JP7579659B2 - Packaging containers - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Sales date: April 20, 2020 to September 8, 2020 Sales locations: See attached list. Broadcast date: August 23, 2020 Broadcast program: "Gachi-ri Monday!!" Date of website publication: August 31, 2020- Place of publication (website address): https://www.risupack.co.jp/risupack_contents/article/1894

This invention relates to a packaging container consisting of a container body, an inner plate, and a lid.

Conventionally, packaging containers in which a lid fits onto a container body while food or the like is contained therein have been used, and in particular in recent years, with the spread of food delivery services, packaging containers are being used to contain cooked foods such as hot noodles. For example, the packaging containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2 include a container body, an inner plate, and a lid, and are capable of containing food separately in the inner plate and the container body. Various types of containers can be used to accommodate different types of food, such as containing soup or foods with a lot of moisture in the container body and noodles, condiments, and other ingredients in the inner plate. However, in these packaging containers, although the inner plate is contained to close the opening of the container body and the lid is fitted over it to seal it, they do not effectively prevent leakage of moisture from the food contained in the container body when the packaging container is tilted significantly.

Patent No. 6214121 Patent No. 6013265

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a packaging container that can effectively prevent leakage of liquids such as moisture from food contained in the container body.

In order to solve the above problem, the packaging container according to claim 1 of the present invention is a packaging container in which a lid is closed with an inner plate stored in the container body, the side wall of the container body is provided with a step, the inner plate has an outer peripheral wall extending downward from the outer peripheral side wall, and a space is provided between the side wall and the outer peripheral wall, the upper end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate abuts against the top surface of the lid, and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate abuts against the step of the side wall.

With the above features, when the lid is closed on the container body, no gap is formed between the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate and the step of the container body, effectively preventing moisture and other substances from the food contained in the container body from leaking out. Furthermore, when the packaging container is tilted significantly, moisture and other substances from the food contained in the container body flow into the space between the side wall and the outer wall of the inner plate. Therefore, moisture and other substances from the food are less likely to flow into the contact point between the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate and the step of the container body, and pressure that causes moisture and other substances from the food to flow into this contact point is less likely to be applied. Therefore, moisture and other substances from the food contained in the container body can be even more effectively prevented from leaking out from between the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate and the step of the container body.

Furthermore, the packaging container according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, when the lid body is fitted to the container body or when the lid body is pressed against the container body, the upper end of the outer wall of the inner plate is pressed downward by the top surface of the lid body and abuts against the top surface, and the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate is also pressed downward and abuts against the step portion of the side wall.

With the above features, the top surface of the lid presses the upper end of the outer peripheral wall downward, and this pressing force is directly and effectively transmitted to the lower end of the outer peripheral wall, which can be firmly maintained in contact with the step of the container body. This prevents a gap from forming between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner tray and the step of the container body, making it even more effective at preventing moisture and other substances from leaking out of the food contained in the container body.

Furthermore, the packaging container according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the inner plate has a storage section capable of storing food on the inside of the side wall of the inner plate.

With the above features, the outer wall is pressed downward by the weight of the food contained in the container section of the inner plate, so that the lower end of the outer wall can be firmly maintained in contact with the step of the container body. This prevents a gap from forming between the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate and the step of the container body, making it possible to more effectively prevent moisture and other substances from the food contained in the container body from leaking out.

Furthermore, the packaging container of claim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that an outer wall side locking portion is provided on the upper end of the outer wall of the inner plate, and a top surface side locking portion is provided on the top surface of the lid body, and the outer wall side locking portion and the top surface side locking portion lock with each other.

According to the above-mentioned features, the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion and the top surface side engaging portion are engaged with each other, so that the top surface of the lid body can be firmly maintained in contact with the upper end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate, or in a state in which the top surface of the lid body presses the upper end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate downward.

As described above, the packaging container of the present invention can effectively prevent leakage of liquids such as moisture from food contained in the container body.

1A is a plan view of a lid of a packaging container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of the lid, and FIG. 1C is an end view taken along the line A-A. 1A is a plan view of an inner plate of a packaging container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of the inner plate, and FIG. 1A is a plan view of a container body of a packaging container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of the container body, and FIG. 1C is a CC end view. 1A is a plan view of a packaging container according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the packaging container. 5(a) is a DD end view of FIG. 4(a), and FIG. 5(b) is an enlarged end view of the fitting portion of the packaging container in FIG. 5(a). 5A is a tilted end view of the packaging container shown in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged end view of a fitting portion of the packaging container.

