JP5465631B2 - Fruit tray - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fruit tray used for harvesting, selecting, shipping, transporting various fruits such as tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, apples and pears.

  For harvesting, selecting, shipping, and transporting various fruits, it is easy to handle the fruits and to prevent and protect them from contact with each other and with other objects. A tray in which a plurality of storage recesses capable of storing and holding fruits in an individual packaging state using a material having appropriate elasticity is used.

  As such a tray, there is formed a vertical groove-like rib projecting outward on the side wall portion of each storage recess for the purpose of improving the strength of the side wall and ensuring air permeability around the stored fruit. It is known (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  However, the groove-shaped rib is provided in an upper region excluding the lower end portion of the side wall of the storage recess, and is not continuous to the bottom, and the stored fruit is a lower part of the side wall portion. In contact with the entire circumference and also in contact with the bottom. Therefore, when the condensed water generated in the fruit stored by pre-cooling treatment etc. flows along the side wall and accumulates at the bottom, the stored fruit is in contact with the water, and this causes damage to the fruit, There is a risk of premature fruit damage.

  In addition, there is a thing which provided the convex part which receives a fruit in the bottom part of a storage concave part, but also in this case, there is a possibility that a fruit may contact the condensed water which flows along a side wall, and also the condensed water on the bottom part surface for a convex part Therefore, the effect of avoiding contact with water cannot be sufficiently obtained.

JP 2007-161309 A JP-A-11-227737

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and as a fruit tray used for fruit harvesting, sorting, shipping, transportation, etc., dew condensation water generated by the stored fruit travels along the side of the peripheral wall of the storage recess. Provided is a fruit tray that can prevent the stored fruit from coming into contact with water even if it flows or accumulates at the bottom, and can better protect the fruit.

The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a fruit tray that is formed from a synthetic resin foam sheet and has a plurality of fruit storage recesses that are recessed leaving a partition part, and on the inner peripheral wall surface of each storage recess , Ri Na is formed as a plurality of grooves extending across the bottom from the opening end of the peripheral wall the upper end are continuous at the bottom, the center of the bottom of the housing recess, the groove of the plurality of the bottom It has a recessed part larger than what is formed only by continuing in a center part, The said several recessed groove is continuing through the said recessed part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the fruit tray, the fruit stored in each storage recess is supported in contact with a portion other than the groove on the inner surface of the peripheral wall, and the plurality of recesses extending from the opening end to the bottom. There is a gap in the groove. Therefore, the dew condensation water generated in the fruit or the like stored by the pre-cooling process or the like enters the concave groove, flows into the bottom portion, and accumulates in the concave portion, but the bottom upper surface of the portion other than the concave groove where the fruit contacts The water does not accumulate in the water, and the stored fruit does not come into contact with the water. In addition, since the concave groove is continuous at the bottom and extends to the opening end, the concave groove can retain air permeability toward the fruit bottom surface, and water accumulated in the concave groove is easily evaporated.

In the fruit tray, the concave groove is a groove that passes from the opening end to the bottom and reaches the opening end at the opposite position, and is formed so that a plurality of the concave grooves intersect and continue at the bottom. Can be .

  In the fruit tray, a groove having a depth equal to or greater than the thickness of the peripheral wall is formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall by forming the concave groove portion on the peripheral wall of each storage recess to project outward. It can be made. Thereby, it can suppress that the water level which accumulates from the said ditch | groove becomes high.

  In the fruit tray, the groove may have a concave cross section having a required width on the inner bottom surface. As a result, the volume inside the groove can be sufficiently secured, and the water accumulated in the groove can be prevented from overflowing to portions other than the groove.

  In the fruit tray, the storage recesses are arranged such that an odd number of rows and an even number of rows in one vertical and horizontal direction are arranged obliquely in parallel with their positions being shifted alternately in the other vertical and horizontal directions. The concave grooves of the respective storage recesses may be formed so as to be obliquely aligned on a straight line so as to form a plane X shape or a lateral X shape for each storage recess. As a result, the trays do not have intermittent grooves in the vertical and horizontal directions of the tray through the partitioning portion, and the fruit tray can be prevented from bending at the location of the storage concave portions arranged in parallel in the vertical and horizontal directions, for example. Even when it is made of a synthetic resin foam sheet having the above, it becomes easy to handle.

  In the fruit tray, a recess may be formed in a partition between the storage recesses arranged obliquely, and the recess of each storage recess may be opened upward in the recess. Thereby, the air permeability of the bottom side of the stored fruit can be ensured satisfactorily, and the water accumulated in the concave groove is easily evaporated.

  As described above, according to the fruit tray of the present invention, as a fruit tray having a plurality of fruit storage recesses, a plurality of concave grooves extending from the opening end portion to the bottom portion are formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the storage recess at the bottom portion. When the condensed water is formed by the continuous formation, the condensed water is accommodated in the concave groove so that the water does not accumulate on the upper surface of the bottom part in contact with the fruit. It is possible to prevent the fruit from being damaged. In addition, since the concave groove communicates from the bottom to the opening end, air permeability and water evaporation can be secured well, and the stored fruit can be well protected.

