JP7617619B2 - Food packaging container with inner tray - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a food packaging container with a tray.

In recent years, the types of food and drink sold at convenience stores and other stores have become extremely diverse, and in addition to prepared dishes, bento lunches, and sandwiches, they are expanding to include salads, desserts, noodles, and other processed foods. When selling such foods, food packaging containers consisting of a lid superimposed on a container body made of a synthetic resin sheet are often used.

Of the foods listed above, bento boxes are generally packaged and sold with all ingredients in one container. This is because the processing and cooking methods used allow the flavors of the ingredients to blend well together, resulting in a delicious overall taste. The moisture content of the ingredients used is also relatively consistent. In contrast, with noodles, mainly soba, udon, pasta, and other types of noodles, the noodles and the toppings placed on top are sometimes mixed together at the time of production. However, there can be a difference in moisture content between the noodles and the toppings placed on top. This means that the noodles are already soggy when eaten, and the taste is likely to deteriorate. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for better taste, and this is an issue that cannot be overlooked by retailers and sellers in order to differentiate themselves from other businesses and ensure customer satisfaction.

As a relatively simple solution, there is a container that uses an inner plate (inner lid) inside a container consisting of a container body and a lid (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this food packaging container with inner plate, for example, a main ingredient such as noodles is placed at the bottom of the container body, the inner plate is placed at the opening of the container body, appropriate side ingredients such as toppings are placed on this inner plate, and finally the lid is put on. With this container, it is possible to prevent the ingredients from mixing together before eating, making it possible to taste closer to that of freshly cooked food. In addition, the topping ingredients are arranged on the inner plate, which also creates a visually appealing appearance.

When eating food stored in this container, the inner plate placed on the opening of the container body is first lifted from the container body, and then the side ingredients such as toppings on the inner plate are transferred to the container body by using a tool such as chopsticks or by tilting and dropping the inner plate, and the main ingredient and side ingredients are mixed inside the container body. However, these transfer operations can be cumbersome for the user, and there is a possibility that the side ingredients will be accidentally spilled.

The applicant therefore proposed an inner plate in which two separate left and right halves are integrated by overlapping the joining surfaces (see, for example, Patent Document 2). With this inner plate, each of the halves is pulled outward above the container body, releasing the overlapping of the joining surfaces, and the halves are separated, causing the side ingredients placed on the inner plate to fall into the container body. This makes it possible to transfer the side ingredients to the container body in a simple procedure without using tools such as chopsticks. Further improvements to the structure of this type of food packaging container with inner plate are required to make it easier and more reliable to transfer the side ingredients from the inner plate.

Utility Model Registration No. 3133098 JP 2019-89567 A

The present invention was developed in consideration of these points, and provides a food packaging container with an inner tray that allows side dishes to be easily and reliably transferred without having to separate the inner tray from the container body as much as possible.

That is, the invention of claim 1 is a food packaging container comprising a container body which contains a main ingredient and has an outer peripheral flange at an upper opening, a middle plate which contains a side ingredient and has a middle plate holding flange which is held by the outer peripheral flange of the container body, and a top surface member which covers the upper opening of the container body and the middle plate, wherein a step portion is formed on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral flange of the container body, the middle plate holding flange of the middle plate is placed on the step portion, and the top surface member has a knob portion which serves as an opening portion on one side. and the inner plate is joined to the outer peripheral flange of the container body and to the inner plate holding flange on the opening side of the inner plate, and when the container is opened via the knob portion of the top member, the top member is peeled off from the outer peripheral flange on the opening side of the container body while maintaining its connection to the inner plate holding flange on the opening side of the inner plate, and the opening side of the inner plate is lifted together with the knob portion, allowing side ingredients contained in the inner plate to be introduced into the container body.

The invention of claim 2 relates to the food packaging container with inner plate described in claim 1, in which the inner plate has an inner plate introduction flange connected between both ends of the inner plate holding flange and located above the upper opening of the container body, and when the container is opened via the knob of the upper surface member, the side food ingredients contained in the inner plate are introduced into the container body from the inner plate introduction flange side.

