JP7566348B2 - Packaging containers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lower container and a packaging container that can hold food, etc.

Traditionally, in various stores and the like that sell take-out food, various foods such as boxed lunches and prepared dishes are sold in packaging containers. Customers also purchase what they need from the various prepared dishes lined up on a counter by placing only the amount they need in a packaging container. The task of placing the food in a packaging container is sometimes performed by store employees and sometimes by the purchaser themselves.

Packaging containers come in a wide variety of shapes and structures, but one known example is a lid-integrated container in which the container body and the lid are connected by a hinge, known as a food pack (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

There are also packaging containers that have an inner tray in addition to a container body and a lid (for example, Patent Document 2). In such containers, for example, cooked rice or noodles are stored under the inner tray, and side dishes or rice bowl ingredients are stored above the inner tray.

JP 2016-41599 A JP 2015-145285 A

By the way, integrated lid containers are highly convenient products because the container body can be easily closed and opened, but because the interior is not divided, they are inferior in terms of storing food separately.

In contrast, packaging containers with inner trays are superior in that they can separate different foods, etc., because the interior can be divided into upper and lower sections by the inner tray. However, because the container body, lid, and inner tray are separate parts, they do not offer the convenience of a container with an integrated lid.

One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a lower container that can store food and the like by dividing the storage space into upper and lower parts without compromising the convenience of the lid-integrated container, using a lid-integrated container as the upper container, and a two-tiered packaging container consisting of this lower container and the lid-integrated container.

In order to solve the above problems, a lower container according to one embodiment of the present invention has a bottom container, a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom container, an upper container being a rectangular lid-integrated container located on the inner periphery of the peripheral wall and having a container body and a lid connected by a hinge, a placement step that supports the outer edge of the upper container and places it above the bottom container, and a locking part that is located above the placement step and locks the outer edge of the upper container placed on the placement step, and the placement step and the locking part are provided point-symmetrically around the center of the bottom container.

According to the above configuration, the upper container can be placed on and locked onto the lower container using the placement step and locking portion of the lower container. This realizes a two-tiered packaging container in which the upper container is stably set on top of the lower container. Moreover, because the placement step and locking portion are provided point-symmetrically around the center of the storage bottom portion, the upper container can be set on top of the lower container even if it is rotated 180 degrees. This makes it easy to set by simply matching the shapes of the lower container and upper container without having to consider the position of the hinge portion of the upper container, making it easy to use.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral wall further has a flange portion extending flatly laterally from the upper end of the peripheral wall portion, and a pair of corner cuts are formed at diagonal positions of the flange portion.

Some lid-integrated containers, which are upper containers, have a knob formed on the end of the opening side opposite the hinge part of the lid, which is gripped with the fingertips when opening the lid. With the above configuration, even if the upper container is rotated 180 degrees and set, the tip of the knob always protrudes from the corner cut, improving usability.

In one aspect of the present invention, the mounting step may have a hinge mounting step on which the hinge part is mounted.

The above configuration provides stable support for the hinge portion, which changes shape as the lid of the upper container is opened and closed, ensuring stable opening and closing of the lid.

In one aspect of the present invention, the locking portion may be located above the hinge mounting step and may have a hinge locking portion that locks the hinge portion.

According to the above configuration, the hinge portion, which changes shape as the lid of the upper container is opened and closed, is locked, stabilizing the opening and closing operation of the lid.

As one aspect of the present invention, a predetermined storage space may be provided between the bottom surface of the container body of the upper container placed on the placement stage and the storage bottom surface.

In one aspect of the present invention, the mounting step may be formed in an annular shape around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall.

With the above configuration, the outer edge of the upper container is placed on the mounting step of the lower container along its entire circumference, allowing the upper container to be placed on the lower container in a more stable state.

In order to solve the above problem, a packaging container according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an upper container, which is a rectangular container in which the container body and the lid are connected by a hinge portion, and a lower container according to one aspect of the present invention described above.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a lower container that can store food and the like by dividing the storage space into upper and lower parts without compromising the convenience of the lid-integrated container by using the lid-integrated container as the upper container, and a two-tiered packaging container consisting of the lower container and the lid-integrated container.