It is a perspective view which shows the Example of the tray for fruits of this invention. It is a top view of the tray for fruits same as the above. It is a bottom view of the fruit tray same as the above. It is an expanded sectional view of the IV-IV line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the VV line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of a ditch | groove part. It is a partial top view (a) and bottom view (b) of another Example. It is sectional drawing of a VIII-VIII line.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples shown in the drawings.

  The fruit tray A of the example shown in the figure is a vacuum from a thermoplastic synthetic resin foam sheet having moderate elasticity and shape retention, for example, a foam sheet of polyolefin resin such as crosslinked polyethylene having relatively soft elasticity. It is integrally formed by means of thermoforming such as molding or pressure forming.

  The fruit tray A includes a flange-shaped peripheral portion 1 that forms a substantially rectangular outer periphery of the tray in a plane, and a partition portion 2 that is mainly in the same plane as the peripheral portion 1 inward of the peripheral portion 1. It has a plurality of storage recesses 3 that remain and are recessed downward, so that the fruit F can be held in an individual packaging state. The storage recess 3 is, for example, a flat circular recess recessed in the shape, size, and depth according to the type of the fruit F to be stored, and is continuously bulged downward from the partition 2. The peripheral wall 30 including the bottom is formed so as to form a bowl shape that is continuous from the side 31 to the bottom 32 with a curved surface.

  The storage recesses 3 can be arranged in various ways. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, an odd number (three in the figure) of storage recesses 3 in the vertical and horizontal directions of the tray, and 1 An even number (two in the figure) of rows of the storage recesses 3 are arranged and formed so as to be obliquely aligned with their positions alternately shifted in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the figure, the line connecting the centers of the storage recesses 3 that are obliquely arranged in parallel forms a rhombus. Further, a part of the partition 2 between the storage recesses 3 and 3 adjacent to each other in the vertical and horizontal one direction and between the storage recesses 3 and 3 diagonally adjacent to each other (center portion) is also provided on the back side. A recess 21 is provided that is recessed to form a convex shape.

  A plurality of concave grooves 5 extending from the open end 33 at the upper end of the peripheral wall 30 to the bottom 32 are formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of each storage recess 3 so as to intersect each other at the bottom 32, preferably at the center. The fruit F to be stored can be received and supported on the side 31 and the bottom 32 other than the groove 5.

  As the concave groove 5, for example, a plurality of grooves, for example, three grooves, which intersect at the central portion of the bottom portion 32 and extend in the radial direction at a predetermined interval to reach the opening end portion 33 are formed. However, in practice, as shown in the drawing, the groove 5 extends from the opening end 33 at the upper end of the peripheral wall to the opening end 33 at the opposite position through the center of the bottom 32. It is desirable to form a plurality of these, for example, two as shown in the figure so as to intersect and continue at the center of the bottom 32. That is, it is desirable to form the concave groove 5 so as to continuously extend radially at the center of the bottom portion 32. In particular, the two concave grooves 5 for each storage recess 3 are arranged in a straight line in the parallel direction of the storage recesses 3 arranged obliquely in parallel as shown in the figure, and each storage recess 3 has a plane X shape or a lateral shape. From the viewpoint of shape retention and formability of the entire tray, it is preferable to form an inverted X shape and have no vertical and horizontal concave grooves.

  That is, for example, in a row of storage recesses 3 arranged in parallel in one vertical and horizontal direction, if the recesses in the parallel direction are formed in each storage recess 3, it is easy to bend at the central portion of the storage recesses 3 in the row. As described above, the concave grooves 5 are arranged in a plane X shape or a sideways X shape so as not to have a concave groove in the parallel direction, so that bending from the central portion of the storage concave portions 3 of the row is suppressed. This is particularly preferable. Reference numeral 6 in the figure indicates an intersection at the center of the bottom.

  The concave groove 5 on the inner surface of each storage recess 3 is formed on the inner surface side of the peripheral wall 30 to have a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the peripheral wall 30 by projecting the concave groove portion of the peripheral wall 30 into an outward rib shape. It is formed to have a depth, preferably 1 to 3 times the wall thickness, more preferably 1.5 to 2.5 times the wall thickness. Thereby, the depth which can accumulate water so that the ditch | groove 5 in the bottom part 32 may not contact the fruit F can be retained, and the rib-shaped protrusion part 7 of the outer side of each accommodation recessed part 3 serves as a reinforcement rib. Even if the material is made of a synthetic resin foam sheet having relatively soft elasticity, the shape retention strength of the housing recess 3 can be improved.

  The concave groove 5 is mainly a groove having a V-shaped cross section, and has a required width on the inner bottom surface 5a of the groove, for example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to form a concave section that gradually expands toward the bottom, because the volume of the groove 5, particularly the volume at the bottom, can be secured. Of course, a semicircular cross section or an inverted trapezoidal concave shape is also possible. In any of the above cases, opening the end of the concave groove 5 on the opening end 33 side can ensure air permeability and moisture evaporation through the concave groove 5 in the fruit storage state. Particularly preferred. When the recessed part 21 is formed in the partition part 2 between adjacent storage recessed parts, it is more preferable to open the upper end of the recessed groove 5 with the recessed part 21 in order to ensure the air permeability and the evaporability. .

