JP7550376B2 - Food plate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food plate on which food is placed.

Conventionally, trays have been used to hold tableware (bowls, dishes, plates, etc.) on which food has been served or poured. For example, trays designed to prevent the tableware from moving have been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Utility Model Registration No. 3194049

Conventionally, for example, in self-service dining venues, customers place food-containing dishes on the tray or serve food onto the dishes while holding the edge of the tray with one hand. In such cases, the customer must support the weight of both the tray and the containers, so there is a need to reduce the burden on the hand.

The present invention aims to provide a food plate that reduces the burden on the hands.

The present invention relates to a food plate comprising a plate portion that constitutes the entire food plate, a first food placement portion that is recessed from the top surface of the plate portion at one edge in the width direction of the plate portion and that places food thereon, and a second food placement portion that is recessed from the top surface of the plate portion at the other edge in the width direction of the plate portion and that has a larger area for placing food than the first food placement portion, and at least the sidewall located on the outer side in the width direction of the recess of the first food placement portion is parallel to the thickness direction of the plate portion and has a curved shape in cross section parallel to the width direction that is convex toward the top surface.

The food plate of the present invention can further reduce the burden on the handle.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a food plate 1 of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of use of the food plate 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the food plate 1 as viewed from the top side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the food plate 1 as viewed from the bottom side. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 1. 13 is a side view of the food plate as viewed from the Y2 direction. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of food plates 1 stacked together. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a case in which a plurality of food plates 1 are stored together in a container 60. FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that all drawings attached to this specification are schematic diagrams, and the shape, scale, aspect ratio, and the like of each part are modified or exaggerated from the actual product in consideration of ease of understanding, etc. In addition, hatching showing the cross section of a member is omitted as appropriate in the drawings.
In this specification and the like, terms specifying shapes, geometric conditions, and the degree thereof, such as "parallel,""orthogonal," and "direction," include not only the strict meaning of the terms, but also the range of the degree that can be regarded as being approximately parallel, approximately orthogonal, etc., and the range that can be regarded as roughly that direction.

In order to facilitate explanation and understanding, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is provided in each of the figures shown below as necessary. In this coordinate system, the width direction of the food plate 1 when viewed in a plan view is the X (X1-X2) direction, the depth direction perpendicular to the width direction is the Y (Y1-Y2) direction, and the thickness direction is the Z (Z1-Z2) direction. In the thickness direction, the Z1 side is the upper surface (front surface) side, and the Z2 side is the lower surface (back surface) side. In this specification, "~ direction" will also be referred to as "~ side" as appropriate.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a food plate 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of how the food plate 1 is used. Figure 3 is a plan view of the food plate 1 as viewed from above. Figure 4 is a plan view of the food plate 1 as viewed from below. Figures 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along line A-A in Figure 1. Of these, Figure 6 shows the state when a user is holding the food plate 1. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 1.

The food plate 1 of the embodiment can be used, for example, in a catering service that travels to a client's premises to provide meals. A user of the catering service can carry various foods to a table with the foods placed on the food plate 1. Also, by placing the food plate 1 on the table, the user can eat the food as is, without having to transfer the food to another container. In this way, the food plate 1 of the embodiment functions both as a tool for carrying food and as a tray or dishware.

As shown in Fig. 1, the food plate 1 of the embodiment is entirely composed of a single plate portion 10. The plate portion 10 is formed so as to have a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. Furthermore, the four corners of the outer periphery of the plate portion 10 are formed to have rounded curved shapes.
The plate portion 10 can be integrally manufactured by, for example, injection molding using a synthetic resin as a material. By manufacturing the plate portion 10 from, for example, a single synthetic resin having thermoplastic properties, recyclability can be improved.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the plate portion 10 includes a main food placing portion 20 , a side dish placing portion 30 , and a chopstick rest portion 40 .
The staple food placing section (first food placing section) 20 is an area where staple foods such as rice, noodles, etc., as well as dishes containing soup, are placed. Relatively heavy foods are placed on the staple food placing section 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the staple food placing section 20 is formed so as to be recessed from the upper surface of the plate section 10 at the side edge on the X1 side in the width direction (X direction) of the plate section 10.
In this specification, the term "food" refers to both the state in which the food is not contained in a dish, and the state in which the food is contained in a dish.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bottom surface of the staple food placing section 20 is provided with legs (first legs) 21a and 21b that protrude downward (Z2 side). As shown in Fig. 4, the leg 21a is provided on the X1 side and the Y1 side of the bottom surface of the staple food placing section 20. The leg 21b is provided on the X1 side and the Y2 side of the bottom surface of the staple food placing section 20. Hereinafter, the legs 21a and 21b are collectively referred to as "legs 21". As shown in Fig. 4, the legs 21a and 21b are formed to have a slightly curved shape that matches the shape of the X1 side of the staple food placing section 20. In addition, a gap S1 is formed between the legs 21a and 21b. That is, the legs 21 are provided intermittently along the depth direction (Y direction) of the plate section 10. A more detailed configuration of the legs 21 will be described later.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a rice bowl 51 and a soup bowl 52 are placed on the staple food placing section 20. Note that FIG. 2 shows one example of use of the food plate 1, and the manner of use of the food plate 1 is not limited to the example in FIG. 2. Staple foods such as rice and noodles may be placed on the staple food placing section 20 in dishes, or may be served directly on the staple food placing section 20. Also, when a rice bowl 51 and a soup bowl 52 are placed on the staple food placing section 20, eating utensils such as a fork, spoon, and knife may be placed in the empty space.

