JP2003252371A - Food container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily put cooked food, as it contained in a food container, into a lunch box or a side-dish receptacle in a compact size without transferring the food to another container nor cutting off a flange with scissors. <P>SOLUTION: Crosswise tear-off lines 12 are perforated on a flange 11c which links opening edges 11b of four pieces of food containing parts 11a so that the food container 10 is divided into four separated containers 13. A tear-off line 14 is perforated on an individual flange 11d of the separated container 13 to enclose the opening edge 11b in a circle. An auxiliary tear-off line 15 is perforated between the tear-off line 14 and an outer edge 11e of the individual flange 11d. By tearing off the perforated lines 14, 15, the individual flange 11d is separated into an annular flange 11f which is integrated with the food containing part 11a and a surrounding tear-off piece 11g. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a food storage container having a plurality of food storage parts for storing cooked foods such as hamburgers and meat balls.

[0002]

Frozen and chilled foods that have been cooked and processed are
It can be easily eaten by simply thawing or warming it in a microwave oven in a short time, so it is especially popular as a side dish for bento, and its type is also made from solid materials such as hamburger steak, meat dumplings, sushi etc. There are many kinds of soup.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a container for storing frozen or refrigerated cooked foods. The storage container 1 includes four food storage portions 2a and a rectangular flange 2b which connects these opening edges together. And cooked foods 3 are individually stored in each of the food storage portions 2a, and the storage container 1 is provided with an outer bag (not shown).
It is stored in and sealed and then frozen or refrigerated.

On the flange 2b, a cutting line 4 is carved in a cross shape so as to divide the four food storage portions 2a,
These cutting lines 4 are used to separate the required number of dividing containers 5 divided into four.

[0005]

The separated dividing container 5 has an individual flange 2c on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the food storage portion 2a.
Therefore, if the dividing container 5 is stored as it is in the lunch box or the side dish container, the individual flange 2c occupies the space unnecessarily. For this reason, conventionally, a cup of aluminum foil without a flange is separately used and transferred to this, or if there is no such separate container, the outside of the individual flange 2c is cut off with scissors to separate the container 5 for division. It was a troublesome and annoying thing to make the whole small and then store it in the lunch box.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a food storage container that can be stored in a lunch box compactly and easily while storing the cooked food without transferring it to another container or cutting off the flange with scissors. Has an aim.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in accordance with the above-mentioned object, in a food storage container in which the opening edges of a plurality of food storage sections are connected by flanges, a cutting line is provided on the outer periphery of the opening edges of the food storage sections. It is characterized by engraving. The score line can also be engraved on the opening edge of the food container.

Further, an auxiliary cutting line may be provided between the cutting line and the outer edge of the flange. Also,
A top seal may be attached to the upper surface of the flange so as to cover the food storage portion, and the cut line may be formed by superposing on the flange and the top seal. Further, the above-mentioned auxiliary cutting line may be formed by overlapping the flange and the top seal.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food storage container, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an individual edible container in which peripheral cutting pieces are cut off, and FIG. It is a perspective view in the state where the edible container was packed in the lunch box.

In the food storage container 10, four inverted frustoconical food storage parts 11a and a rectangular flange 11c integrally connecting the opening edges 11b of the food storage parts 11a are entirely formed of a soft rigid resin sheet. Has been done. A cutout line 12 is carved in a cross shape on the flange 11c so as to divide the four food storage parts 11a, and the food storage container 10 can be appropriately separated into four individual edible containers 13 by using the cutout line 12. I am trying.

Each individual edible container 13 comprises a food container 11a and an individual flange 11d around the opening edge 11b. A cutting line 14 is engraved on the individual flange 11d so as to surround the opening edge 11b in a circular shape, and an auxiliary cutting line 15 is linearly formed between the cutting line 14 and the outer edge 11e of the individual flange 11d. Is engraved,
By separating the cut lines 14 and 15 from each other, the individual flange 11d is separated into a ring-shaped flange 11f integral with the food storage portion 11a and a cut piece 11g around the ring-shaped flange 11f.

On the lower part of the peripheral wall and the bottom wall of the food storage portion 11a,
A plurality of reinforcing ribs 11h and 11i are provided. On the other hand, at the upper part of the peripheral wall of the food storage portion 11a, the rigidity of the ring-shaped flange 11f acts, so that the reinforcing ribs such as the lower part of the peripheral wall and the bottom wall are omitted. For this reason,
A rigid resin sheet, which is thinner than the conventional one, is used for the food storage portion 11a.
It is compensated by the rigidity force acting from 1h and 11i and the ring-shaped flange 11f.

Therefore, the ring-shaped flange 11f is
The minimum required size ensures the minimum strength of the food storage unit 11a. Further, the strength of the lower portion of the peripheral wall reinforced by the reinforcing rib 11h and the upper portion of the peripheral wall reinforced by the ring-shaped flange 11f are different, and when a vertical compressive force acts on the food storage portion 11a, the upper or lower portion of the peripheral wall is reduced. Either one of which has a low rigidity will contract.

The food storage container 10 of the present embodiment having the above-described structure is used in a food manufacturer as four individual edible containers 1.
The cooked and processed foods 16 are stored in the respective food storage portions 11a in a state where 3 are connected as illustrated. Next, after storing this storage container 10 in an outer bag (not shown) and sealing it and temporarily storing it as frozen or chilled food,
Shipped to the market.

Since the food container 10 is housed in the outer bag with the upper part of the food container 11a opened as described above, when the cooked and processed food 16 is a soup such as shabu-shabu or roll cabbage, it is a frozen food. It is desirable to use solid foods such as hamburger steaks, meat dumplings, and sushi rice that are less likely to leak juice,
It can be either frozen or chilled food.