100 Lid 110 Top surface 200 Inner plate 220 Side wall 230 Outer wall 300 Container body 320 Side wall 330 Step 400 Packaging container X Space

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, "upward" refers to the upward direction in the vertical direction when the container body of the packaging container is placed on a horizontal surface with the opening side facing up, and "downward" refers to the downward direction in the vertical direction.

First, FIG. 1 shows the lid 100 of the packaging container 400 of the present invention. Note that FIG. 1(a) is a plan view of the lid 100, FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the lid 100, and FIG. 1(c) is an A-A end view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 100 is a shallow dish type that opens downward and has a generally circular shape in a plan view, and includes a flat top surface 110, a side wall 120 that continues downward from an edge 111 of the top surface 110, and a flange portion 130 that extends outward from the lower end of the side wall 120. In addition, a lid side fitting portion 140 that is convex on the outside is provided so as to rise from the flange portion 130, and a flat flange portion 150 is formed on the outside of the upper end of the lid side fitting portion 140. The side wall 120, flange portion 130, lid side fitting portion 140, and flange portion 150 are provided continuously around the entire circumference of the lid 100 in the circumferential direction.

In addition, an upwardly protruding step 112 is formed on the outer periphery of the top surface 110, going around the circumference of the top surface 110. The bottom surface of the container body, which will be described later, can be placed on the inside of this step 112, so that the stacked packaging containers do not shift sideways.

Furthermore, on the outer periphery of the top surface 110, a top surface side engaging portion 160 that is convex upward and goes around the circumferential direction of the top surface 110 is formed. This top surface side engaging portion 160 has a recess 161 that is recessed upward on the back side, and is configured so that the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion described below can be engaged within the recess 161. Note that the top surface side engaging portion 160 is formed continuously so as to go around the circumferential direction of the top surface 110, but is not limited to this and may be formed intermittently in the circumferential direction of the top surface 110.

Next, FIG. 2 shows the inner plate 200 of the packaging container 400 of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the inner plate 200, FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the inner plate 200, and FIG. 2(c) is a B-B end view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner plate 200 is a shallow plate type that opens upward and has a generally circular shape in a plan view. It has a flat bottom surface 210, a side wall 220 that is continuous and rises upward from the edge of the bottom surface 210, an outer peripheral wall 230 that extends downward from the upper end of the side wall 220, and a flange portion 240 that extends outward from the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230. The side wall 220 and the outer peripheral wall 230 are continuous with each other at the upper end, but are separated from each other at the lower end, so that a space X is formed between the side wall 220 and the outer peripheral wall 230. The side wall 220, the outer peripheral wall 230, and the flange portion 240 are provided continuously around the entire circumference of the inner plate 200. The inner plate 200 is also surrounded by the bottom surface 210 and the surrounding side wall 220, and has a storage portion 270 inside that can store food ingredients, etc.

In addition, an outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260 that is convex upward is formed at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230. This outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260 is formed continuously around the circumference of the inner plate 200, but is not limited to this and may be formed intermittently in the circumference of the inner plate 200. In addition, a flat flange portion 240 that can be placed on a step of the container body described below is provided at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230, but is not limited to this and any configuration can be used, such as not having a flange portion 240, as long as the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can abut against the step of the container body.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the container body 300 of the packaging container 400 of the present invention. FIG. 3(a) is a plan view of the container body 300, FIG. 3(b) is a side view of the container body 300, and FIG. 3(c) is a C-C end view.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container body 300 is a deep dish type that opens upward and has a generally circular shape in a plan view. It has a flat bottom surface 310, a side wall 320 that continues to rise upward from the edge of the bottom surface 310, a step portion 330 formed on the upper end side of the side wall 320, a container side fitting portion 340 that continues upward from the step portion 330 and is concave on the outside, and a flange portion 350 that continues to the outside of the upper end of the container side fitting portion 340. The side wall 320, the step portion 330, the container side fitting portion 340, and the flange portion 350 are provided continuously around the entire circumference of the container body 300. The container body 300 is also surrounded by the bottom surface 310 and the surrounding side wall 320 and has a storage portion 360 inside that can store ingredients such as soup.

The step portion 330 also has a flat mounting surface 331 and a side surface 332 that rises from the mounting surface 331. The mounting surface 331 is configured so that the flange portion 240 of the inner plate 200 can be stably mounted thereon, and the side surface 332 is configured to surround the flange portion 240 of the inner plate 200 from the outside so that the flange portion 240 does not shift when placed.

