Sealing status inspecting apparatus and sealing status inspecting method

• US 8,104,363 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Shigehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, David A.
• Application Number:
  US12/097,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 73 40- 498, 73/52, 738/658, 738/665
• US Class Current: 73/865.8
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/006 Controlling; Regulating; Measuring; Improving safety
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3272 for verifying the internal pressure of closed containers
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/40 by using electric means, e.g. by observing electric discharges
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/20 Investigating the presence of flaws
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0081 Containers; Packages; Bottles

Abstract

A laminated packaging material is composed of a thermoplastic material outermost layer, a paper base material layer, a conductive barrier layer and a heat sealing innermost layer. An apparatus inspects an opening section, which is formed by at least partly eliminating the thermoplastic material outermost layer and the paper base material layer and by being sealed to be easily opened. In the apparatus, a probe electrode and a grounding electrode are arranged on the outer side and the inner side of the opening section, a current flowing between the probe electrode and the grounding electrode is detected by using the conductive barrier layer, and the sealing status of the opening section is inspected by a judging mechanism.

Claims

1. A sealed condition inspection apparatus that inspects an opening provided on a laminated packaging material having a thermoplastic outermost layer, a paper-made substrate layer, a conductive barrier layer, and a heat-sealable innermost layer, the opening prepared by partially cutting at least the thermoplastic outermost layer and the paper-made substrate layer and also the opening sealed in an easily-openable condition, the sealed condition inspection apparatus comprising a needle-shaped probe electrode and an earth electrode positionable on opposite sides of the opening, with the probe electrode configured so it only covers the opening;

and a determining unit which detects current flowing between the probe electrode while out of mechanical contact with the laminated packaging material and the earth electrode via the conductive barrier layer to thus indicate that a defect exists in a sealed condition of the opening.

2. The sealed condition inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the opening is a through hole in the laminated packaging material and the through hole is sealed with a barrier pull-tag extending across the through hole and fixed to an outside of the laminated packaging material and with a patch film extending across the through hole and fixed to an inner side of the laminated packaging material;

the probe electrode is configured to cover the through hole up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and is positionable to face the patch film from the inner side of the laminated packaging material;

the earth electrode is configured to detect the conductive barrier layer on at least one end face of the laminated packaging material; and

the determining unit detects conduction between the probe electrode and the conductive barrier layer on the end face of the through hole via the patch film to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.

3. The sealed condition inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the opening is a through hole in the paper-made substrate layer and an area including the through hole is sealed by laminating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer;

the probe electrode is configured to cover up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and is provided on the heat-sealable innermost layer from an inner side of the laminated packaging material;

the earth electrode is configured to cover up to an outer peripheral portion of through hole and is provided on the thermoplastic material outermost layer from an outer side of the laminated packaging material; and

the determining unit detects conduction by a void penetrating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer inside the through hole to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.

4. The sealed condition inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the opening is provided at a vertex portion of a container and is a through hole in the paper-made substrate layer, and an area including the through hole is sealed by laminating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer;

the probe electrode is configured to cover at least an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and is provided on the thermoplastic outermost layer from an outer side of the laminated packaging material;

the earth electrode is configured to detect the conductive barrier layer at least at one end face of the laminated packaging material formed on the container; and

the determining unit detects conduction via the conductive barrier by a void penetrating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer inside the through hole to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.

5. A method of inspecting an opening provided on a laminated packaging material having a thermoplastic outermost layer, a paper-made substrate layer, a conductive barrier layer, and a heat-sealable innermost layer, the opening prepared by partially cutting at least the thermoplastic outermost layer and the paper-made substrate layer, and the opening being sealed in the easily-openable condition, the method comprising:

applying voltage between a needle-shaped probe electrode which is not in mechanical contact with the laminated packaging material and an earth electrode positioned on opposite sides of the opening, the probe electrode being positioned to only cover the opening;

detecting current flowing between the probe electrode and the earth electrode via the conductive barrier layer; and

determining that a sealed condition of the opening is defective when current is detected to be flowing between the probe electrode and the earth electrode.

6. The sealed condition inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the opening is a through hole in the laminated packaging material, and the through hole is sealed with a barrier pull-tag fixed to an outer peripheral portion of the laminated packaging material around the through hole from an outer side and with a patch film fixed to an outer peripheral portion of the laminated packaging material around the through hole from an inner side;

the method further comprising;

positioning the probe electrode to cover the through hole up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and so that the probe electrode faces the patch film from an inner side of the laminated packaging material;

positioning the earth electrode to permit detection of the conductive barrier layer on at least one end face of the laminated packaging material; and

detecting conduction between the probe electrode and the conductive barrier layer on the end face of the through hole via the patch film to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.

7. The sealed condition inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the opening is a through hole in the paper-made substrate layer and an area including the through hole is sealed by lamination the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer;

the method further comprising;

positioning the probe electrode to cover up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and to face the heat-sealable innermost layer from an inner side of the laminated packaging material;

positioning the earth electrode to cover the through hole up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and to face the thermoplastic material outermost layer from an outer side of the laminated packaging material; and

determining conduction of the current by a void penetrating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer inside the through hole to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.

8. The sealed condition inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the opening is at a vertex portion of a container and is a through hole provided on the paper-made substrate layer, and an area including the through hole is sealed by lamination of the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer;

the method further comprising;

positioning the probe electrode to cover up to an outer peripheral portion of the through hole and to face the thermoplastic outermost layer from an outer side of the laminated packaging material;

positioning the earth electrode so that the conductive barrier layer, at least at one end face of the laminated packaging material formed on the container, can be detected; and

determining conduction of the current via the conduction barrier by a void penetrating the thermoplastic material outermost layer, the conductive barrier layer, and the heat-sealable innermost layer inside the through hole to determine whether the sealed condition is defective or not.