The invention of claim 3 relates to a food packaging container with an inner tray according to claim 2, in which the inner tray introduction flange of the inner tray is connected to both ends of the inner tray holding flange via a notch.

The invention of claim 4 relates to a food packaging container with an inner tray according to claim 2 or 3, in which the inner tray side wall on the introduction side of the inner tray is configured to be inclined toward the inner tray introduction flange side.

The invention of claim 5 relates to a food packaging container with an inner tray as described in claim 4, in which a guide portion is formed by partially bulging outward on the side wall of the inner tray on the introduction side.

The invention of claim 6 relates to a food packaging container with an inner tray according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the outer circumferential flange of the container body has a guide recess that is recessed toward the inside of the container, and when the container is opened via the knob of the top member, both ends of the inner tray holding flange of the inner tray are inserted into the guide recess of the container body to tilt the inner tray.

The invention of claim 7 relates to a food packaging container with an inner tray as described in claim 6, in which an inclined guide section inclined toward the opening side is formed at the top of the opening side of the guide recess.

The invention of claim 8 relates to a food packaging container with a middle plate as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, which has a middle plate mounting step protruding toward the inside of the container on the side wall of the container body, an engaging protrusion formed on the middle plate mounting step and an engaging recess formed on the middle plate bottom of the middle plate, and the engaging protrusion of the middle plate mounting step and the engaging recess of the middle plate bottom are engaged with each other so that the middle plate bottom is placed on the middle plate mounting step.

The invention of claim 9 relates to a food packaging container with an inner plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the upper surface member is a top seal.

According to the invention of claim 1, the food packaging container with inner plate comprises a container body which contains a main ingredient and has an outer peripheral flange at an upper opening, a inner plate which contains a side ingredient and has an inner plate holding flange which is held by the outer peripheral flange of the container body, and a top member which covers the upper opening of the container body and the inner plate , wherein a step is formed on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral flange of the container body, the inner plate holding flange of the inner plate is placed on the step, and the top member has a knob portion which serves as an opening portion, and the outer peripheral flange of the container body and the opening of the inner plate are held by the outer peripheral flange of the container body and the inner plate. It is joined to the inner plate holding flange on the sealed side, and when it is opened via the knob portion of the top member, the top member is peeled off from the outer peripheral flange on the opening side of the container body while maintaining its connection to the inner plate holding flange on the opening side of the inner plate, and the opening side of the inner plate is lifted together with the knob portion, so that the side ingredients contained in the inner plate are introduced into the container body.This allows side ingredients to be transferred more accurately than before, and the post-opening procedure can be omitted compared to the conventional method, allowing food to be eaten in a simpler and more efficient procedure.

According to the food packaging container with inner plate of the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, the inner plate has an inner plate introduction flange connected between both ends of the inner plate holding flange and located above the upper opening of the container body, and when the container is opened via the knob of the upper surface member, the side ingredients contained in the inner plate are introduced into the container body from the inner plate introduction flange side, so that the side ingredients are gathered on the inner plate introduction flange side and can be appropriately introduced into the container body.

According to the food packaging container with inner plate of the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 2, the inner plate introduction flange of the inner plate is connected to both ends of the inner plate holding flange via a notch, so that when the container is opened, the inner plate introduction flange enters the container body, making it easier to introduce the side food ingredients in the inner plate into the container body.

According to the food packaging container with inner tray of the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claims 2 or 3, the inner tray side wall on the introduction side of the inner tray is configured to be inclined toward the inner tray introduction flange, so that the side ingredients can be easily dropped from the inner tray when they are introduced inside the container body.

According to the food packaging container with inner tray of the invention of claim 5, in the invention of claim 4, a guide portion is formed by partially bulging outward on the side wall of the inner tray on the introduction side, so that when the inner tray is tilted, the side ingredients are more easily concentrated in a predetermined position, and the side ingredients can be introduced more accurately into the inside of the container body.