The side dish placement section (second food placement section) 30 is an area where side dishes such as a main dish and a side dish are placed. Foods that are lighter than the staple food, soup, etc., described above are placed on the side dish placement section 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the side dish placement section 30 is recessed from the top surface of the plate section 10 at the side edge on the X2 side in the width direction (X direction) of the plate section 10. The side dish placement section 30 also has a wider area for placing foods than the staple food placement section 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the side dish placement section 30 is used to place fish or meat dishes that serve as the main dish 53, and stews, salads, pickles, etc. that serve as the side dishes 54.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the side dish placing section 30 of the embodiment is made up of a side dish placing section 30a, a side dish placing section 30b, and a side dish placing section 30c.
In the following description, side dish placing section 30a, side dish placing section 30b, and side dish placing section 30c will be collectively referred to as "side dish placing section 30".

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the underside of the side dish placement parts 30b and 30c are provided with legs (second legs) 31a and 31b that protrude downward (Z2 side). As shown in Figure 4, the legs 31a are provided on the corners of the underside of the side dish placement part 30c on the Y1 side and the X2 side. The legs 31b are provided on the corners of the underside of the side dish placement part 30b on the Y2 side and the X2 side. As shown in Figure 4, the legs 31a and 31b are formed to have a curved shape that matches the shape of the corners of the side dish placement parts 30b and 30c. Hereinafter, the legs 31a and 31b are also collectively referred to as "legs 31". As shown in Figure 4, the legs 31 are provided intermittently along the depth direction (Y direction) of the plate part 10.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, legs (third legs) 32a and 32b are provided on the underside of side dish placing section 30, approximately halfway between legs 21 and 31. As shown in Figure 4, leg 32a is provided on the X1 side of leg 31a on the underside of side dish placing section 30c. Leg 32b is provided on the X1 side on the underside of side dish placing section 30a. Hereinafter, legs 32a and 32b are collectively referred to as "legs 32". The configuration of legs 31 and 32 will be described later.

The chopstick rest (edible utensil rest) 40 is an area on which chopsticks as eating utensils are placed. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the chopstick rest 40 is provided between the staple food rest 20 and the side dish rest 30, and is formed so as to be recessed from the top surface of the plate part 10. The chopstick rest 40 extends along the depth direction (Y direction) of the plate part 10. As described below, the chopstick rest 40 is curved in the depth direction so that the bottom surface part is convex downward (Z2 side). For example, as shown in Fig. 2, chopsticks 55 are placed on the chopstick rest 40 along the depth direction (Y direction).

Next, the configuration of each part of the plate portion 10 (food plate 1) will be described in more detail.
5, in the plate portion 10, the cross-sectional shape in the XZ plane of the side wall 11 located on the X1 side of the staple food placing portion 20 is curved so as to be convex toward the upper surface side (Z1 side). Although the cross-sectional shape is not shown, in the plate portion 10, the cross-sectional shape in the XZ plane of the side wall 11 located on the X2 side of the side dish placing portions 30b and 30c is also curved so as to be convex toward the upper surface side (Z1 side) (see FIG. 1).

According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, when a user grasps the X1 side end of the food plate 1 (staple food placing portion 20), the user's thumb f1 can stably press the side wall 11. In addition, since the leg 21 is provided on the X1 side of the underside of the staple food placing portion 20, the user can hook the fingers f2 from the index finger to the little finger other than the thumb f1 on the leg 21. Therefore, the user can hold the plate portion 10 more securely on the upper and lower surfaces of the X1 side end of the staple food placing portion 20. As described above, a relatively heavy rice bowl 51, soup bowl 52, etc. are placed on the staple food placing portion 20. Therefore, according to the food plate 1 of the embodiment, when a heavy food is placed on the staple food placing portion 20, the burden on the user's hand can be further reduced.