1 is a perspective view of a packaging container according to one embodiment of the present invention with its lid closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the packaging container of FIG. 1 in an open state. 2 is a perspective view of the upper container of the packaging container of FIG. 1 in an open state, as viewed from the container body side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower container 2 of the packaging container of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lower container of FIG. 4 . 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5. 2 is a schematic end view of a main part of the connecting side of the packaging container of FIG. 1 in a closed state. FIG. 2 is a schematic end view of a main part of the connecting side of the packaging container of FIG. 1 in an open state. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the orientation of an upper container relative to a lower container in the packaging container of FIG. 1 . FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper container in the open lid state shown in FIG. 9 is rotated 180 degrees. FIG.

In one embodiment of the packaging container of the present invention, the lid-integrated container itself functions as an inner tray separating the top and bottom and as a lid for the packaging container, and allows for separate storage of the top and bottom without compromising the convenience of the lid-integrated container.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. In this embodiment, a food packaging container that contains food items as the contents will be described as an example of a packaging container according to one aspect of the present invention. However, the contents contained in the packaging container according to one aspect of the present invention are not limited to food items.

(Overview of packaging containers)
An overview of a packaging container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the packaging container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention in a closed state. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the packaging container 1 of Figure 1 in an open state.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the packaging container 1 is square in plan view and rectangular in plan view. The packaging container 1 includes a lower container 2 and an upper container 3. The upper container 3 is a lid-integrated container having a hinge portion 33, and the lid body 32 of the upper container 3 serves as the lid of the packaging container 1. In other words, the packaging container 1 is a two-tiered packaging container in which the storage space is separated into upper and lower portions. The storage bottom surface portion 21 of the lower container 2, which will be described later, constitutes the bottom of the packaging container 1, the main body bottom surface portion 34 of the upper container 3 constitutes the middle bottom that divides the packaging container 1 into the upper and lower portions, and the lid body 32 of the upper container 3 constitutes the lid of the packaging container 1.

The packaging container 1 is designed so that the upper container 3 can be placed and locked even if it is rotated 180 degrees relative to the lower container 2. Hereinafter, placing the upper container 3 on the lower container 2 and locking it is also referred to as "setting", and this state is also referred to as the "set state".

The lower container 2 and the upper container 3 can be manufactured by thermoforming a synthetic resin sheet, although there is no particular limitation. The synthetic resin sheet may be either a non-foamed resin sheet or a foamed resin sheet.

In the case of a non-foamed resin sheet, it is preferable to use a sheet with a thickness in the range of 0.12 mm to 0.45 mm, particularly in the range of 0.18 mm to 0.30 mm. In the case of a foamed resin sheet, it is preferable to use a sheet with a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm, particularly in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. Furthermore, in the case of a foamed resin sheet, it is preferable to set the expansion ratio to 1.05 times to 20.0 times, particularly in the range of 1.5 times to 15.0 times.

As the non-foamed resin sheet, for example, a thermoplastic resin sheet such as a polyolefin resin sheet such as a polyethylene resin sheet or a polypropylene resin sheet, a polystyrene resin sheet, a polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet, or a polyester resin sheet such as a modified polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet with heat resistance can be used. In addition, a sheet that can withstand heating in a microwave oven, for example, a heat-resistant polystyrene resin sheet, a polypropylene resin sheet, or a modified polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet with heat resistance can be used.

Examples of foamed resin sheets that can be used include foamed polyolefin resin sheets, foamed polystyrene resin sheets, and foamed polyester resin sheets such as foamed polyethylene terephthalate.

Laminated sheets made by laminating synthetic resin sheets can also be used. Examples of laminated sheets include laminated sheets made by thermally laminating a resin film onto a non-foamed resin sheet or foamed resin sheet, laminated sheets made by co-extrusion, and laminated sheets made by extrusion lamination.

Examples of thermoforming include vacuum forming, pressure forming, vacuum pressure forming, and hot plate forming.

The lower container 2 and the upper container 3 may be colored, such as black or white, or may be transparent or translucent so that the inside can be seen. In this embodiment, the lower container 2 is black and opaque, and the upper container 3 is colorless and transparent. The lower container 2 and the upper container 3 may be provided with ribs or the like for reinforcement.

