JP7807979B2 - packaging containers - Google Patents

Description

Patent Act Article 30, Paragraph 2 applies. Sales date: January 27, 2022 to January 29, 2022. Sales location: Kakugami Gyoryu Co., Ltd. Takasaki store (1335-1 Kaizawa-cho, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture)

The present invention relates to a packaging container.

Packaging containers for sushi and other foods have traditionally been used in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other stores.

In this packaging container, food such as sushi is placed on top of the bottom surface and stored therein, and the legs that protrude downward from the bottom surface allow for stable display and storage. The packaging containers in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have narrow leg grooves, which make it difficult for food (especially small items such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface to get caught in them, allowing a large amount of food to be placed close to the edge of the bottom surface. However, narrow leg grooves make it difficult for the legs of the upper packaging container to fit into the leg grooves of the lower packaging container when the packaging containers are stacked, resulting in a higher stacked height. Furthermore, even if the legs of the upper packaging container can be forced into the leg grooves of the lower packaging container, the stacked containers are difficult to remove. As such, conventional packaging containers have had problems with reduced stackability, such as a higher stacked height and difficulty in removing stacked packaging containers.

Jitsukou 01-44415 Patent Publication No. 2011-219154

In consideration of the above problems, the present invention provides a packaging container with improved stackability.

In order to solve the above problem, the packaging container according to claim 1 of the present invention is a packaging container having a bottom surface on which food can be placed, characterized in that the bottom surface is provided with legs that protrude downward from the bottom surface, the inside of the legs is provided with grooves into which part of the legs of another packaging container can be inserted, and the inside of the grooves is provided with protrusions that protrude inward.

The above features allow the legs of the upper packaging container to overlap the legs of the lower packaging container, reducing the stacking height of the packaging containers. Furthermore, the upper legs abut the protruding portions of the grooves of the lower legs, preventing the upper legs from being inserted further into the grooves of the lower legs. Therefore, the upper legs do not penetrate too deeply into the lower legs, making it easier for the upper legs to slide upwards from the lower legs. As a result, the upper packaging container is easy to remove from the lower packaging container. In this way, the packaging containers of the present invention can be stacked at a low height while also being easily removed, improving stackability.

Furthermore, in the packaging container according to claim 2 of the present invention, auxiliary legs are provided around the entire periphery of the bottom surface, protruding downward from the bottom surface, the auxiliary legs are continuous with the lower parts of the legs, and the width of the auxiliary legs is narrower than the width of the legs.

The above features make it difficult for food (especially small items such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface to get caught in the auxiliary legs, allowing food to be placed up to the outer periphery of the bottom surface or close to the side walls. Furthermore, because the auxiliary legs are continuous with the lower parts of the legs, the legs can be reinforced. Furthermore, because the auxiliary legs are provided around the entire circumference of the packaging container, the rigidity of the bottom surface is increased, preventing the packaging container from twisting and preventing the placed food from collapsing.

The packaging container of the present invention has improved stackability.

1A is a plan view of a packaging container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a front view of the packaging container, and FIG. 1C is a side view of the packaging container. 1A is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of a corner portion of the packaging container, FIG. 1B is an end view taken along line A-A, and FIG. 1C is an end view taken along line B-B. FIG. 2A is a front view of the packaging containers stacked on top of each other, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the packaging containers stacked on top of each other. 1A is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of a corner portion of the stacked packaging containers, FIG. 1B is a CC end view, and FIG. 1C is a DD end view.

100 Packaging container 110 Bottom surface 140 Leg portion 143 Groove portion 144 Projection portion

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, "upward" refers to the upward direction in the vertical direction when the packaging container is placed on a horizontal surface with the open side facing upward, and "downward" refers to the downward direction in the vertical direction.

First, Figures 1 and 2 show a packaging container 100 according to the present invention. Figure 1(a) is a plan view of the packaging container 100, Figure 1(b) is a front view of the packaging container 100, Figure 1(c) is a side view of the packaging container 100, Figure 2(a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of a corner portion 101 of the packaging container 100, Figure 2(b) is an end view taken along line A-A, and Figure 2(c) is an end view taken along line B-B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging container 100 has a shallow dish-like shape that opens upward, and includes a flat bottom surface 110 that is generally rectangular in plan view, side walls 120 that rise from the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110, and flange portions 130 at the upper ends of the side walls 120. The side walls 120 and flange portions 130 are provided continuously around the entire periphery of the packaging container 100.

Furthermore, each corner 101 of the bottom surface 110 is provided with a leg 140 that protrudes downward from the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110. As shown in FIG. 2(c), the leg 140 includes an inner wall 141 and an outer wall 142, which are inclined downward so that they approach each other. The inside of the leg 140 forms a groove 143 between the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142. As described below, this groove 143 is sized to allow the leg 140 of an upper stacked packaging container 100 to be inserted into it when the packaging containers 100 are stacked. Furthermore, because the leg 140 has a tapered shape that narrows toward the tip, the leg 140 of an upper stacked packaging container 100 can be easily inserted into the groove 143 of the lower packaging container 100. Furthermore, a protrusion 144 that protrudes inward is provided on the inside of the groove 143. The protrusions 144 protrude inward from the lower sides of the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142. Note that while the protrusions 144 are provided on the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142, this is not limitative and the protrusions 144 may be provided on only one of the inner wall 141 or the outer wall 142.