In addition, the cross-sectional shape in the X-Z plane of the side wall 11 located on the X2 side of the side dish placement sections 30b and 30c of the plate section 10 is also curved so as to be convex toward the upper surface (Z1 side). Therefore, even when the user grasps the X2 side edge of the food plate 1, the user can stably press the side wall 11 with the user's thumb f1. Furthermore, since the side walls 11, 12 are formed with inclined surfaces in the width direction (X direction) and depth direction (Y direction) of the plate section 10, the food plates 1 can be stacked and stored regardless of the thickness of the plate section 10.

As shown in Figure 4, the leg portion 21 is slightly curved to match the shape of the X1 side of the staple food placing portion 20, so that when a user grasps the X1 side edge of the food plate 1, the user can easily align the finger f2 closer to the leg portion 21 on the underside of the plate portion 10.
Furthermore, because a gap S1 is formed between the legs 21a and 21b of the plate portion 10, dirt can be easily discharged when the food plate 1 is washed after use, and dirt is less likely to accumulate, so that the food plate 1 can be dried more quickly after washing.

As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 5, on the upper surface of the plate portion 10, at both ends of the chopstick rest portion 40 in the width direction (X direction), corners 41 are formed for reinforcement. Note that in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 5, the contour line on the distal side (Y2 side) is omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the corners 41 are formed along the depth direction (Y direction) of the chopstick rest portion 40. By providing the corners 41 on both ends of the chopstick rest portion 40 in the width direction, the rigidity of the chopstick rest portion 40 in the width direction can be increased. Therefore, when food is placed on the staple food placing portion 20 and the side dish placing portion 30, the staple food placing portion 20 and the side dish placing portion 30 can be prevented from bending downward with the chopstick rest portion 40 sandwiched between them.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a groove 42 is formed on the underside of the chopstick rest 40 opposite the corner 41. The cross-sectional shape of this groove 42 is formed to be a gentle curve, unlike the cross-sectional shape of the corner 41 on the upper side. By providing such a groove 42, when the food plate 1 is washed after use, dirt is easily discharged from the underside of the plate part 10, making it less likely for dirt to accumulate.

As shown in Figure 7, the chopstick rest 40 is curved in the depth direction (Y direction) so that the bottom surface 43 is convex downward (towards Z2). This makes it difficult for the chopsticks 55 (see Figure 2) placed on the chopstick rest 40 to move in the depth direction, so the chopsticks 55 can be held more stably on the chopstick rest 40. Note that the chopstick rest 40 can be used to place not only chopsticks 55, but also narrow forks, spoons, knives, skewers, toothpicks, paper towels, etc.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the plate unit 10, the cross-sectional shape in the Y-Z plane of the side walls 12 located in the depth direction (Y direction) of the side dish placement section 30a and the side dish placement section 30c is curved so as to be convex toward the lower surface side (Z2 side). As shown in FIG. 3, at least one side wall 12 having such a curved shape is formed in the staple food placement section 20 and the side dish placement sections 30a to 30c. By providing at least one curved side wall 12 in each placement section, it becomes possible to easily scoop up food served on each placement section with a spoon or the like. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the staple food placement section 20 and the side dish placement sections 30a to 30c are formed so that the areas corresponding to the corners of the outer periphery are all curved. Since the plate unit 10 has the above-mentioned configuration, not only can the amount of food left uneaten by users be reduced in each placement section, but it also makes it easier to collect food left uneaten by users from each placement section.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the cross-sectional shape of the groove 13 between side dish placing sections 30a and 30c on the underside of the plate section 10 is formed to have a gentle curved shape, unlike the cross-sectional shape of the partition section 14 on the upper side. Groove sections 13 with such a cross-sectional shape are provided on the underside of the plate section 10 not only between side dish placing sections 30a and 30c, but also between side dish placing sections 30a and 30b and between side dish placing sections 30b and 30c (see FIG. 4). By providing such groove sections 13, when the food plate 1 is washed after use, dirt is easily discharged from the underside of the plate section 10, making it less likely for dirt to accumulate.