According to the food packaging container with inner plate of the invention of claim 6, in the inventions of claims 2 to 5, the outer periphery flange of the container body is formed with a guide recess that is recessed into the inside of the container, and when the container is opened via the knob of the top member, both ends of the inner plate holding flange of the inner plate are inserted into the guide recess of the container body to tilt the inner plate, thereby reducing interference between the end side of the inner plate holding flange and the outer periphery flange of the container body, making it easier to tilt the inner plate.

According to the food packaging container with inner plate of the invention of claim 7, in the invention of claim 6, an inclined guide portion inclined toward the opening side is formed at the upper part of the opening side of the guide recess, so that the inner plate introduction flange of the inner plate can be stably dropped into the container body.

According to the invention of claim 8 , the food packaging container with a middle plate, in the inventions of claims 1 to 7 , has a middle plate mounting step protruding toward the inside of the container on the side wall portion of the container body, an engaging convex portion is formed on the middle plate mounting step and an engaging concave portion is formed on the middle plate bottom portion of the middle plate, and the engaging convex portion of the middle plate mounting step and the engaging concave portion of the middle plate bottom portion are engaged with each other so that the middle plate bottom is placed on the middle plate mounting step, so that the middle plate can be positioned at a predetermined position and the middle plate can be prevented from sliding sideways.

According to the food packaging container with an inner plate of the invention of claim 9 , in the inventions of claims 1 to 8 , the upper surface member is a top seal, so that the inside of the container can be seen and it can be easily joined to both the outer peripheral flange of the container body and the inner plate retaining flange of the inner plate.

1 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a food packaging container with an inner plate according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an overall cross-sectional view of a food packaging container with an inner tray. FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of a food packaging container with a middle tray. FIG. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion showing the relationship between the container body and the inner plate when the top member is sealed. FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion showing the relationship between the container body and the inner plate immediately after the top member is opened. 13 is a first enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing the relationship between the container body and the inner plate when the top member is opened. FIG. A second enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts showing the relationship between the container body and the inner plate when the top member is opened. FIG. 11 is an overall plan view of a food packaging container with a circular inner plate according to another embodiment. FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of a food packaging container with an inner tray having an angular planar shape. FIG. 11 is an overall plan view of a food packaging container with an inner plate having an angular plan view shape according to another embodiment.

The container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 is a food packaging container with an inner tray for separating and storing multiple ingredients, particularly processed foods sold at convenience stores, etc., and comprises a container body 10 for storing a main ingredient, an inner tray 30 for storing a side ingredient, and a top member 50. This food packaging container 1 is opened using a knob portion 56 formed on one side of the top member 50 as the opening portion. In the following description, the opening side corresponds to the side of the knob portion (opening portion) 56 when the top member 50 is sealed, and the opposite side is the sealing side.

The foods contained in the container 1 are not particularly limited, but examples include noodles such as soba, udon, chilled Chinese noodles, and pasta salad; donburi dishes such as oyakodon, Chinese rice bowl, and beef bowl; and other bento lunches such as curry rice and hayashi rice. In particular, these foods are pre-cooked and can be eaten immediately after heating in a microwave oven or the like, or as is. The main ingredients contained in the container body 10 are noodles, rice, and the like. The side ingredients contained in the inner plate are solid ingredients such as ingredients and additives, and liquid ingredients such as curry roux. Note that the main ingredients and side ingredients are not limited to the examples listed above, and ingredients in an appropriate form are selected depending on the type of food, etc.

The food packaging container 1 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin sheet. Examples of the synthetic resin sheet that constitutes the container 1 include thermoplastic resin sheets such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate, as well as thermoplastic resin sheets of biodegradable resins such as polylactic acid. The synthetic resin sheets are formed into various shapes, including those shown in the figure, by vacuum forming. The thickness of the synthetic resin sheet is arbitrary, but is generally 1 mm or less.