(Upper container)
The upper container 3 is placed above the lower container 2, and therefore also functions as a lid that closes the opening of the lower container 2 (see Figs. 1 and 2). Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper container 3 of the packaging container 1 in Fig. 1 in an open state, as seen from the container body 31 side. The upper container 3 is what is called a food pack, which contains various foods.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper container 3 is an integrated lid container in which the container body 31 and the lid 32 are connected by a hinge portion 33. The lid 32 can be rotated up and down around a horizontal axis relative to the container body 31 by the hinge portion 33. The specific configurations of the container body 31 and the lid 32, as well as the hinge portion 33 that connects the two together, are all arbitrary, but the configuration shown in the figure can be used, for example.

In this embodiment, the container body 31 is rectangular in plan view and includes a body bottom portion 34, a body side portion 35, a convex portion 36, and a body flange portion 37.

The main body bottom surface portion 34 is rectangular in plan view. The main body side surface portion 35 is a wall surface that rises at an angle so as to widen upward from the outer edge of the main body bottom surface portion 34. The main body side surface portion 35 is provided on all four sides (four sides) so as to surround the outer edge of the main body bottom surface portion 34.

The convex portion 36 is provided around the entire circumference of the upper end of the main body side portion 35 and is convex upward. Specifically, the convex portion 36 is formed by extending slightly to the side at the upper end of the main body side portion 35, then rising up, then extending flatly to the side, and then falling down again.

The body flange portion 37 is provided around the entire circumference of the lower end of the outer wall that forms the convex portion 36. Specifically, the body flange portion 37 is formed so as to extend flatly to the side from the lower end of the outer wall that forms the convex portion 36.

The lid body 32 has a shape corresponding to the container body 31, is rectangular in plan view, and is configured so that it faces the container body 31 when the lid is closed. The lid body 32 has an upwardly bulging shape when the lid is closed.

The lid body 32 has a top surface 38, a lid side surface 39, a concave portion 40, and a lid flange portion 41. Note that while FIG. 3 shows the lid in an open state, for ease of explanation, the configuration of each part of the lid body 32 will be explained based on the lid in a closed state.

The top surface 38 is rectangular in plan view. The lid side surface 39 is a wall surface that slopes downward from the outer edge of the top surface 38 so as to widen downward when the lid is closed. The lid side surface 39 is provided on all four sides (four sides) so as to surround the outer edge of the top surface 38.

The concave portion 40 is provided around the entire circumference from the lower end of the lid side portion 39, and is concave toward the top when the lid is closed. Specifically, the concave portion 40 is formed by extending slightly to the side at the lower end of the lid side portion 39 when the lid is closed, then rising up, then extending flatly to the side, and then falling down again.

The lid flange portion 41 is provided around the entire circumference of the lower end of the outer wall that forms the recessed portion 40. Specifically, the lid flange portion 41 is formed so as to extend flatly to the side from the lower end of the outer wall that forms the recessed portion 40 when the lid is closed.

In this embodiment, the convex portion 36 of the container body 31 fits into the concave portion 40 of the lid body 32, so that the lid body 32 is engaged with the container body 31, and the upper container 3 is in a closed state. The body flange portion 37 and the lid flange portion 41 are configured to overlap in the closed state.

The hinge portion 33 is provided at the connection portion between the body flange portion 37 and the lid flange portion 41. The container body 31 and the lid body 32 are connected by the hinge portion 33. In this embodiment, the hinge portion 33 is formed on the long side of the body flange portion 37 and the lid flange portion 41. Hereinafter, the side on which the hinge portion 33 is located is referred to as the connecting side, and the side opposite to the connecting side is referred to as the opening side.

The hinge portion 33 can have various shapes, and FIG. 3 shows the hinge portion 33 with an arc-shaped cross section. The hinge portion 33 may have a U-shaped cross section. The hinge portion 33 may also be configured to be flat when the lid is open, and to be folded in half vertically by a folding portion when the lid is closed. The folding portion is a straight portion formed in the center of the hinge portion 33.