The individual edible container 13 is cut out by a required number using the cutting line 12, and the cooked and processed food 16 is thawed or warmed in a microwave oven and then provided to a table or the like. When the cooked food 16 is packed in the lunch box 17, after thawed or warmed in a microwave oven as described above, the auxiliary cutting line 15 and the cutting line 14 connected to the outer edge 11e are sequentially separated, Unnecessary cut pieces 11g are separated (FIG. 2), and the cooked food 16 is packed in the lunch box 17 while being stored in the food storage portion 11a (FIG. 3).

The ring-shaped flange 11f obtained by cutting out the cut-out piece 11g has a necessary minimum shape for ensuring the strength of the food storage portion 11a to a minimum, so that a space is provided even when the individual food container 13 is packed in the lunch box 17. The cooked food 16 can be stored in the food storage section 11 without occupying the
Protect with a. Therefore, the lunch box 17, which has a limited storage space, can be efficiently filled with the cooked rice 18, which is the staple food, and other side dishes 19. In addition, since it does not require a separate container such as an aluminum foil cup, it is not only economically superior, but it does not take time to transfer or cut the flange, so it is convenient for making lunch at home and it is beautiful. It is also suitable for making bento for business use.

Further, when the height of the food storage section 11a is higher than that of the lunch box 17, the food storage section 11a is placed in the lunch box 1.
Although it protrudes to the upper part of 7, when the lunch box 17 is covered (not shown), either the upper part or the lower part of the peripheral wall of the food storage part 11a contracts to accommodate this. Therefore,
The food storage container 10 of the present embodiment can be used regardless of the height of the lunch box 17.

As a modified example of this embodiment, a cut line 14 is engraved on the food storage portion 11a and the opening edge 11b, and the individual flange 11d is entirely cut off so that the individual edible container 13 is only the food storage portion 11a. You may make it comprise. In this case, since the rigidity of the flange does not act on the food storage portion 11a, the peripheral wall of the food storage portion 11a may be formed of a slightly thick rigid resin sheet.

FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the present invention showing still another modification of the first embodiment, in which the food storage container 30 has a flange 11c which integrally connects the opening edges 11b of the four food storage units 11a. A top seal 31 made of a rigid resin film is attached to the upper surface of the sheet, and the cut lines 12, 14 and the auxiliary cut line 15 are provided on the top seal 31, the flange 11c and the top seal 31 in a superposed manner. It is different from the one example.

The top seal 31 is adhered to the flange 11c so as to cover the upper portion of the food storage portion 11a, and the individual food container 1
3 are cut out by a necessary number using the cutting line 12 with the top seal 31 attached. Then, after thawing or warming in the microwave, the auxiliary cutting line 15
And the cutting line 14 are sequentially separated, and the cutting piece 11
g and the top seal 31 on the upper surface thereof are integrally separated, and the circular top seal 31 left on the ring-shaped flange 11f is peeled off and packed in a lunch box.

In this embodiment using the top seal 31, the cooked and processed food 16 is suitable not only for solid substances such as hamburger steaks, meat dumplings and sushi, but also for soups such as shabu-shabu and roll cabbage. When there is a risk that the juice of the used food 16 will flow out in the lunch box, the top seal 31 on the cut-out piece 11g can be stored in the lunch box without being peeled off.

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the cutout line on the outer periphery of the opening edge or on the opening edge of the food storage portion, the individual edible container can be stored in the lunch box in the minimum necessary size. Therefore, the cutting line 12 and the auxiliary cutting line 15 used in the example of the embodiment may be omitted, but by using them together, a cutting piece for thawing or warming in the microwave oven or for packing in the lunch box 17 is provided. The convenience when separating is further enhanced.

In the above embodiment, the food storage container having four individual food containers has been described, but the present invention may be of a type in which a plurality of individual food containers other than four are connected.
Furthermore, in each of the embodiments, the cutout line on the outer circumference of the opening edge or on the opening edge is formed in a circular shape, but the present invention can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the food storage portion.

[0026]

As described above, according to the food storage container of the present invention, it is possible to store the cooked food in a lunch box or a side dish container with a minimum required size while protecting the cooked food. It is possible to efficiently store staple foods and side meals in bento boxes and side meal containers with limited space. Moreover, it is economically superior because it does not require a separate container such as an aluminum foil cup. In addition, since it does not require the trouble of transferring and cutting the flange and is beautiful, it is suitable not only for making lunch boxes at home but also for making lunch boxes for business use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food storage container showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an individual edible container with the surrounding cutout pieces cut away.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the individual food container of FIG. 2 is packed in a lunch box.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a food storage container showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional food storage container.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 30 ... Food storage container, 11a ... Food storage unit, 11
b ... opening edge, 11c ... flange, 11d ... individual flange, 11e ... outer edge, 11f ... ring-shaped flange, 11g
... Cutting pieces, 11h, 11i ... Reinforcing ribs, 12 ... Cutting lines, 13 ... Individual food containers, 14 ... Cutting lines, 15 ...
Auxiliary cutting line, 16 ... Cooked food, 17 ... Lunch box, 31 ... Top seal

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A food storage container in which opening edges of a plurality of food storage portions are connected by flanges, wherein a cut line is formed on the outer periphery of the opening edges of the food storage portion. 2. A food storage container in which opening edges of a plurality of food storage portions are connected by flanges, wherein a cut line is carved on the opening edges of the food storage portion. 3. The food storage container according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary cutting line is formed between the cutting line and the outer edge of the flange. 4. A top seal is attached to an upper surface of the flange so as to cover the food storage portion, and the cut line is formed by being superposed on the flange and the top seal. Item 3. A food storage container according to item 3. 5. The food storage container according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary cutting line is formed by superposing on the flange and the top seal.