  Further, as in the embodiment of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, it is assumed that the concave portion 8 is provided at the central portion of the bottom portion 32 of the storage concave portion 3, and the plurality of concave grooves 5 are continuous through the concave portion 8. In this case, it can be formed so as to extend radially from the recess 8. Thereby, the said recessed part 8 in the bottom part 32 can be stored without overflowing water in the bottom face part which the fruit F contacts, and can protect the stored fruit F favorably.

  As a synthetic resin foam sheet used as a constituent material of the fruit tray A of the present invention, polyolefin resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and cross-linked polyethylene, polyester resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin and other appropriate elasticity There are used various synthetic resin foam sheets having a shape retention and synthetic resin foam sheets obtained by laminating a non-foam resin on one or both surfaces of these synthetic resin foam sheets.

The thickness of the synthetic resin foam sheet varies depending on the material used, but in the case of a foamed sheet of a crosslinked polyethylene polymer, the thickness is about 1.0 to 10.0 mm, preferably about 2.0 to 7.0 mm, and the density Is preferably foamed to about 0.06 to 0.03 g / cm ³ . When the thickness of the foamed sheet is smaller than the above, sufficient support strength cannot be obtained, and when the thickness is larger than the above, molding from the foamed sheet becomes difficult and bulky. Further, if the density due to foaming is larger than the above range, sufficient buffering properties cannot be obtained, the amount of resin used is large and uneconomical, and if the density is smaller than the above range, there is a problem in strength.

  The fruit tray A configured as described above is accommodated so that the peripheral edge portion 1 having no side plate is brought into contact with the side plate of the outer box B, as shown by a chain line in FIG. 4 or FIG. And fruit F, such as a tomato, is accommodated in each accommodation recessed part 3. FIG.

  At this time, since the fruit F stored in each storage recess 3 is held on the side 31 and the bottom 32 other than the groove 5 in the peripheral wall 30 of each storage recess 3, there is also elasticity of the material. Even fruits such as tomatoes and peaches whose surface is relatively weak can be held without damaging the surface.

  And when dew condensation water arises on the surface of the fruit F stored by cooling treatment and the dew condensation water flows downward and accumulates on the bottom 32, it is formed in the groove 5 or the groove 8 in the bottom 32. Since it enters and accumulates, the stored fruit F does not come into contact with water. In addition, since the concave groove 5 is continuous from the bottom 32 to the open end 33, the water accumulated as described above easily evaporates through the concave groove 5 and the bottom surface of the fruit F by the concave groove 5. The air permeability can be ensured to the side, and the fruit F can be well protected.

  The fruit tray of the present invention can be suitably used as a fruit tray used for harvesting, selecting, shipping, transporting and the like of various fruits such as peaches, apples and pears in addition to tomatoes.

  A ... Fruit tray, F ... Fruit, 1 ... Peripheral part, 2 ... Partition part, 3 ... Storage concave part, 5 ... Concave groove, 6 ... Crossing part, 7 ... Rib-shaped protruding part, 8 ... Concave part, 21 ... Concave part , 30 ... peripheral wall, 31 ... side, 32 ... bottom, 33 ... open end.

Claims (6)

A fruit tray that is molded from a synthetic resin foam sheet and has a plurality of fruit storage recesses that are recessed leaving a partition,
The inner surface of the peripheral wall of the housing recess, Ri Na is formed as a plurality of grooves extending across the bottom from the opening end of the peripheral wall the upper end are continuous at the bottom,
The central portion of the bottom portion of the storage concave portion has a concave portion larger than that formed only by the plurality of concave grooves continuing at the central portion of the bottom portion, and the plural concave grooves are interposed via the concave portions. Fruit tray characterized by being continuous .   The concave groove is a groove that extends from the opening end of the upper end of the peripheral wall to the opening end of the opposite position through the bottom of the housing recess, and is formed so that a plurality of the concave grooves intersect and continue at the bottom. The fruit tray according to claim 1. By part of the groove in the peripheral wall of each housing recess is protruded rib-like outwardly formed by forming the grooves having a thickness more than the depth of the peripheral wall inner surface of the peripheral wall claim 1 or 2. A tray for fruits according to 2 . The tray for fruits according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the concave groove has a concave cross section having a required width on the inner bottom surface. A fruit tray that is molded from a synthetic resin foam sheet and has a plurality of fruit storage recesses that are recessed leaving a partition,
A plurality of concave grooves extending from the opening end of the upper end of the peripheral wall to the bottom are formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall of each storage recess so as to be continuous at the bottom.
The storage recesses are arranged such that an odd number of rows and an even number of rows in one vertical and horizontal direction are alternately arranged in the vertical and horizontal other directions and obliquely juxtaposed. but this oblique parallel direction formed by Na Ru results practically tray so as to form a flat X-shaped or Yoko倒X shape in each storing each recess aligned on a straight line. The fruit tray according to claim 5 , wherein a recess is formed in a partition between adjacent storage recesses in an oblique row, and an end of the recess groove of each storage recess opens upward in the recess.

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