JP7690190B2 - packaging containers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging container that makes it easy to open the lid.

Recently, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people are eating out, and as a countermeasure, I hear that more and more restaurants are starting to offer takeout options such as bento boxes.
Lunch boxes are often sold in containers made of thin synthetic resin (plastic) sheets. Such containers are light and easy to carry. To prevent the lid from accidentally coming off and the contents from spilling out when the container is being carried, for example, some containers have a fitting protrusion on the periphery of the lid that fits into a fitting recess on the container body to close the lid.

Increasing the fitting force to prevent the lid from coming off also requires more force to open, which tends to make it more difficult to open. Also, if the fitting force is too high, it can be easy to use too much force when opening the lid, causing the contents to fly out as a result of the reaction.

In view of this, for example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a container that makes it easier to open the lid.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-133633 discloses a packaging container having a fitting structure for fitting a container body and a lid with at least one of an internal fitting and an external fitting, the packaging container having a gripping piece provided on the outside of the fitting portion on one of the container body or the lid, an inclined surface provided on the surface of the gripping piece and inclined so as to protrude toward the outside of the container and toward the other side of the container body or the lid, a pressing piece provided on the other of the container body or the lid that faces the gripping piece in the closed state, an outer bulge provided on the outer side of the pressing piece that bulges toward the gripping piece and has a tip that can slide along the inclined surface, and an inner bulge provided on the inner side of the pressing piece that bulges toward the gripping piece and has a tip that slidably abuts against the inclined surface in the closed state. The packaging container is designed so that the gripping piece and the pressing piece can be easily opened by gripping the gripping piece and the pressing piece.

Patent No. 5938505

The container disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has good fitting and opening performance, but the shapes of the tab and push-down pieces are complex, which causes problems in manufacturing, such as difficulty in producing the molds, and problems with the three-dimensional shapes of the tab and push-down pieces, which make them bulky when stacking and packaging the container body or the lid alone.

The object of the present invention is to provide a packaging container that makes it easy to open while preventing the lid from coming off the container body, without significantly changing the shape from conventional products.

One form of packaging container of the present invention is a packaging container having a lid to be placed over a container body and having a polygonal peripheral portion, in which the lid side end of the peripheral wall surface of the container body is formed in a gable shape, with the top of the peripheral portion being arranged in a straight line when viewed from the side, and an engaging protrusion is provided near a corner of the peripheral portion on one of the lid body and the container body, protruding inward or outward and engaging with the other to maintain the lid in a closed state, the engaging protrusion has an appropriate length in the circumferential direction of the container and is arranged continuously so as to span the corner, and the length of the engaging protrusion arranged at one corner is shorter than the length of the engaging protrusion arranged at the other corner.

The packaging container of the above form has mating protrusions provided near the corners of the periphery of the container, and the length of the mating protrusions located at one corner is shorter than the length of the mating protrusions located at the other corners, making it easier to open the lid from this point, while the other mating protrusions maintain the mating state of the lid and container body when closed, making it difficult for the lid to come off.

Another form of packaging container of the present invention is a packaging container having a lid body to be placed over the container body, and a peripheral portion having an isosceles trapezoid shape with an upper base shorter than a lower base, wherein the container body side end of the peripheral wall surface of the lid body is formed into a planar covering surface portion that protrudes sideways toward the outside and a hanging surface portion whose tip is folded, forming a peripheral portion in which the covering surface portion is arranged in a straight line when viewed from the side, and fitting protrusions are provided at each corner of the peripheral portion on one of the lid body and the container body, protruding toward the inside or outside of the container and engaging with the other to maintain the lid closed, the fitting protrusions have an appropriate length in the circumferential direction of the container and are arranged continuously so as to span the corners, and the length of the fitting protrusions arranged at one corner on the upper base side of the peripheral portion is shorter than the length of the fitting protrusions arranged at the other corners.