The combination of the container body 10, inner plate 30, and top surface member 50 that make up the container 1 may be made of the same material or different materials. The container body 10 is not limited to being made of a flexible material such as a synthetic resin sheet, but may also be made of metal, glass, wood, or paper. The type of constituent material is appropriately selected depending on the application, contents, and packaging object.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the container body 10 has a container body 11 with a side wall 13 standing from a bottom 12 and an upper opening 15 formed on the upper part, and an outer peripheral flange 20 extending outward from the upper opening 15. The container body 10 is formed in an appropriate tableware shape capable of accommodating food, such as a bowl shape, a bowl shape, or a deep dish shape, and is formed appropriately according to the purpose, for example, a polygonal shape in plan view such as a square or octagon, or a shape including a circular shape such as a perfect circle, an ellipse, or a semicircle. The container body 10 shown in the figure is a bowl shape with a circular shape in plan view. In the figure, the reference numeral 16 denotes a handle portion that corresponds to the opening portion (grip portion 56) when sealed, and is used to make it easier to open by placing a hand (fingers) on it when opening.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral flange 20 is integrally formed and extends outward around the entire circumference of the upper opening 15. The outer peripheral shape of the outer peripheral flange 20 may be substantially the same as that of the upper opening 15, or may be different. In the embodiment, the outer peripheral flange 20 is substantially the same as that of the upper opening 15, which is circular in plan view.

It is preferable that a step 21 is formed on the inner periphery of the outer flange 20. The step 21 corresponds to the placement portion of the inner plate 30, and is formed at least in the range of the outer flange 20 where the inner plate 30 can be placed. The step 21 is also formed to an appropriate depth that allows the placement of the inner plate 30, for example, to a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the synthetic resin sheet that constitutes the container 1.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, the container body 10 has a middle plate mounting step 17 on the side wall 13 of the container body 11 that protrudes toward the inside of the container and on which the middle plate 30 described below is mounted. This middle plate mounting step 17 has a mating protrusion 18 formed thereon.

In addition, in this container body 10, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, guide recesses 25, 25 that are recessed toward the inside of the container are formed in the outer peripheral flange 20. As shown in Figure 1, the guide recess 25 is a vertical groove-shaped portion of a predetermined length that is formed so as to recess from the outer peripheral flange 20 toward the inside of the container. In the guide recess 25, an inclined guide portion 26 that is inclined toward the opening side is formed at the upper part of the opening side.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 5, the middle plate 30 is a member that is held by the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10, and has a middle plate body part 31 with a middle plate side wall part 33 standing upright from the middle plate bottom part 32 and an upper opening 35 formed at the top, and a middle plate holding flange part 40 that extends outward from the upper opening 35 and is held by the outer peripheral flange part 20 of the container body 10.

The inner plate holding flange 40 is a portion that is placed and held on the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 11, and is preferably placed on the step 21 of the outer peripheral flange 20. As described above, the step 21 of the outer peripheral flange 20 has a depth that is approximately equal to the thickness of the synthetic resin sheet, so that when the inner plate holding flange 40 is placed on it, the outer peripheral flange 20 and the inner plate holding flange 40 are configured to be approximately flush with each other.

The middle plate 30 also has a middle plate introduction flange 41 that is connected between both ends of the middle plate holding flange 40 and located above the upper opening 15 of the container body 10. As shown in the figure, this middle plate introduction flange 41 is a portion that is not placed on the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10, and is located at a position separated from the outer peripheral flange 20 on the sealing side. In the figure, the symbol 33a is the introduction side middle plate side wall portion of the middle plate side wall portion 33 that is connected to the middle plate introduction flange 41.

The inner plate 30 is positioned so that the inner plate holding flange 40 is placed on the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10, and the inner plate introduction flange 41 is not placed on the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10 but is positioned above the upper opening 15, so that it blocks a part of the upper opening 15 of the container body 10 (the opening side). The part of the upper opening 15 that is not blocked by the inner plate 30 becomes the open part 15a.