The above-mentioned body flange 37, lid flange 41, and hinge 33 are located on the outer edge of the upper container 3. At least a portion of the outer edge of the upper container 3 is supported by a mounting step 24 (see FIG. 4) of the lower container 2, which will be described later, so that the upper container 3 is placed above the lower container 2. In other words, the "outer edge" includes at least the connecting edge on one side where the hinge 33 is formed, and the opening edge facing the connecting edge, which is the side of the body flange 37 and lid flange 41 where the hinge 33 is not formed.

A lid gripping portion (grip portion) 42 is formed on the opening edge of the lid flange portion 41. Similarly, a body gripping portion (grip portion) 43 is formed on the opening edge of the body flange portion 37. When the upper container 3 is in the closed state, the lid gripping portion 42 and the body gripping portion 43 are configured to overlap.

By pinching the lid gripping portion 42 with your fingertips, the lid body 32 can be easily opened from the container body 31. In addition, by pinching the overlapping portion of the lid gripping portion 42 and the body gripping portion 43 together, the upper container 3 can be easily removed from the lower container 2. In this embodiment, both the lid gripping portion 42 and the body gripping portion 43 are formed on both ends of the opening edge.

(Lower container)
The lower container 2 is configured so that the upper container 3 can be placed thereon, and is a type of packaging container that realizes a two-tiered packaging container 1 by placing the upper container 3 thereon (see Figs. 1 and 2).

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower container 2 of the packaging container 1 of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower container 2 of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 5. In Figures 6 and 7, the cut sections are drawn thicker than they actually are to emphasize the cut sections. Figure 8 is a schematic end view of the main parts of the connecting side of the packaging container 1 of Figure 1 in a closed state. Figure 9 is a schematic end view of the main parts of the connecting side of the packaging container 1 of Figure 1 in an open state. The state of the hinge part 33 shown in Figure 9 is the open state of the hinge part 33. In Figures 8 and 9, only the end surface of the connecting side of the packaging container 1 cut vertically is shown. Figure 10 is a diagram explaining the orientation of the upper container 3 relative to the lower container 2 in the packaging container 1 of Figure 1. Figure 11 is a diagram showing the state in which the upper container in the open state shown in Figure 9 is rotated 180 degrees.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the lower container 2 has a shape corresponding to the upper container 3, is rectangular in plan view, and is open at the top. The lower container 2 has a storage bottom surface portion 21, a peripheral wall portion 22 extending upward from the storage bottom surface portion 21, a container flange portion (flange portion) 23, a mounting step portion 24, a locking portion 25, and an escape portion 26.

In this embodiment, the storage bottom surface portion 21 is generally rectangular in plan view, and the outer edge is zigzag in plan view. In addition, a recess 21-1 that is one step lower than the rest of the storage bottom surface portion 21 is formed on the outer edge of the storage bottom surface portion 21, and the portion other than the recess 21-1 is formed flat.

The peripheral wall portion 22 is formed to rise at an angle so as to widen upward from the outer edge of the storage bottom surface portion 21, and the portion surrounded by the upper end portion 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22 forms an opening. The peripheral wall portion 22 has a first peripheral wall portion 22-1 connected to the outer edge of the storage bottom surface portion 21, and a second peripheral wall portion 22-2 located above the first peripheral wall portion 22-1.

The first peripheral wall portion 22-1 is formed so as to protrude (bulge) toward the center of the lower container 2, and a flat step portion is provided between the upper end of the first peripheral wall portion 22-1 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall portion 22-2. This step portion constitutes the mounting step portion 24.

The cross-sectional shape of the first peripheral wall portion 22-1 cut along a plane parallel to the storage bottom surface portion 21 and the shape of the inner edge of the loading step portion 24 also have a zigzag shape.

The placement step 24 is located on the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 22, and supports the outer edge of the upper container 3 to place the upper container 3 above the storage bottom 21. The placement step 24 allows the upper container 3 to be placed above the lower container 2 (see Figures 1 and 2). In this embodiment, the placement step 24 supports the upper container by abutting at least a portion of the outer edge of the upper container 3.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, a predetermined storage space having a predetermined height h is secured between the storage bottom surface 21 and the main body bottom surface 34 (bottom surface) of the container body 31 of the upper container 3 placed on the placement step 24. In other words, the placement step 24 is provided at a height that ensures the predetermined height h between the main body bottom surface 34 of the upper container 3 placed on the placement step 24 and the storage bottom surface 21.