The packaging container of the above-mentioned other form has a trapezoidal peripheral portion, and the length of the mating protrusion located at one corner of the upper base side of the container is shorter than the length of the mating protrusions located at the other corners, making it easier to open the lid from this point, and the container is less likely to shake due to recoil when opening the lid, making it less likely for the contents to fly out. In addition, the other mating protrusions maintain the mating state between the lid and the container body when the lid is closed, making it less likely for the lid to come off.

In both of the above-mentioned forms of packaging containers, it is preferable that the fitting convex portion is provided on one of the lid body or the container body, and the fitting concave portion into which the fitting convex portion fits is provided on the other of the lid body or the container body.
Since the fitting convex portion is structured to fit into the fitting concave portion, the fitted state is easily maintained, resulting in a container in which the lid is less likely to come off.

In both of the above-mentioned forms of packaging containers, a piece-like tab extending outward can be provided near the corner where the short fitting protrusion is disposed.
By pinching the knob and opening the lid, the short fitting protrusion works in conjunction with the knob, making the opening operation easier.

1 is a front view showing a packaging container of one embodiment of the present invention in an open state. 2 is a side view of the packaging container of FIG. 1 placed upright with the lid closed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the packaging container of FIG. 1 with the hinge portion omitted and the container body and the lid body separated. FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged end view of the container body of FIG. 1 , in which the vicinity of the peripheral edge portion is cut away. 2 is a partially enlarged end view of the container body of FIG. 1 , in which the vicinity of a fitting recess is cut away. 2 is a partially enlarged end view of the lid shown in FIG. 1 , in which a fitting protrusion and its vicinity are cut away.

Below, one embodiment of the packaging container of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the packaging container 1 of one embodiment of the present invention has a container body 2 and a lid 3 integrally formed via a hinge portion 4 provided on the longitudinal edge, and the peripheral portion is trapezoidal, more specifically, a vertically elongated isosceles trapezoid, with the lower base side serving as the bottom surface portion 22a, so that the container 1 can be placed vertically with a slight incline toward the rear side, as shown in Fig. 2. The left rear surface portion 21 shown in Fig. 2 may be used as the bottom surface portion of the container 1. Also, the container 1 may not have a hinge portion 4, and the container body 2 and the lid 3 may be separate entities that can be separated.

The packaging container 1 is shaped like a vertically long box, and although there are no particular limitations, it can be sized to be approximately 50 mm to 300 mm in height, 30 mm to 150 mm in width, and 20 mm to 150 mm in depth, and is suitable for storing vertically long items, such as shrimp tempura, fried shrimp, vegetable sticks, and other food products. However, the items to be stored are not limited to these.

The shape of the peripheral portion of the packaging container 1 is not limited to the above shapes, but may be any polygonal shape, such as a triangle, a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, or other quadrilateral, a pentagon, a hexagon, or an octagon.

As shown in FIG. 4, the container body 2 includes a back portion 21 and a peripheral wall portion 22 that rises vertically from the back portion 21 so as to surround the back portion 21. As shown in FIG. 2, one surface of the peripheral wall portion 22 is the bottom portion 22a. As shown in FIG. 3, the back portion 21 is formed so that the lower half is deep and the upper half is shallow, and the lower half is about 2 to 3 times deeper than the upper half. More specifically, based on FIG. 3, the upper edge is gently inclined from the upper edge to about 3/4 of the total height, the upper edge is vertical from about 3/4 of the total height to about half of the total height, the upper edge is slightly inclined, and the lower edge is gently inclined. By shaping the back portion 21 in this way, it is possible to suppress sinking of the contents, allowing for a voluminous presentation, and also to stabilize the contents when placed vertically.