The lid 100 (see FIG. 1) and the inner plate 200 (see FIG. 2) according to this embodiment are formed by sheet molding (e.g., vacuum molding, pressure molding, hot plate molding) using a sheet-like material with a thickness of about 0.1 mm to 1.00 mm. For example, the lid 100 and the inner plate 200 can be made of polystyrene, polypropylene, polystyrene, A-PET, polylactic acid, or biaxially stretched versions of these materials. The container body 300 is formed from heat-resistant PSP, heat-resistant foamed PET, or the like, which is suitable for containing liquid ingredients such as soup and has, for example, heat retention, heat resistance, and water resistance. The lid 100, the inner plate 200, and the container body 300 are generally circular in plan view, but can be appropriately changed in shape, such as a polygonal shape in plan view.

Next, the packaging container 400 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4(a) is a plan view of the packaging container 400, Figure 4(b) is a side view of the packaging container 400, Figure 5(a) is a D-D end view of Figure 4(a), and Figure 5(b) is an enlarged end view of the fitting portion of the packaging container 400 in Figure 5(a).

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the packaging container 400 is composed of three components: the lid 100, the inner plate 200, and the container body 300. When the packaging container 400 is used to display products in a store or to deliver food, the inner plate 200 is placed so as to cover the opening of the container body 300 with liquid food S, such as soup, contained in the storage section 360 of the container body 300, and food M, such as noodles or ingredients, is placed in the storage section 270 of the inner plate 200 and the lid 100 is placed over it to cover it, thereby sealing the packaging container 400.

To explain in more detail, as shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion 240 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 is placed on the mounting surface 331 of the step portion 330 of the container body 300, and the inner plate 200 is accommodated so as to cover the opening of the container body 300. In addition, the lid body side fitting portion 140 of the lid body 100 is internally fitted into the container side fitting portion 340 of the container body 300, and the lid body 100 is attached to the container body 300 so as to cover the inner plate 200. When the lid body 100 is fitted into the container body 300, the flange portion 150 is in close contact with the flange portion 350, so that it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the inside through the gap between the lid body 100 and the container body 300. In addition, the space X between the side wall 220 and the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 is located above the storage portion 360 of the container body 300 and is in communication with the storage portion 360.

In addition, when the lid body 100 is fitted to the container body 300, the upper end side of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 has the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260, which is convex upward, enter and abut into the recess 161 of the top surface side engaging portion 160 of the top surface 110 of the lid body 100, and are engaged without shifting from each other. Therefore, even if the packaging container 400 shakes or tilts as described below, the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 can firmly maintain a state in which it abuts against the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200, or a state in which the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 presses the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 downward.

Note that the top surface side locking portion 160 is concave upward (the back side of the top surface side locking portion 160 is recessed) and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 is convex upward, but this is not limited thereto, and the top surface side locking portion 160 may be convex downward and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 may be concave downward, etc., so long as the top surface side locking portion 160 and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 can lock with each other, the top surface side locking portion 160 and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 may be of any configuration. Also, while the top surface side locking portion 160 and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 are configured to be able to lock with each other, this is not limited thereto, and the top surface side locking portion 160 and the outer peripheral wall side locking portion 260 may be configured to fit together.

In this way, in the packaging container 400 of the present invention, the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the middle plate 200 abuts against the top surface 110 of the lid body 100, and the flange portion 240 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 abuts against the step portion 330 of the container body 300, so that the middle plate 200 can be prevented from shifting in the vertical direction, and the flange portion 240 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can be maintained in abutment against the step portion 330 of the container body 300. Furthermore, a part of the stepped abutment portion 231 located above the flange portion 240 of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the middle plate 200 and a part of the flange portion 130 of the lid body 100 abut against each other when the lid body 100 is fitted to the container body 300 or when the lid body 100 is pressed against the container body 300, thereby preventing the middle plate 200 from shifting in the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the packaging container 400 is shaken during transportation or tilted significantly as shown in FIG. 6, when the lid 100 is closed on the container body 300, no gap is formed between the lower end of the outer wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and the food S contained in the container body 300 can be effectively prevented from leaking out. Note that FIG. 6(a) is a tilted end view of the packaging container 400 shown in FIG. 5(a), and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged end view of the fitting portion of the packaging container 400.

Furthermore, when the lid body 100 is fitted to the container body 300, the height H1 from the mounting surface 331 of the step portion 330 to the abutment point with the top surface 110 at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 (in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260) is slightly larger than the height H2 from the mounting surface 331 of the step portion 330 to the abutment point with the outer peripheral wall 230 at the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 (in FIG. 5, the top surface engaging portion 160). Therefore, when the lid body 100 is fitted to the container body 300 and attached, the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 presses the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260 at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 downward via the top surface engaging portion 160. And because the outer peripheral wall 230 is pressed downward, the flange portion 240 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 also abuts against the step portion 330 in a manner that presses it against the step portion 330.