In addition, in this embodiment, the mounting step 24 has a hinge mounting step 24-1 on which the hinge portion 33 is mounted. The hinge mounting step 24-1 abuts against the hinge portion 33 to support it. With this configuration, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the hinge portion 33, whose shape changes as the lid 32 of the upper container 3 is opened and closed, can be stably supported by being mounted on the hinge mounting step 24-1, stabilizing the opening and closing operation of the lid 32.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first peripheral wall portion 22-1 is located inside the second peripheral wall portion 22-2 along the entire circumference. Therefore, the mounting step portion 24 is formed in an annular shape along the entire circumference of the peripheral wall portion 22. With this configuration, the outer edge portion of the upper container 3 is supported by the lower container 2 along the entire circumference, and the upper container 3 can be placed on the lower container 2 in a more stable state.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first peripheral wall portion 22-1 protrudes more at the center of each side and at the four corners than at other portions, and the mounting steps 24 located at the center of each side and at the four corners have a larger area than the other portions. With this configuration, the first peripheral wall portion 22-1 can ensure a certain level of storage capacity even when the lower container 2 protrudes, while the large mounting steps 24 located at key points can stably support the upper container 3.

The configuration of the mounting step 24 is not limited to the configuration exemplified in Figures 4 and 5, and may be any configuration that can abut against the outer edge of the upper container 3 to support (hold) the upper container 3. For example, the second peripheral wall 22-2 may be formed into a rib shape that protrudes toward the center of the lower container 2 and extends horizontally, and the upper surface of the rib may be used as the mounting step. Furthermore, the mounting step may be provided only on the four inner corners of the peripheral wall 22 so that the opening of the lower container 2 has a chamfered rectangular shape in a plan view.

The locking portion 25 is located above the mounting step 24 and locks the outer edge of the upper container 3 placed on the mounting step 24. The provision of the locking portion 25 allows the upper container 3 to be locked to the lower container 2. In this embodiment, the locking portion 25 is provided on the inner periphery of the peripheral wall portion 22.

In this embodiment, the locking portion 25 is located at the upper end 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22, and is provided on the second peripheral wall portion 22-2 in the shape of a rib that protrudes toward the center of the lower container 2, as shown in FIG. 6. The upper surface of the outer edge of the upper container 3 abuts against the lower surface of the locking portion 25, thereby locking the upper container 3. In this embodiment, such locking portions 25 are provided on the upper end 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22, extending in the direction in which the edge of the upper end 22a extends, with a total of eight locking portions 25 provided, two on each side.

In addition, in this embodiment, the locking portion 25 is located above the hinge mounting step 24-1 and has a hinge locking portion 25-1 that locks the hinge portion 33. With this configuration, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the hinge portion 33, which changes shape as the lid 32 of the upper container 3 is opened and closed, can be locked by the hinge locking portion 25-1, stabilizing the opening and closing operation of the lid 32.

The configuration and location of the locking portion 25 are not limited to the configurations illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, but may be any configuration capable of locking the outer edge of the upper container 3 placed on the placement step 24.

The relief portion 26 is provided at a position corresponding to the hinge portion 33 of the upper container 3 placed on the placement step 24. In this embodiment, the relief portion 26 is provided in the peripheral wall portion 22.
The relief portion 26 has a portion that allows the hinge portion 33 to expand when the lid 32 is opened or closed in a state in which the upper container 3 is placed on the placement step 24 and the outer edge portion is locked by the locking portion 25. In other words, the relief portion 26 allows the lid 32 to be opened and closed by preventing any change in shape that occurs when the hinge portion 33 expands in the placed and locked state (set state).

By providing the relief portion 26, the lid 32 of the upper container 3 can be freely opened and closed even when the upper container 3 is set on the lower container 2. The relief portion 26 allows the lid 32 to be opened at an angle of 90 degrees or more relative to the container body 31.