The middle plate 30 has a mating recess 38 formed in the middle plate bottom 32 that fits with the mating protrusion 18 of the middle plate mounting step 17 of the container body 11. As shown in FIG. 2, when the middle plate 30 is held in the upper opening 15 of the container body 10, the mating protrusion 18 of the middle plate mounting step 17 fits with the mating recess 38 of the middle plate bottom 32, so that the middle plate bottom 32 is placed on the middle plate mounting step 17. This positions the middle plate 30 at a predetermined position in the upper opening 15 and prevents the middle plate 30 from sliding sideways.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the top surface member 50 is a member that covers and seals the upper opening 15 of the container body 10 and the upper opening 35 of the inner plate 30. This top surface member 50 is made of a suitable member that can cover the upper parts of the container body 10 and the inner plate 30 and seal them together, and for example, a top seal 50A is preferable. The top seal 50A is made of a transparent resin film, so that the inside of the container can be seen, and it can be easily joined to both the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10 and the inner plate holding flange 40 of the inner plate 30 by known joining means such as heat sealing or adhesive.

The top surface member 50 has a knob portion 56 that protrudes like a tongue on one side and serves as an opening portion, and is joined to the entire circumference of the outer periphery flange portion 20 of the container body 10 to seal the upper opening 15 of the container body 10. The knob portion 56 is disposed in correspondence with the handle portion 16 of the container body 10, and can be peeled off the top surface member 50 from the outer periphery flange portion 20 of the container body 10 by pinching and lifting it up, thereby opening the container body 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the top surface member 50 is joined to the entire circumference of the outer periphery flange 20 of the container body 10 via the body joint 51, and is joined to the inner plate holding flange 40a on the opening side of the inner plate 30 via the inner plate joint 55. The inner plate holding flange 40a on the opening side is a predetermined area of the inner plate holding flange 40 that is close to the knob 56. In the embodiment, the inner plate holding flange 40 of the inner plate 30 is placed on the step 21 of the outer periphery flange 20 of the container body 11, so that the outer periphery flange 20 and the inner plate holding flange 40 are configured to be approximately flush with each other. This makes it easier to join the top surface member 50 to both the container body 10 and the inner plate 30 at the same time.

As shown in Figs. 6 to 9, when the food packaging container 1 of the present invention is opened via the knob 56 of the top member 50, the top member 50 is peeled off from the outer periphery flange 20a on the opening side of the container body 10 while maintaining its connection with the inner plate holding flange 40a on the opening side of the inner plate 30, and the opening side of the inner plate 30 is lifted together with the knob 56, so that the side ingredients contained in the inner plate 30 are introduced into the container body 10. The above-mentioned opening operation will be described in more detail below with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. In the following description, the part of the body joint 51, which is the joint between the outer periphery flange 20 of the container body 10 and the top member 50, that is peeled off during the opening operation is referred to as the opening side body joint 52, and the other part is referred to as the sealing side body joint 53, and the part of the outer periphery flange 20 that corresponds to the opening side body joint 52 is referred to as the opening side outer periphery flange 22, and the part that corresponds to the sealing side body joint 53 is referred to as the sealing side outer periphery flange 23.

First, the food packaging container 1 shown in Figure 6 shows the state when the top member 50 is sealed. In the food packaging container 1 when sealed, the inner plate 30 is held by the container body 10 with the inner plate holding flange 40 placed on the opening side outer peripheral flange 22 (step 21) of the container body 10 and the fitting recess 38 of the inner plate bottom 32 fitting into the fitting protrusion 18 of the inner plate mounting step 17 of the container body 11 so that the inner plate bottom 32 is placed on the inner plate mounting step 17. The top surface member 50 is joined to the outer peripheral flange 20 (22, 23) of the container body 10 via the body joint 51 (52, 53), and is joined to the inner plate holding flange 40a on the opening side of the inner plate 30 via the inner plate joint 55, covering and sealing the upper opening 35 of the inner plate body 31 and the upper opening 15 of the container body 11.

When the food packaging container 1 is sealed, the mating recess 38 of the inner plate bottom 32 and the mating protrusion 18 of the inner plate placement step 17 are mated, and the inner plate 30 is joined to the top surface member 50 joined to the container body 10 via the inner plate joint 55, preventing the inner plate 30 from sliding sideways. This allows the main ingredient contained in the container body 10 and the side ingredient contained in the inner plate 30 to be properly separated during transportation, storage, etc.