As shown in Fig. 1 or 2, the back surface 21 and the peripheral wall surface 22 are formed with convex or concave rib portions 23, which increase the rigidity of the container body 2 and prevent the contents contained therein from shifting. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the rib portions 23 are formed in the horizontal direction from the back surface 21 to the peripheral wall surface 22, with nine parallel rows in the lower half of the container body 2 and two parallel rows in the upper half, and four parallel rows in the vertical direction from the upper edge of the back surface 21 to the horizontal rib portions 23 provided in the upper half. In addition, a rib portion 23 extending in the front-rear direction is provided near the center of the bottom surface 22a, with four parallel rows.

As shown in FIG. 4, a peripheral edge 24 of the peripheral wall surface portion 22 is folded back in an inverted U-shape toward the outside of the main body, forming a trapezoidal opening.
The peripheral portion 24 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 5. The description will be made in the orientation of Fig. 5. The upper side of the peripheral wall surface portion 22 is bent in a crank shape so as to spread outward from the main body, and the upper end portion is made into a gently inclined surface inclined upward toward the outside of the main body. The tip portion is further bent downward to form a peak, and a gable-shaped upper end surface portion 24a is provided which protrudes upward at an obtuse angle as a slightly steeply inclined surface inclined downward, and the tip portion is further bent downward to provide a vertical surface portion 25 in the form of a vertical surface. By making the upper end surface portion 24a into a gable shape, the rigidity of the peripheral portion 24 is improved and deformation of the peripheral portion 24 during the lid opening operation is suppressed, so that scattering of the contents can be prevented and the lid can be opened easily.
The lower end of the vertical surface portion 25 is formed in a curved or arc-like shape so as to gradually expand outwardly to the outside of the main body, with its tip being a vertical surface facing downward, and furthermore, a flange portion 26 is provided at the lower end which protrudes horizontally outwardly to the outside of the main body.

A tongue-shaped gripping portion 27 is provided on a portion of the flange portion 26 (the upper left side in FIG. 1 in this embodiment) to make it easier to open the container 1. Mesh-shaped (diagonal grid-shaped) convex or concave portions are provided on the surface of the gripping portion 27 to reinforce the gripping portion 27 and to prevent it from slipping when held with the fingertips.

6, fitting recesses 28 are provided in a portion of the vertical surface portion 25, for example, in the vicinity of at least two corners. In this embodiment, the fitting recesses 28 are provided in a total of six locations, at the four corners and on both sides near the middle portion in the height direction.
Each fitting recess 28 is a recess having a cross-sectional trapezoidal shape recessed into the inside of the main body, and a fitting protrusion 37 described later fits into and engages with it to close the lid body 3. Each fitting recess 28 has an appropriate length in the circumferential direction of the container, and the fitting recesses 28 arranged at each corner are arranged so as to straddle the corner.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the cover 3 has a deformed truncated quadrangular pyramid shape that bulges out towards the front, and a flat top surface 31 that is vertically elongated rectangular when viewed from the front is disposed offset upward.
A peripheral wall surface portion 32 having an inclined surface that slopes toward the rear surface side is provided around the top surface portion 31 .

The peripheral portion 33 of the peripheral wall surface portion 32 is formed so as to cover the peripheral portion 24 of the container body 2 when the lid body 3 is placed on the container body 2 .
The peripheral portion 33 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 7. The description will be given in the orientation of Fig. 7. A planar covering surface portion 33a is provided extending laterally from the lower end of the peripheral wall surface portion 32 so as to cover the upper end surface portion 24a. A downwardly facing hanging surface portion 34 is provided at the tip of the covering surface portion 33a, and a flange portion 35 is provided at the lower end thereof, extending horizontally to the outside of the lid body.

A tongue-shaped knob 36 is provided on a portion of the flange 35 (the upper right side in FIG. 1 in this embodiment) to make it easier to open the container 1. Mesh-like (diagonal grid-like) convex or concave portions are provided on the surface of the knob 36 to reinforce the knob 36 and make it less slippery when held with the fingertips. The knob 36 of the lid 3 is arranged to overlap the knob 27 of the container body 2 when the lid is closed, and it is preferable to arrange them in a shifted position when overlapped. This makes it easier to grip the tips of both knobs 27, 36.