In this embodiment, the distance between the hinge mounting step 24-1 and the hinge locking portion 25-1 is set to a distance that allows for the change in shape when the hinge portion 33 is opened and expanded, and the escape portion 26 is formed by securing a space above the hinge locking portion 25-1 that allows the lid body 32 to be opened and closed. By securing the outer edge of the upper container 3 at a portion other than the hinge portion 33 and not providing the hinge locking portion 25-1, a space that allows for the lid body 32 to be opened and closed above the hinge mounting step 24-1 may be secured as the escape portion 26. In short, the escape portion 26 may have a shape that can secure a space that allows for the change in shape when the hinge portion 33 is opened and expanded when the lid body 32 is opened and closed, at the portion where the hinge portion 33 of the upper container 3 is located in the set state.

The container flange portion 23 is formed so as to extend flatly laterally from the upper end portion 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22. The container flange portion 23 is provided around the entire periphery of the upper end portion 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 9, the inner end of the container flange portion 23, i.e., the upper end 22a of the peripheral wall portion 22, has a stopper function that restricts the movement of the lid body 32 of the upper container 3 set on the lower container 2 in the opening direction. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the lid body 32 of the upper container 3 set on the lower container 2 from opening too far, and to keep it in a half-open state. This makes it possible to reduce the area occupied by the two-tiered packaging container 1 when the lid body 32 is open.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the placement step 24, the locking portion 25, and the relief portion 26 are provided point symmetrically with respect to the center of the storage bottom portion 21. With this configuration, as shown in the figures denoted by reference numerals 101 and 102 in Figure 10, the upper container 3 can be set even if it is rotated 180 degrees relative to the lower container 2. As shown in Figure 11, the lid 32 of the upper container 3 can be opened and closed even if the upper container 3 is rotated 180 degrees.

As a result, when placing the upper container 3, there is no need to consider which of the two long sides of the lower container 2 the opening edge of the upper container 3 should be positioned on, and the upper container 3 can be easily set up by simply matching the shapes of the lower container 2 and the upper container 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, a pair of corner cuts 27 are formed at diagonal positions on the container flange 23. The corner cuts 27 allow the tips of the lid knob 42 and main body knob 43, which are the knobs of the set upper container 3, to protrude beyond the outer edge of the lower container 2, making it easier to open the lid 32 by pinching the knobs. By providing a pair of such corner cuts 27 at diagonal positions on the container flange 23, the knobs can always protrude even when the upper container 3 is set by rotating it 180 degrees.

In addition, in this embodiment, the corner of the second peripheral wall portion 22-2 where the corner cut portion 27 is located is formed with an inclined surface 28 that is inclined so as to widen from the upper end of the second peripheral wall portion 22-2 toward the upper end of the first peripheral wall portion 22-1. By providing the inclined surface 28, the lid gripping portion 42 and the body gripping portion 43 of the set upper container 3 face diagonally upward, and their tips protrude diagonally upward. This makes it easier to grip both the lid gripping portion 42 and the body gripping portion 43 and remove the upper container 3 from the lower container 2.

(effect)
As described above, according to the lower container 2 and packaging container 1 of this embodiment, the upper container 3, which is a lid-integrated container, functions as an inner tray that separates the upper and lower parts of the storage space of the packaging container 1 and as a lid for the packaging container 1, and allows for separate storage in upper and lower parts without compromising the convenience of a lid-integrated container. Moreover, since the placement step 24 and the locking portion 25 are provided point-symmetrically about the center P of the storage bottom portion 21, the upper container 3 can be set on the lower container 2 even if it is rotated 180 degrees.

This allows the lower container 2 and the upper container 3 to be easily set up by simply matching their shapes without having to consider the position of the hinge part of the upper container 3, making it easy to use.

In addition, in the above configuration, the escape portion 26 is provided to allow the lid 32 to be opened and closed by accommodating changes in shape caused by the hinge portion 33 of the upper container 3 when it is opened and closed. Therefore, the lid 32 of the upper container 3 can be freely opened and closed even when it is set on the lower container 2.

