having heat resistance. For example, polyester films such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide films such as nylon, polypropylene films, etc. can be used as materials for the base layer. The thickness is about 10 μm to 50 μm. The base layer is preferably biaxially stretched.

The laminated film may also have multiple substrate layers. The multiple substrate layers may include a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer. The first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be selected from the above materials in appropriate combination. For example, polyethylene terephthalate may be used as the first substrate layer, which is the outermost layer, and polyamide may be used as the second substrate layer, which is the inner layer (sealant layer side). The second substrate layer is stretched from one side edge to the other side edge. For example, "Emblem (registered trademark) NC" manufactured by Unitika Ltd., which contains MXD (metaxylenediamine) having excellent barrier properties, may be used as the second substrate layer. In addition, polyester such as "Emblet (registered trademark) PC" manufactured by Unitika Ltd. or "Emblet (registered trademark) PCBC" manufactured by Unitika Ltd. may be used as the second substrate layer. The first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be laminated, for example, by a dry lamination method.

The printing layer is provided to display the product contents, to impart an aesthetic look, and to display cut portions. The printing layer is formed from printing ink containing a binder and a pigment. The sealant layer is placed on the side of the laminated film that will be the innermost side of the container when the film is made into a pouch. Polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and ethylene-propylene block copolymer can be used as the material for the sealant layer. The thickness of the sealant layer is 30 μm or more and 150 μm or less. It is preferable that the sealant layer is unstretched.

The laminated film may include other layers. The other layers may be provided on the outside of the base layer, or between the base layer and the sealant layer. As the other layers, appropriate ones are selected according to the required functions, such as water vapor and other gas barrier properties, light shielding properties, etc. For example, when the other layer is a gas barrier layer, a vapor deposition layer of a metal oxide such as aluminum oxide or an inorganic oxide such as silicon oxide is provided. The vapor deposition layer may be laminated on the base layer or may be vapor deposited on the sealant layer. In addition, a resin layer having gas barrier properties, such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyvinylidene chloride resin (PVDC), or aromatic polyamide such as nylon MXD6, may be provided. Each layer can be laminated using a dry lamination method, a melt extrusion method, or the like.

Specific examples of the layer structure of a laminated film with one base layer include the following. Of course, this is not limited to the following.

・Transparent vapor-deposited stretched nylon (ONY) 15 μm / printing layer (ink) / adhesive / linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) 60 μm (total thickness 79 μm)
・Transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 12 μm / printing layer / adhesive / LLDPE 80 μm (total thickness 96 μm)
Furthermore, examples of a substrate having two layers include the following.
・Transparent vapor-deposited PET 12 μm/printed layer/adhesive/ONY 15 μm/adhesive/LLDPE 50 μm (total thickness 81 μm)
・ONY 15μm/printing layer/adhesive/transparent vapor-deposited PET 12μm/adhesive/LLDPE 80μm (total thickness 111μm)
・Transparent vapor-deposited PET 12 μm/printed layer/adhesive/ONY 15 μm/adhesive/CPP 50 μm (total thickness 81 μm)
PET 12 μm / printing layer / adhesive / transparent vapor deposition PET 12 μm / adhesive / CPP 60 μm (total thickness 88 μm)

The substrate layer with the transparent vapor deposition also functions as a barrier layer. There are no particular limitations on the total thickness of the laminated film, but it is preferably 75 μm or more and 130 μm or less to allow for adequate vapor release.

<Production Method>
A method for manufacturing a pouch according to the present embodiment as shown in Fig. 1 will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the state of the film in the pouch manufacturing method. First, as shown in Fig. 6(a), one body material in which the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2 are continuous, and two bottom materials as intermediate films 3 are prepared. The body material and the bottom material are supplied in the form of a continuous film, and the depth direction of Fig. 6(a) is the flow direction of the continuous film. The body material shown in Fig. 6(a) is made up of two continuous first surface films 1 and two continuous second surface films 2 in the left-right direction of the drawing. Therefore, two pouches can be formed at the same time by using the body material and the bottom material shown in Fig. 6(a).