A fitting protrusion 37 is provided on a part of the vertical surface 34, for example, near at least two corners. In this embodiment, the fitting protrusions 37 are provided at a total of six locations, at the four corners and on both sides near the middle part in the height direction, and are adapted to fit into the fitting recesses 28 provided in the container body 2.
Each fitting protrusion 37 is a convex part with a curved mountain shape that protrudes into the inside of the lid body and fits into the corresponding fitting recess 28 so that the lid body 3 can be engaged with the container body 2 to close the lid. Each fitting protrusion 37 has an appropriate length in the container circumferential direction, and is approximately the same length as the corresponding fitting recess 28 or a little shorter. The fitting protrusions 37 arranged at each corner are arranged so as to straddle the corner, and it is preferable that the left and right sides are approximately the same length with the corner as the middle part.

Of the mating protrusions 37 provided at the corners, the length of the mating protrusion 37 at one corner (the upper right corner in FIG. 1 in this embodiment) is made shorter than the length of the mating protrusions 37 at the other corners. The lengths of the mating protrusions 37 at the other corners may be the same or different. This makes it easier to open the package from the short corner. It is preferable that the short mating protrusion 37 is 40% to 80%, particularly 50% to 70%, and even more preferably 60% to 65% of the length of the other mating protrusions 37.

In this embodiment, the lid 3 is provided with an engaging protrusion 37, and the container body 2 is provided with an engaging recess 28. However, the lid 3 may be provided with an engaging recess, and the container body 2 may be provided with an engaging protrusion. Alternatively, the container body 2 may not be provided with an engaging recess 28, and the engaging protrusion 37 may engage with the tip of the flange 26.

An example of a method for manufacturing the container body 2 and the lid 3 will now be described.
Although there is no particular limitation, the container body 2 and the lid 3 can be manufactured by thermoforming a synthetic resin sheet. The synthetic resin sheet may be either a thin non-foamed resin sheet or a thin foamed resin sheet, with a non-foamed resin sheet being preferred.
In the case of a non-foamed resin sheet, specifically, it is preferable to use a sheet having a thickness in the range of 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm, and particularly in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm.
In the case of a foamed resin sheet, it is preferable to use a sheet having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm, particularly in the range of 0.7 mm to 2.2 mm. In addition, 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 polyester resin sheet such as a polystyrene resin sheet, a polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet, or 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.

As the foamed resin sheet, for example, a foamed polyolefin-based resin sheet, a foamed polystyrene-based resin sheet, a foamed polyester-based resin sheet such as a foamed polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet, etc. can be used.
A laminated sheet obtained by laminating synthetic resin sheets can also be used. Examples of the laminated sheet include a laminated sheet obtained by thermally laminating a resin film onto a non-foamed resin sheet or a foamed resin sheet, a laminated sheet produced by a co-extrusion method, and a laminated sheet produced by an extrusion lamination method.

Biomass plastics may be used as the non-foamed resin sheet, the foamed resin sheet, and the laminated sheet.
Biomass plastics are polymeric materials that contain substances derived from renewable organic resources and are obtained by chemical or biological synthesis. Compared to petroleum-derived resins, biomass plastics can reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and thus reduce the burden on the environment.
Examples of biomass plastics include polylactic acid resin, biomass polyethylene, and biomass polyethylene terephthalate.

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

The container body 2 and the lid 3 may be colored, such as black or white, but are preferably transparent or semi-transparent so that the inside can be seen. When the container body 2 and the lid 3 are separate bodies, the lid 3 may be transparent or semi-transparent, and the container body 2 may be non-transparent, such as black. Furthermore, when the container body 2 and the lid 3 are transparent or semi-transparent, the surfaces of the container body 2 and the lid 3 may be printed or engraved with letters, patterns, etc., to the extent that visibility is not hindered, and reinforcing ribs may be provided at appropriate positions, or textured to prevent slipping.
The container body 2 and the lid 3 may be provided with stacking projections that bulge out in a cubic or rectangular shape.