Auxiliary legs 150 are provided continuously around the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110, i.e., around the entire periphery of the bottom surface 110. The auxiliary legs 150 protrude downward from the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the auxiliary legs 150 have an inner wall 151 and an outer wall 152, which are parallel to each other and connected by a bottom wall 154. Furthermore, the inside of the auxiliary legs 150 forms a groove 153 sandwiched between the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152. The auxiliary legs 150 extend along the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110 toward the corner portions 101 on both sides, and at the corner portions 101, they continue to the lower portions of the legs 140. In the corner portion 101, an auxiliary leg portion 150 is positioned below the leg portion 140, and the groove portion 143 of the leg portion 140 and the groove portion 153 of the auxiliary leg portion 150 are connected to each other. Furthermore, the bottom wall 154 of the auxiliary leg portion 150 is placed on the installation surface of the packaging container 100, allowing the packaging container 100 to be stably displayed or stored.

Furthermore, the width L1 of the auxiliary legs 150 is narrower than the width L2 of the legs 140. Therefore, food (especially small pieces such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface 110 is less likely to get caught in the auxiliary legs 150, allowing food to be placed close to the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110 or the side walls 120. Furthermore, the auxiliary legs 150 are continuous with the lower parts of the legs 140, thereby reinforcing the legs 140. Furthermore, the auxiliary legs 150 are provided around the entire circumference of the packaging container 100, increasing the rigidity of the bottom surface 110 and preventing twisting of the packaging container 100, thereby preventing the placed food from collapsing. Furthermore, the auxiliary legs 150 extend along the central edge located between the corner portions 101 and are continuous with the lower parts of the legs 140 at the corner portions 101. Therefore, the auxiliary legs 150 transmit the load caused by the weight of food, which is concentrated on the bottom surface 110 (particularly the center), to the legs 140 in the corner portions 101, and effectively distribute the load from the legs 140 to the installation surface.

Note that the width L1 of the auxiliary leg 150 is the maximum width between the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 in the groove 153. Similarly, the width L2 of the leg 140 is the maximum width between the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142 in the groove 143. While the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 of the auxiliary leg 150 are parallel to each other, this is not a limitation, and the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 may be inclined downward so that they approach each other. While the protrusion 144 of the leg 140 is stepped, this is not a limitation, and the protrusion 144 may have any shape, such as a gently curved surface, as long as it protrudes inward and can abut against other legs 140. While the auxiliary leg 150 is continuous with the underside of the leg 140, this is not a limitation, and the auxiliary leg 150 does not necessarily have to be provided under the leg 140.

The packaging container 100 is formed by sheet molding (e.g., vacuum forming, pressure forming, hot plate forming) using a sheet-like material with a thickness of approximately 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. For example, materials that can be used for the packaging container 100 include polystyrene, polypropylene, A-PET, polylactic acid, biaxially oriented versions of these, paper, and metal. A lid can be optionally fitted onto the packaging container 100 to seal it. While the packaging container 100 is generally rectangular in plan view, it is not limited to this and may have any shape.

Next, referring to Figures 3 and 4, we will explain how the packaging containers 100 are stacked. Figure 3(a) is a front view of the stacked packaging containers 100, Figure 3(b) is a side view of the stacked packaging containers 100, Figure 4(a) is an enlarged front view of the corner portion 101 and the stacked packaging containers 100, Figure 4(b) is a C-C end view, and Figure 4(c) is a D-D end view.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, multiple packaging containers 100 can be stacked vertically for storage, etc. When the packaging containers 100 are stacked vertically, the legs 140 of the upper packaging container 100 overlap the legs 140 of the lower packaging container 100, thereby reducing the stacked height of the packaging containers 100. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(c), the legs 140 of the upper packaging container 100 are inserted into the grooves 143 of the legs 140 of the lower packaging container 100. At this time, the bottom wall 154, which is the lower end of the upper leg 140, abuts the protrusion 144 of the groove 143 of the lower packaging container 100, preventing the upper leg 140 from being inserted further into the grooves 143 of the lower leg 140. Therefore, the upper leg 140 does not penetrate too deeply into the lower leg 140, making it easier for the upper leg 140 to slide upward from the lower leg 140. As a result, the upper packaging container 100 is easy to remove from the lower packaging container 100. In this way, the packaging container 100 of the present invention can be easily removed while keeping the stacked height low, thereby improving stackability.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), a portion of the lower side of the inner wall 151 of the auxiliary leg 150 of the upper packaging container 100 contacts a portion of the upper side of the inner wall 151 of the auxiliary leg 150 of the lower packaging container 100, thereby preventing the stacked packaging containers 100 from shifting sideways and further improving stackability.

Note that the lower wall 154, which is the lower end of the upper leg 140, abuts against the protruding portion 144 of the groove 143 of the lower packaging container 100, but this is not limited to this. For example, as long as the upper leg 140 does not extend too deeply into the groove 143 of the lower leg 140, any point on the upper leg 140 may abut against and be supported by the protruding portion 144 of the lower groove 143.

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 embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also included within the scope of the rights.

Claims (2)

A packaging container having a bottom surface on which food can be placed,
The bottom surface is provided with legs that protrude downward from the bottom surface,
A groove into which a part of a leg of another packaging container can be inserted is provided on the inner side of the leg,
A packaging container characterized in that a protrusion that protrudes inward is provided inside the groove.
Auxiliary legs are provided around the entire periphery of the bottom surface, protruding downward from the bottom surface;
the auxiliary leg portion is continuous with a lower portion of the leg portion,
2. The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the width of the auxiliary leg portion is narrower than the width of the leg portion.