Next, when opening the top member 50, as shown in FIG. 7, the knob portion 56 of the top member 50 is pulled upward, and the opening side body joint 52 is released on the opening side (handle portion 16 side, knob portion 56 side) of the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10, and peeling of the top member 50 begins. At this time, the middle plate 30 and the top member 50 are maintained in joint by the middle plate joint 55 even when opened. Therefore, as the knob portion 56 of the top member 50 is pulled upward, the middle plate 30 is lifted together with the top member 50.

The inner plate 30, which has been lifted together with the top member 50, is tilted so that its opening side faces upward as shown. That is, the opening side (the knob portion 56 side) of the inner plate holding flange 40 is separated from the opening side outer periphery flange 22 of the container body 10, and the fitting recess 38 of the inner plate bottom 32 and the fitting protrusion 18 of the inner plate mounting step 17 are disengaged, and the inner plate bottom 32 is separated from the inner plate mounting step 17. On the other hand, on the opposite side of the opening side of the inner plate 30 (the introduction side), the connection between the end 22a side of the opening side outer periphery flange 22 of the container body 10 and the top member 50 is maintained, so that the end 43 side of the inner plate holding flange 40 is not separated from the end 22a side of the opening side outer periphery flange 22 of the container body 10.

Here, when a guide recess 25 is formed in the outer peripheral flange 20, the end 42 of the inner plate holding flange 40 of the inner plate 30 can be recessed into the guide recess 25 with the opening side apex 27 as a fulcrum. In other words, it is possible to reduce interference between the end 42 side (the inner plate introduction flange 41 side) of the inner plate holding flange 40, which is downward when the inner plate 30 is tilted, and the outer peripheral flange 20 of the container body 10, making it easier to tilt the inner plate 30.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the knob portion 56 of the top surface member 50 is further pulled up, the peeling of the top surface member 50 from the opening side outer peripheral flange portion 22 progresses further, and the opening side of the inner plate 30 is lifted further and tilted accordingly. By tilting the inner plate 30 in this manner, the stored side ingredients are collected toward the introduction side inner plate side wall portion 33a of the inner plate main body portion 31.

When the guide recess 25 is formed in the opening side outer peripheral flange 22, the middle plate 30 tilts to the inclined guide portion 26 with the opening side apex 27 of the guide recess 25 as a fulcrum, and is further advanced into the guide recess 25. Therefore, the middle plate 30 can be tilted gently. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the end portion 42 of the middle plate holding flange 40 is further recessed toward the lower end of the guide recess 25, and the middle plate 30 is tilted, and the middle plate introduction flange 41 of the middle plate 30 falls into the container body portion 11. At that time, the end portion 42 of the middle plate holding flange 40 moves toward the lower end of the guide recess 25 along the inclined guide portion 26, so that the middle plate introduction flange 41 of the middle plate 30 can be stably fallen into the container body portion 11.

In this way, the inner plate 30 is pulled up together with the knob portion 56 of the upper surface member 50 and tilted so that the inner plate introduction flange 41 is at the bottom end, so that the side ingredients collected on the introduction side of the inner plate side wall portion 33a of the inner plate main body portion 31 fall from the inner plate introduction flange 41 side. At that time, because the tilting of the inner plate 30 is performed inside the upper opening 15 of the container body 10, the side ingredients falling from the inner plate 30 can be properly introduced into the inside of the container body 10 directly below.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the middle plate 30 has the middle plate side wall 33 of the middle plate main body 31, and the introduction side middle plate side wall 33a is inclined toward the front. The introduction side middle plate side wall 33a is inclined toward the middle plate introduction flange 41, so that the side ingredients can be easily dropped from the middle plate when they are introduced into the container main body (see FIG. 9). In addition, it is more preferable to form a guide portion 34 in which a part of the introduction side middle plate side wall 33a is further bulged outward. The guide portion 34 makes it easier to concentrate the side ingredients at a predetermined position (the center side of the introduction side middle plate side wall 33a) when the middle plate 30 is tilted (see FIGS. 8 and 9), and the side ingredients can be introduced more accurately into the container main body. This is particularly suitable for introducing flowable side ingredients.