This allows you to easily add more side dishes by opening and closing the lid 32 even when the upper container 3 containing tempura or other side dishes is set on top of the lower container 2 containing rice, noodles, etc.

Moreover, in the above configuration, the escape portion 26 is also provided point-symmetrically around the center P of the storage bottom portion 21, so that the lid 32 of the upper container 3 can be freely opened and closed even when the upper container 3 is rotated 180 degrees and set.

In other words, according to the above configuration, the upper container 3 can be set even when rotated 180 degrees relative to the lower container 2, and the lid 32 of the upper container 3 can be opened and closed even when the upper container 3 is rotated 180 degrees relative to the lower container 2.

Note that, although the configuration shown here allows the lid 32 of the upper container 3 to be freely opened and closed when set on the lower container 2, such a configuration is not necessary in a configuration in which the upper container 3 can be set with 180-degree rotational symmetry.

In addition, the upper container 3, which is an integrated lid container, functions as the lid and inner tray of the upper and lower two-tiered packaging container, so the lid 32 is doubly engaged (fitted) with the container body 31 and engaged by the engaging portion 25 of the lower container 2. This effectively prevents the lid 32 from accidentally opening and wasting the contents when the container is being carried.

In addition, by designing the lower container 2 to match an existing integrated lid container, a two-tiered packaging container 1 can be realized using the existing integrated lid container. As a result, even if a new upper container 3 is designed, the upper container 3 can be used both alone and in combination with the lower container 2.

As a result, we will be able to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 12 "Responsible Consumption and Production" and Goal 14 "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans and seas."

In the above example, a container with an integrated lid is placed on the lower container as the upper container, but the use is not limited to this. Instead of a container with an integrated lid, a fitting lid can be fitted to the lower container.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments.

1 Packaging container 2 Lower container 3 Upper container 21 Storage bottom surface portion 22 Peripheral wall portion 22a Upper end portion 23 Container flange portion (flange portion)
24 Mounting step 24-1 Hinge mounting step 25 Locking portion 25-1 Hinge locking portion 27 Corner cutting portion 31 Container body 32 Lid 33 Hinge portion (outer edge portion)
34 Bottom surface of main body (bottom surface)
37 Main body flange portion (outer edge portion)
41 Lid flange portion (outer edge portion)
42 Lid knob (knob)
43 Main body gripping part (grip part)

Claims (5)

an upper container which is a rectangular container having a container body and a lid connected by a hinge portion;
A packaging container comprising a lower container,
The lower container is
A storage bottom portion;
A peripheral wall portion extending upward from the housing bottom portion;
a mounting step portion that is located on the inner periphery side of the peripheral wall portion and supports an outer edge of an upper container, the upper container being a rectangular lid-integrated container having a container body and a lid body connected by a hinge portion, and that mounts the upper container above the storage bottom portion;
a locking portion located above the mounting stage and configured to lock an outer edge of the upper container placed on the mounting stage;
A flange portion extending laterally and flatly from an upper end portion of the peripheral wall portion.
The placement step and the locking portion are provided point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the accommodation bottom portion,
A packaging container having a pair of corner cuts formed at diagonal positions of the flange portion . an upper container which is a rectangular container having a container body and a lid connected by a hinge portion;
A packaging container comprising a lower container,
The lower container is
A storage bottom portion;
A peripheral wall portion extending upward from the housing bottom portion;
a mounting step portion that is located on the inner periphery side of the peripheral wall portion and supports an outer edge of an upper container, the upper container being a rectangular lid-integrated container having a container body and a lid body connected by a hinge portion, and that mounts the upper container above the storage bottom portion;
a locking portion located above the mounting stage and configured to lock an outer edge of the upper container placed on the mounting stage;
The placement step and the locking portion are provided point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the accommodation bottom portion,
The mounting step is a packaging container having a hinge mounting step on which the hinge portion is mounted . The packaging container according to claim 2 , wherein the locking portion is located above the hinge mounting step and includes a hinge locking portion that locks the hinge portion. 3. The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined storage space is provided between the bottom surface of the container body of the upper container placed on the placement step and the storage bottom surface. 3. The packaging container according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting step is formed in an annular shape around the entire periphery of the peripheral wall.

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