Figure 9 is a side view of the food plate 1 as viewed from the Y2 direction. In Figure 9, the symbol F indicates the horizontal surface of a table (not shown) on which the food plate 1 is placed. As shown in Figure 9, in the plate portion 10, the length L3 by which the leg (third leg) 32 protrudes from the underside of the side dish placing portion 30 is set shorter than the length L1 by which the leg (first leg) 21 protrudes from the underside of the staple food placing portion 20 and the length L2 by which the leg (second leg) 31 protrudes from the underside of the side dish placing portion 30. The protruding length L1 of the leg 21 and the protruding length L2 of the leg 31 are the same. The difference in length between the legs is, for example, around 0.2 mm.

As described above, when the protruding length L3 of the legs 32 of the plate portion 10 is made shorter than the protruding length L1 of the legs 21 and the protruding length L2 of the legs 31, the weight of the food placed on each placement portion of the plate portion 10 causes the middle of the width of the plate portion 10 to sink toward the table (Z2 side). This sinking allows each leg of the plate portion 10 to evenly contact the horizontal plane F of the table, making it possible to stabilize the plate portion 10 on which the food is placed on it on the table. Note that the injection molding may cause the plate portion 10 to bend so that the entire plate portion 10 is convex upward. Even in this case, the difference is only slightly increased by the amount of bending, so the weight of the food placed on it makes it possible to stabilize the plate portion 10 on the table.

If the protruding length L3 of the leg 32 is set to the same length as the protruding lengths L1 and L2 of the legs 21 and 31, it is possible that the protruding length L3 of the leg 32 will be longer than the protruding lengths L1 and L2 of the legs 21 and 31 due to manufacturing tolerances. In that case, when food is placed on the plate part 10, both sides (X1-X2 sides) of the width direction of the plate part 10 will rise above the horizontal plane F (Z1 side), making it difficult to stabilize the plate part 10 on the table. However, as described above, by making the protruding length L3 of the leg 32 shorter than the protruding lengths L1 and L2 of the legs 21 and 31, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of the plate part 10 becoming unstable on the table not only when the leg 32 becomes longer than the legs 21 and 31 due to manufacturing tolerances, but also when the entire plate part 10 is bent so that it is convex downward.

10 is a cross-sectional view of a stack of multiple food plates 1. Fig. 10 is a view of the stack of multiple food plates 1 as seen from the same cross section as line DD in Fig. 1.
As shown in Fig. 10, when multiple food plates 1 are stacked in the thickness direction (Z direction), legs 21 and 31 provided on the underside of plate portion 10 come into contact with the upper surfaces of staple food placing portion 20 and side dish placing portions 30b and 30c (see Fig. 3) of the food plate 1 located below. On the other hand, leg 32 provided approximately halfway between legs 21 and 31 on the underside of plate portion 10 is less likely to come into contact with the upper surfaces of side dish placing portions 30a and 30c (see Fig. 3) of the food plate 1 located below. This is because, as described above, the protruding length of leg 32 on the underside of plate portion 10 is shorter than the protruding length of legs 21 and 31.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, when multiple food plates 1 are stacked, contact between the groove 13 of the upper food plate 1 and the partition 14 of the lower food plate 1 is suppressed. Similarly, contact between the groove 42 of the chopstick rest 40 of the upper food plate 1 and the corner 41 of the chopstick rest 40 of the lower food plate 1 is suppressed.

In this way, when multiple food plates 1 are stacked, only the legs 21 and 31 provided on the underside of the plate portion 10 of each food plate 1 come into contact with the food plate 1 located below, and the other parts do not come into contact with the food plate 1 located below. This makes it possible to reduce the area of contact between the stacked food plates 1, allowing each food plate 1 to be used in a cleaner state.

Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the gaps S2 formed between the stacked food plates 1 allow air to circulate more easily, allowing the plates to dry more quickly after cleaning. Furthermore, the gaps S2 formed between the stacked food plates 1 make it easier for users to insert their fingertips into the widthwise (X-direction) and depthwise (Y-direction) edges of the stacked food plates 1. This makes it easier for users to remove the desired number of food plates 1 from the stacked food plates 1.

When multiple food plates 1 are stacked, the legs 21 provided on the underside of the X1 side of the plate portion 10 of each food plate 1 come into contact with the staple food placement portion 20 in the vicinity of the side wall 11 located on the X1 side of the lower food plate 1. Similarly, the legs 31 provided on the underside of the X2 side of the plate portion 10 come into contact with the side food placement portions 30b and 30c in the vicinity of the side wall 11 located on the X2 side of the lower food plate 1. With this, for example, when a force is applied to the stacked food plates 1 in the width direction (X direction), the movement of the legs 21 and 31 is restricted by the side wall 11 of each placement portion. Therefore, for example, even if the stacked food plates 1 are shaken during transportation, the shifting of each food plate 1 can be minimized. In addition, in each food plate 1, the legs 21 and 31 contact each placement portion near the side walls 11 or 12 located on the corresponding sides on both sides (Y1-Y2 sides) of the plate portion 10 in the depth direction. Therefore, the stacked food plates 1 can be prevented from shifting to a minimum not only in the width direction (X direction) but also in the depth direction (Y direction).