As shown and explained above, in the food packaging container with inner plate of the present invention, the top member is joined to the outer periphery flange of the container body and the inner plate holding flange on the opening side of the inner plate, and when the container is opened via the knob of the top member, the top member is peeled off from the outer periphery flange on the opening side of the container body while maintaining its connection to the inner plate holding flange on the opening side of the inner plate, and the opening side of the inner plate is lifted together with the knob, so that the side ingredients contained in the inner plate are introduced into the container body. Therefore, the side ingredients contained in the inner plate can be introduced into the container body at the upper opening position of the container body without having to separate the inner plate from the container body as in the conventional method. Therefore, the side ingredients can be transferred more accurately than in the conventional method.

In addition, with this food packaging container, the operation of transferring side ingredients from the inner plate can be performed in conjunction with the operation of opening the top member. This eliminates the steps required after opening compared to conventional methods, allowing food to be eaten in a simpler and more efficient manner.

Next, food packaging containers according to other embodiments will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. Note that in the following embodiments, the same reference numerals represent the same configurations and will not be described.

The food packaging container 1A shown in FIG. 10 is an example having a container body 10A that is generally circular in plan view and does not have a guide recess, and a middle plate 30A in which a middle plate introduction flange 41 is connected to both ends 42, 42 of a middle plate holding flange 40 via a notch 43. During the opening operation, this middle plate 30A is tilted with the end 42 of the middle plate holding flange 40 to which the notch 43 is connected as a fulcrum. At that time, since the middle plate introduction flange 41 is configured to protrude outward (toward the introduction side) from the middle plate holding flange 40 via the notch 43, the middle plate introduction flange 41 enters the container body 10A when the middle plate 30A is tilted, making it easier to introduce the side food in the middle plate 30A into the container body 10A.

The food packaging container 1B shown in Figure 11 has a container body 10B that is generally rectangular in plan view, and a middle plate 30B that is generally rectangular in plan view and is held on one side of the container body 10B, and is an example in which the knob portion 56 of the top member 50 is arranged on one side of the container body 10B as the opening portion. In the food packaging container 1B, the step portion 21 is formed in a generally U-shape over the opening side edge of the container body 10B and parts of both sides connected thereto. In addition, in the food packaging container 1B, the opening side body joint portion 52 is formed on the opening side outer peripheral flange portion 22 on the side on which the middle plate 30B is placed, and the sealing side body joint portion 53 is formed on the sealing side outer peripheral flange portion 23 on the opposite side, and the middle plate joint portion 55 is formed on the middle plate holding flange portion 40 adjacent to the knob portion 56. In this food packaging container 1B, the opening operation is performed via the knob 56, and the inner plate 30B is tilted together with the knob 56 from the side that is the opening side, allowing the side ingredients in the inner plate 30B to be introduced into the container body 10B.

The food packaging container 1C shown in Figure 12 has a container body 10C that is generally rectangular in plan view, and a middle plate 30C that is generally triangular in plan view and is held at one corner of the container body 10C, and is an example in which the knob portion 56 of the top member 50 is arranged at the one corner of the container body 10C as the opening portion. In the food packaging container 1C, a step portion 21 is formed in a generally L-shape on each side including the one corner of the opening side of the container body 10C. In addition, in the food packaging container 1C, an opening side body joint portion 52 is formed on the opening side outer peripheral flange portion 22 on the one corner side on which the middle plate 30C is placed, and a sealing side body joint portion 53 is formed on the sealing side outer peripheral flange portion 23 on the opposite side, and a middle plate joint portion 55 is formed on the corner side of the middle plate holding flange portion 40 adjacent to the knob portion 56. With this food packaging container 1C, the side dish in the inner dish 30C can be introduced into the container body 10C by tilting the inner dish 30C together with the knob 56 from one corner side, which is the opening side.

The food packaging container with inner tray of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. For example, although not shown, it is possible to appropriately form guide recesses in the food packaging containers 1A to 1C. In addition, the position of the tab, which serves as the opening portion, can be set arbitrarily regardless of the shape of the container body.