In this way, the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 presses the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 downward, and the pressing force is directly and effectively transmitted to the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230, and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can be firmly maintained in contact with the step 330 of the container body 300, so that no gap is formed between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and the food S contained in the container body 300 can be more effectively prevented from leaking out. In particular, the outer peripheral wall 230 extends in the vertical direction, and in the extension direction Y, the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 (in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260) abuts against the top surface 110 of the lid body 100, and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 (in FIG. 5, the flange portion 240) abuts against the step 330. Therefore, the upper and lower ends of the outer peripheral wall 230 are sandwiched between the top surface 110 of the lid 100 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and are in a state of being stretched in the vertical direction, so that no gap is formed between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and food S contained in the container body 300 can be more effectively prevented from leaking out.

In addition, the weight of the food M contained in the storage section 270 of the inner plate 200 presses the outer peripheral wall 230 downward, so that the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can be firmly maintained in contact with the step 330 of the container body 300. This prevents a gap from forming between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and more effectively prevents the food S contained in the container body 300 from leaking out.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when the packaging container 400 is tilted significantly, the food S contained in the storage section 360 of the container body 300 flows into the space X between the side wall 220 and the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200. Therefore, the food S is less likely to flow into the contact point between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and pressure to cause the food S to flow into the contact point is less likely to be applied. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the food S contained in the container body 300 from leaking out from between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300.

Furthermore, the weight of the food S that has flowed into the space X presses the outer peripheral wall 230 diagonally downward, causing the flange portion 240 at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 to press against the side surface 332 of the step portion 330. As a result, the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can be kept in contact with the step portion 330 of the container body 300, which further effectively prevents the food S contained within the container body 300 from leaking out.

In addition, the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 abuts continuously against the step 330 of the container body 300 in the circumferential direction of the packaging container 400, and there are no points (e.g., openings of communication holes) between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300 where they do not abut against each other. Therefore, even if the packaging container 400 is shaken or tilted in any direction, the food S contained in the container body 300 can be effectively prevented from leaking out.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 5, when the lid body 100 is fitted to the container body 300, the outer wall side engaging portion 260 of the outer wall 230 abuts against the top surface side engaging portion 160 of the lid body 100, but this is not limited thereto, and when the top surface side engaging portion 160 and the outer wall side engaging portion 260 are not provided, a portion of the upper end of the outer wall 230 is configured to abut against a portion of the top surface 110 of the lid body 100.

In addition, the height H1 from the mounting surface 331 of the step portion 330 to the contact point with the top surface 110 at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 (in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion 260) is slightly larger than the height H2 from the mounting surface 331 of the step portion 330 to the contact point with the outer peripheral wall 230 at the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 (in FIG. 5, the top surface side engaging portion 160), but is not limited to this, and the heights H1 and H2 may be equal. When the heights H1 and H2 are equal, the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 contacts the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230, but the top surface 110 of the lid body 100 does not press the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 downward. However, when the packaging containers 400 are stacked, if the weight of the packaging container 400 stacked on top presses the lid 100 of the lower packaging container 400 downward, or if the lid 100 of the packaging container 400 is pressed downward by a person, the top surface 110 of the lid 100 immediately and easily changes from a state in which the top surface 110 of the lid 100 abuts against the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 to a state in which the top surface 110 of the lid 100 presses the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 230 downward. Since the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 can be firmly maintained in abutment against the step 330 of the container body 300, no gap is formed between the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 230 of the inner plate 200 and the step 330 of the container body 300, and the food S contained in the container body 300 can be more effectively prevented from leaking out.

The packaging container of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims and the scope of the embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also included in the scope of the rights.

Claims (3)

A packaging container in which a lid is closed with an inner plate stored in a container body,
A step portion is provided on the side wall of the container body,
The inner plate has an outer peripheral wall extending downward from an outer peripheral side wall, and has a space between the side wall and the outer peripheral wall,
An upper end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate abuts against a top surface of the lid body, and a lower end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate abuts against a step portion of the side wall,
An outer peripheral wall side engaging portion is provided at an upper end of the outer peripheral wall of the inner plate,
A top surface locking portion is provided on the top surface of the lid,
A packaging container , characterized in that the outer peripheral wall side engaging portion and the top surface side engaging portion engage with each other . When the lid body is fitted to the container body or when the lid body is pressed against the container body,
2. A packaging container as described in claim 1, characterized in that the upper end of the outer wall of the inner plate is pressed downward by the top surface of the lid body to abut against the top surface, and the lower end of the outer wall of the inner plate is also pressed downward to abut against a step portion of the side wall. 3. The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the inner plate has a storage portion capable of storing food on the inside of a side wall of the inner plate.

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