An example of a method of using the packaging container 1 will now be described.
The packaging container 1 can be used, for example, by placing food or other contents in the container body 2, rotating the lid body 3 via the hinge portion 4, placing it over the container body 2 and pressing it, inserting each of the mating protrusions 37 into each of the corresponding mating recesses 28 and engaging them, and closing the lid body 3 on the container body 2.

The packaging container 1 can be displayed upright at retail stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets with the bottom portion 22a placed on a shelf or the like.

The packaging container 1 can be opened, for example, by pinching the knob 36 of the lid 3 with the thumb and index finger of the right hand, and pinching the knob 27 of the container body 2 with the thumb and index finger of the left hand and pulling in the opposite direction.

At this time, since the fitting protrusions 37 arranged at the corners near the knobs 27, 36 are shorter than the fitting protrusions 37 arranged at the other corners, the locked state is easily released, making the packaging container 1 easy to open.
Although a configuration without the knobs 27 and 36 is possible, it is preferable to provide them from the viewpoint of ease of opening and of making it easier to recognize the position of the short fitting protrusion 37.

The configuration aspects of the above embodiment are not intended to limit the present invention, and modifications are possible as long as the technical objective is the same, and the present invention includes such modifications.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Packaging container 2 Container body 21 Back surface 22 Peripheral wall surface 22a Bottom surface 23 Rib portion 24 Peripheral edge portion 25 Vertical surface portion 26 Flange portion 27 Knob portion 28 Fitting recess 3 Lid 31 Top surface portion 32 Peripheral wall surface portion 33 Peripheral edge portion 33a Cover surface portion 34 Vertical surface portion 35 Flange portion 36 Knob portion 37 Fitting protrusion 4 Hinge portion

Claims (2)

A packaging container having a lid body to be covered with a container body and a polygonal peripheral portion,
The lid body side end of the peripheral wall surface of the container body is formed in a gable shape, and the top of the gable shape is a peripheral edge portion arranged in a straight line in a side view,
a fitting protrusion protruding inward or outward on one of the lid body and the container body and adapted to engage with the other to maintain the lid in a closed state is provided near a corner of the periphery;
a fitting recess into which the fitting protrusion is inserted is provided on the other of the lid body or the container body;
Each of the fitting protrusions provided near the corners has an appropriate length in the circumferential direction of the container and is continuously disposed so as to straddle the inflection point of the corners,
Among the fitting protrusions, a length of the fitting protrusion arranged at one corner is made shorter than a length of the fitting protrusion arranged at the other corner ,
a tab portion having a shape like a segment and extending outward is provided near the corner where the short fitting protrusion is disposed;
A hinge portion is provided on one side of the peripheral portion .
Packaging containers. A packaging container having a lid body to be put on a container body, and a peripheral portion having an isosceles trapezoid shape in which an upper base is shorter than a lower base in a plan view,
The container body side end of the peripheral wall surface of the lid is formed into a flat covering surface portion that projects laterally outward and a hanging surface portion whose tip is bent, and the covering surface portion is arranged in a straight line in a side view to form a peripheral edge portion,
a fitting protrusion protruding inward or outward on one of the lid body and the container body and adapted to engage with the other to maintain the lid in a closed state is provided at each corner of the periphery;
a fitting recess into which the fitting protrusion is inserted is provided on the other of the lid body or the container body;
Each of the fitting protrusions provided near the corners has an appropriate length in the circumferential direction of the container and is continuously disposed so as to straddle the inflection point of the corners,
The length of the fitting protrusion disposed at one corner of the upper base side of the peripheral portion is made shorter than the length of the fitting protrusion disposed at the other corner ,
a tab portion having a shape like a segment and extending outward is provided near the corner where the short fitting protrusion is disposed;
A hinge portion is provided on one side of the peripheral portion .
Packaging containers.