The body material is separated into two at the position of the broken line shown in FIG. 6(a). The right side of the broken line in FIG. 6(a) is two sheets of the first film 1, and the left side is two sheets of the second film 2. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the base material that becomes the intermediate film 3 folded at the fold-in portion 3a is sandwiched between the first film 1 and the second film 2, which are two consecutive sheets each. At this time, the body material that becomes the first film 1 is folded back at two locations that become the tip 8a to form the joint portion 8. In addition, notches that become the first opening start means 18 and the second opening start means 19 are formed at this stage. In the pouch according to this embodiment, the first film 1 and the joint portion 8 are made of a single film, and the joint portion 8 is folded back at the tip 8a of the joint portion 8, so that the joint portion 8 can be efficiently formed by simply folding it back as shown in FIG. 6(b), and it is also easy to perform multiple-sided attachment.

Furthermore, the body material corresponding to the first film 1 and the body material corresponding to the second film 2 are each separated into two pieces by cutting at the positions of the broken lines shown in Fig. 6(b). Fig. 6(c) shows the state in which the bottom material that will become the intermediate film 3 faces downward after separation. After this, the bottom seal portion 15, the third edge seal portion 16, the fourth edge seal portion 17, the first seam seal portion 8c, and the second seam seal portion 8d are formed by heat sealing. The first edge portion 4 side is left unsealed, and an opening for filling the contents is formed. By cutting between the third edge seal portion 16 and the fourth edge seal portion 17, and between the first seam seal portion 8c and the second seam seal portion 8d, each individual piece is separated, and a pouch as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is obtained.

Pouches such as those shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be sold or distributed with the first edge 4 unsealed. Furthermore, after the contents are placed in the storage section 11 through the opening of the unsealed first edge 4, the first edge seal section 14 is formed on the first edge 4 to seal the pouch. This results in a sealed pouch containing the contents as shown in Figure 5.

<How to use the pouch>
A method of using the pouch according to the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the pouch according to the present embodiment when in use. FIG. 7(a) is a front view of the pouch with the tip 8a of the joint portion 8 cut away, and FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the pouch when heated. First, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the tip 8a of the joint portion 8 is cut away using the first opening start means 18 to form an opening in the joint portion 8. The tip side after cutting becomes the opening end 8e. Then, water or seasoning is added as the second content from this opening into the storage portion 11 in which the first content, such as solid matter or dried food (dried noodles, dried ingredients, powdered seasoning, dried fruit), is stored. That is, after the pouch is opened between the tip 8a and the base 8b of the joint portion 8, a process of storing the second content from the opening formed by opening is performed.

Then, the opening is closed by folding the joint portion 8 so that the tip side of the joint portion 8 faces the second edge portion 5. After the second contents such as water or seasoning are placed inside the pouch and the joint portion 8 is folded, the pouch is placed in a microwave oven with the second edge portion 5 facing downward. The pouch containing the contents is then heated using a microwave oven. That is, the joint portion 8 is folded so that the tip 8a of the joint portion 8 faces the second edge portion 5, and the pouch is heated using a microwave oven. This causes the temperature inside the storage portion 11 to rise, and the moisture inside the storage portion 11 evaporates, increasing the pressure inside the storage portion 11.

When the pressure inside the storage section 11 increases, the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2 bulge outward due to the force they receive from inside the storage section 11. Furthermore, steam also rises toward the first edge 4 side. At this time, in the storage section 11, a force is applied from the center of the storage section 11 toward the outside to the third edge seal section 16, the fourth edge seal section 17, the first bottom seal section 15a, and the first edge seal section 14 that define the storage section 11.

When heating continues in the microwave oven from this state, and the pressure inside the storage section 11 increases, the force from the storage section 11 causes the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2 to expand further outward. When the pressure inside the storage section increases further, steam enters the gable section 8 from the base 8b of the gable section 8 and escapes from the opening on the opening end 8e side of the gable section 8. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the tip side of the gable section 8 rises up, and the first edge section 4 falls down accordingly. Since the gable section 8 is folded at the base 8b of the gable section 8 so that the tip side of the gable section 8 faces the second edge section 5 side (downward), the opening remains closed until the contents inside the storage section 11 are heated for a predetermined time, and the contents are sufficiently steamed. Then, steam escapes from the opening end 8e of the gable section 8 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 7(b).