Fig. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which a plurality of food plates 1 are stored together in a container 60. The container shown in Fig. 11 is used, for example, in a catering service.
In catering services, a plurality of food plates 1 are transported together in order to improve the efficiency of delivery. A container 60 shown in FIG. 11 is a box-shaped container used when transporting a plurality of food plates 1. As an example, the container 60 is configured to store the food plates 1 in two rows along the longitudinal direction. A plurality of food plates 1 are stacked in each row. In general, the container 60 used in catering services is made to have a minimum necessary size in order to facilitate storage in a vehicle, transportation, etc. Therefore, if a plurality of food plates 1 are stored tightly inside the container 60, it becomes difficult to remove the food plates 1.

However, as shown in FIG. 11, in the food plate 1 of the embodiment, the four corners of the outer periphery of the plate portion 10 are configured to have a rounded curved shape. Therefore, even if multiple food plates 1 are stored inside the container 60 with no gaps, the food plate 1 can be easily removed from the container 60 by inserting a hand into the gap S3 formed around the food plate 1. The container 60 may be shaped to store a single row of food plates 1, or three or more rows of food plates 1.

Although the embodiment of the food plate according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible, such as the modified forms described below, which are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiment are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from this disclosure, and are not limited to those described in the embodiment. Note that the above-mentioned embodiment and the modified forms described below can be used in appropriate combination, but detailed explanations will be omitted.

(Modifications)
In the food plate 1 of the embodiment, the configuration of the side dish placement section 30 provided on the plate section 10 is not limited to the example in which it is divided into three areas as shown in Fig. 1, but may be divided into, for example, four or more areas, or may be one area. When it is divided into multiple areas, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the areas can be determined according to the purpose of use.
In the food plate 1 of the embodiment, the planar shape of the plate portion 10 may be, for example, a circle, an oval, etc., in addition to the generally rectangular shape shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, when the food plate 1 is not stored in a container 60 (see Fig. 11), the planar shape of the plate portion 10 may be a rectangle or the like that does not have curved corners.
The food plate 1 of the embodiment can be used not only in catering services, but also in dining venues such as buffets and buffets.

1: food plate, 10: plate section, 11, 12: side walls, 14: partition section, 20: main food placement section, 21a, 21b, 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b: legs, 30a, 30b, 30c: side food placement section, 40: chopstick rest section, 41: corners, 40c: bottom section, S1, S2, S3: gaps

Claims (6)

A food plate on which food is placed,
A plate portion that constitutes the entire food plate;
A first food placement portion is formed on one edge side of the plate portion in the width direction so as to be recessed from the upper surface of the plate portion, and on which food is placed;
A second food placement portion is formed on the other edge side of the plate portion in the width direction so as to be recessed from the upper surface of the plate portion, and has a larger area for placing food than the first food placement portion.
At least in the recess of the first food placement portion, a cross-sectional shape of a side wall located on the outer side in the width direction, which is parallel to the thickness direction and the width direction of the plate portion, is a curved shape that is convex toward the upper surface side,
A utensil placement section is provided between the first food placement section and the second food placement section, the utensil placement section being recessed from the upper surface of the plate section,
The eating utensil placing portion extends along a depth direction perpendicular to the width direction of the plate portion, and the bottom surface portion is curved so as to be convex downward in the depth direction.
Food plate. A first leg portion is provided on the lower surface of the first food placement portion, protruding downward and extending along a depth direction perpendicular to the width direction of the plate portion,
A second leg portion protruding downward is provided on the lower surface of the second food placement portion.
2. The food plate of claim 1. At least one of the first leg portion and the second leg portion is provided intermittently along the depth direction of the plate portion.
3. The food plate of claim 2. A third leg portion is provided on the underside of the second food placement portion, approximately halfway between the first leg portion and the second leg portion, protruding downward and extending along the depth direction.
4. A food plate according to claim 2 or 3. Both ends of the eating utensil rest in the width direction have corners for reinforcement.
2. The food plate of claim 1. When a plurality of the food plates are stacked, only the first leg provided on the underside of the first food placing section and the second leg provided on the underside of the second food placing section come into contact with the food plate located below, and other parts do not come into contact with the food plate located below.
A food plate according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

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