As described above, the food packaging container with inner tray of the present invention allows the transfer of side ingredients by lifting and tilting the inner tray from the opening side in conjunction with the opening operation of the top member, making it possible to transfer side ingredients more accurately than before and to eat food in a simpler and more efficient manner. Therefore, it is a promising alternative to conventional food packaging containers with inner trays.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A to 1C Food packaging container with inner tray 10, 10A to 10C Container body 11 Container body portion 12 Bottom portion 13 Side wall portion 15 Upper opening 15a Opening portion 16 Handle portion 17 Inner tray placement step portion 18 Fitting convex portion 20 Peripheral flange portion 20a Opening side outer flange portion 21 Step portion 22 Opening side outer flange portion 22a End portion of opening side outer flange portion 23 Sealing side outer flange portion 25 Guide recess 26 Inclined guide portion 27 Opening side apex of guide recess 30, 30A to 30C Inner tray 31 Inner tray main body portion 32 Inner tray bottom portion 33 Inner tray side wall portion 33a Introduction side inner tray side wall portion 34 Guiding portion 35 Upper opening 38 Fitting recess 40 Inner plate holding flange 40a Inner plate holding flange on opening side 41 Inner plate introduction flange 42 End of inner plate holding flange 43 Notch 50 Top member 50A Top seal 51 Body joint 52 Opening side body joint 53 Sealing side body joint 55 Inner plate joint 56 Handle portion

Claims (9)

A container body containing a main ingredient and having an outer peripheral flange at an upper opening;
A middle plate that contains a side dish and has a middle plate holding flange that is held by the outer peripheral flange of the container body;
A food packaging container having a top surface member that covers the upper opening of the container body and the inner plate,
A step portion is formed on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral flange of the container body, and the inner plate holding flange of the inner plate is placed on the step portion,
The top surface member has a tab portion on one side that serves as an opening portion, and is joined to the outer peripheral flange portion of the container body and the inner plate holding flange portion on the opening side of the inner plate,
This food packaging container with an inner plate is characterized in that, when opening the container via the handle portion of the upper surface member, the upper surface member is peeled off from the outer peripheral flange portion of the opening side of the container body while maintaining its connection to the inner plate holding flange portion of the opening side of the inner plate, and the opening side of the inner plate is lifted together with the handle portion, allowing side ingredients contained in the inner plate to be introduced into the container body. The food packaging container with inner plate according to claim 1, wherein the inner plate has an inner plate introduction flange connected between both ends of the inner plate holding flange and located above the upper opening of the container body, and when the container is opened via the knob of the top member, the side food contained in the inner plate is introduced into the container body from the inner plate introduction flange side. A food packaging container with a middle tray according to claim 2, in which the middle tray introduction flange of the middle tray is connected to both ends of the middle tray holding flange via a notch. A food packaging container with a middle tray according to claim 2 or 3, in which the middle tray side wall on the introduction side of the middle tray is configured to be inclined toward the middle tray introduction flange. The food packaging container with inner tray according to claim 4, wherein a guide portion is formed by partially bulging outward on the side wall of the inner tray on the introduction side. A food packaging container with an inner tray according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which a guide recess that is recessed into the inside of the container is formed in the outer circumferential flange of the container body, and when the container is opened via the knob of the top member, both ends of the inner tray holding flange of the inner tray are recessed into the guide recess of the container body to tilt the inner tray. The food packaging container with inner plate according to claim 6, in which an inclined guide section inclined toward the opening side is formed at the top of the opening side of the guide recess. A food packaging container with an inner plate as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, which has a middle plate mounting step protruding toward the inside of the container on the side wall of the container body, an engaging protrusion formed on the middle plate mounting step and an engaging recess formed on the middle plate bottom of the middle plate, and the engaging protrusion of the middle plate mounting step and the engaging recess of the middle plate bottom are engaged with each other so that the middle plate bottom is placed on the middle plate mounting step. 9. The food packaging container with a middle tray according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface member is a top seal.

Images