After being heated for a certain period of time, the food has absorbed the appropriate amount of moisture and has the right amount of elasticity and texture. In this way, by using the pouch according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to easily cook the food contents.

Figure 8 is a front view of the pouch after it has been opened using the second opening initiation means. After cooking, the user uses the second opening initiation means 19 to cut off the first edge 4 side with the joint 8. As a result, as shown in Figure 8, the second edge 5 side of the pouch remains with the line connecting the second opening initiation means 19 as the opening edge 19a. In other words, only the second edge 5 side containing the cooked contents can be used as tableware. The second edge 5 side separated by the second opening initiation means 19 has a bottom gusset 9, making it possible to eat the contents while it stands upright.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, of the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2 which face each other, the first surface film 1 has the joint portion 8, but the first and second are determined for convenience, and either may have the joint portion 8. In addition, the third edge portion 6 and the fourth edge portion 7 are symmetrical to each other, so either may be the third edge portion and either may be the fourth edge portion.

In the above embodiment, the first film 1, the second film 2, and the intermediate film 3 are each formed as three separate films to form the pouch, but they may be formed from two or one film. For example, one film in which the first film 1, the intermediate film 3, and the second film 2 are connected may be used, or a total of two films may be used, including the film forming the first film 1 and the film in which the second film 2 and the intermediate film 3 are connected. When one film in which the first film 1, the intermediate film 3, and the second film 2 are connected is used, the bottom gusset portion 9 can be formed by folding the single film twice at the second edge 5 and once at the fold-in portion 3a without forming a seal portion at the second edge 5. In this case, the contents are filled and contained from the opening on the first edge 4 side, and then the first edge seal portion 14 is formed to seal the pouch.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the pouch is in the form of a so-called standing pouch having an intermediate film 3 and a bottom gusset portion 9, but it is not necessary to provide a bottom gusset portion, and the pouch may be in the form of a so-called flat pouch in which the storage portion 11 is formed by the first surface film 1 and the second surface film 2.

1: First surface film 2: Second surface film 3: Intermediate film 3a: Folded portion 3f: First portion of intermediate film 3g: Second portion of intermediate film 4: First edge portion 5: Second edge portion 6: Third edge portion 7: Fourth edge portion 8: Joint portion 8a: Tip portion (of joint portion) 8b: Base portion (of joint portion) 8c: First joint seal portion 8d: Second joint seal portion 8e: Opening edge 9: Bottom gusset portion 9a: First pleat portion 9b: Second pleat portion 11: Storage portion 14: First edge seal portion 14a: First edge seal portion 15: Bottom seal portion 15a: First bottom seal portion 15b: Second bottom seal portion 16: Third edge seal portion 17: Fourth edge seal portion 18: First opening start means 19: Second opening start means 19a: Opening end

Claims (4)

A pouch having a first surface film and a second surface film opposite the first surface film,
The first surface film has a joint portion,
A first edge portion extending along the extension direction of the joint portion, a second edge portion opposed to the first edge portion, a third edge portion and a fourth edge portion extending between the first edge portion and the second edge portion, and a bottom gusset portion on the second edge portion side,
the first surface film and the joint portion are formed of a single film,
a third edge seal portion extending along the third edge and a fourth edge seal portion extending along the fourth edge;
The joint portion is located closer to the first edge portion,
The tip side of the joint portion is folded so as to face the second edge portion,
the joint portion has a first joint seal portion at a position corresponding to the third edge seal portion and a second joint seal portion at a position corresponding to the fourth edge seal portion,
The joint portion does not have a seal portion between the first joint seal portion and the second joint seal portion,
At least one of the first and second seam seal portions is provided with an opening initiation means. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the third edge seal portion and the fourth edge seal portion is provided with a second opening initiation means. an intermediate film between the first and second surface films for forming the bottom gusset portion ;
3. The pouch of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the intermediate film is located toward the second edge. 4. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein a seal width of the third edge seal portion and the fourth edge seal portion is 15 mm or more and 30 mm or less.