US20140124406A1

US20140124406A1 - Tray

Info

Publication number: US20140124406A1
Application number: US14/155,847
Authority: US
Inventors: Mitsuaki Ishikawa; Tooru KUSANAGI; Takumi Nishimura; Takahiro Nakajima
Original assignee: Panasonic Corp
Current assignee: Panasonic Corp; PHC Holdings Corp
Priority date: 2011-07-19
Filing date: 2014-01-15
Publication date: 2014-05-08
Also published as: WO2013011672A1; JPWO2013011672A1; CN103648919A

Abstract

This tray comprises a container-shaped main body (1) having a bottom face (2) and an outer peripheral face (3) that rises upward from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face (2), and one or more dividers (5) that divide the internal space of the main body (1) into a plurality of spaces. Guide grooves (6) are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face (3) of the main body (1), for guiding the descending movement of the dividers. Rib portions (7) that rise from the bottom edge of the guide grooves (6) to the middle part are provided in the center of the guide grooves (6). Mating grooves (8) that mate with the rib portions (7) are provided from below to above to at least one end of the dividers (5).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tray for holding and transporting medicines and other such things, for example.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional trays used in pharmaceutical dispensing devices, for example, were configured as follows.
These trays comprised a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rose from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face, and one or more dividers that divided the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces (see Patent Literature 1, for example).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H5-168650

SUMMARY

Technical Problem

With the conventional configuration discussed above, the rib portions formed at both ends of the dividers were mated with the mating grooves formed in the inner face of the main body to couple the dividers to the main body, but this operation was not at all easy.
Specifically, since the cross sectional shapes of both of the rib portions at both ends of the dividers and of the mating grooves of the main body were both trapezoidal, the two had to be precisely aligned when a worker pushed the rib portions of the dividers into the mating grooves of the main body, and this made the tray less convenient to use.
In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tray that is very convenient to use.

Solution to Problem

To achieve the stated object, the tray pertaining to the first invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, guide grooves, rib portions, and mating grooves. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The guide grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, for guiding the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face. The rib portions are provided in the center of the guide grooves and rise from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves. The mating grooves mate with the rib portions and are provided to at least one end of the dividers from the lower part to the upper part in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves.
The tray pertaining to the second invention comprises a container-shaped main body and support portions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The support portions are provided at the ends of the outer peripheral face on the opposite side from the bottom face, and support part of the bottom of a tray superposed from above.
The tray pertaining to the third invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, substantially rectangular mating grooves, mating rib portions, and protrusions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The substantially rectangular mating grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, that guide the descending movement of the dividers. The mating rib portions are provided so as to protrude from at least one of the two side faces of a divider in the width direction, and have a substantially rectangular shape that mates with the mating grooves from below to above. The protrusions are provided so as to protrude in both directions that intersect the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions, at an inside portion of the divider close to the mating rib portion.
The tray pertaining to the fourth invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, substantially circular mating grooves, and substantially circular mating rib portions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The substantially circular mating grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and guide the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face. The substantially circular mating rib portions are provided to at least one end of the dividers, and mate with the mating grooves from below to above in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the mating grooves.
The tray pertaining to the fifth invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, and holders. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The holders are provided to the upper end faces of the dividers and hold a document placed in the tray.

Advantageous Effects

With the present invention, since guide grooves that guide the descending movement of the dividers are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body, the mating grooves formed in the divider can be easily guided to the position where they mate with the rib portions formed on the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
With the second invention, since support portions are provided in the corners of the outer peripheral face on the opposite side from the bottom face, when a plurality of tray are stacked, the support portions of the lower trays support the bottom faces of the upper trays. Thus, the upper trays can be stacked in an extremely stable state. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
With the third invention, it is extremely simple to mate the mating rib portions formed on the dividers with the mating grooves formed in the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
Furthermore, since protrusions are provided in the left and right direction with respect to the mating rib portions, the mating rib portions of the dividers can be prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves of the main body when the dividers are subjected to an external force (disturbance) in the left and right direction. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use and reliability is also enhanced.
With the fourth invention, circular mating grooves that guide the descending movement of the dividers are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body, and circular mating rib portions that mate with the mating grooves from below to above are provided to at least one end (the first end) of the dividers. Therefore, it is extremely simple to mate the mating rib portions formed on the dividers with the mating grooves formed in the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
Furthermore, circular mating rib portions and circular mating grooves are provided, and when these two are mated, this prevents the mating rib portions of the dividers from coming loose from the mating grooves of the main body as the result of the dividers being subjected to an external force (disturbance) in the left and right direction. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use and reliability is also enhanced.
With the fifth invention, holders that hold documents are provided above at least the upper end side of the dividers, so documents placed on the tray can be prevented from falling out. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of the configuration of the tray pertaining to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of part of the tray in FIG. 1 (a C-C cross section of FIG. 2);

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of part of a divider of the tray in FIG. 1 (an A-A cross section of FIG. 2);

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of part of a divider of the tray in FIG. 1 (a B-B cross section of FIG. 2);

FIG. 6 is a cross section of a plan view of the mated state of a divider and the tray main body in FIG. 1 (a D-D cross section of FIG. 1);

FIG. 7 is a cross section of a plan view of the mated state of a divider and the tray main body in FIG. 1 (an E-E cross section of FIG. 1);

FIG. 8 is an oblique view of the usage state of the tray in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an oblique view of the usage state when the tray in FIG. 1 is stacked;

FIG. 10 is a lateral cross section of region F in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an oblique view of the configuration of the tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged plan view of part of the tray main body in FIG. 11 (an enlarged plan view in which region A in FIG. 11 is shown);

FIG. 13 is an oblique view of the usage state when the tray in FIG. 11 is stacked;

FIG. 14 is a lateral cross section of region F in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an oblique view of the configuration of the tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a lateral cross section of the tray in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of the shape of the end of a divider of the tray in FIG. 15 (an A-A cross section of FIG. 16);

FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of a portion of a mating groove of the tray main body in FIG. 15 (a C-C cross section of FIG. 16);

FIG. 19 is a cross section of a plan view of the mated state of a divider and the tray main body in FIG. 15 (a D-D cross section of FIG. 15);

FIG. 20 is an oblique view of a state in which the internal space of the tray in FIG. 15 is used in its maximum size;

FIG. 21 is an oblique view of the configuration of the tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a lateral cross section of the tray in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of the shape of the end of a divider of the tray in FIG. 21 (an A-A cross section of FIG. 22);

FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross section of a plan view of a portion of a mating groove of the tray main body in FIG. 21 (a C-C cross section of FIG. 22);

FIG. 25 is a cross section of a plan view of the mated state of a divider and the tray main body in FIG. 21 (a D-D cross section of FIG. 21);

FIG. 26 is an oblique view of the configuration of the tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a front view of the configuration of a divider of the tray in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged front view of part of the divider in FIG. 27 (an enlarged front view of region A in FIG. 27);

FIG. 29 is an oblique view of the usage state when a document is held on top of the dividers of the tray in FIG. 26; and

FIG. 30 is a front view of the configuration of a divider of the tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The tray pertaining to an embodiment of the present invention will be described through reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the “up and down direction” means the up and down direction based on the orientation when a divider 5 is being inserted from above into the tray shown in FIG. 1.

Embodiment 1

As shown in FIG. 1, a container-shaped main body 1 comprises a substantially square bottom face 2, an outer peripheral face 3 that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face 2, and an outer peripheral edge 4 that extends outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral face 3.
The interior of the main body 1 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 5. The internal spaces of the main body 1 divided by the dividers 5 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 1 and the dividers 5 are both formed from a synthetic resin. The main body 1 and the dividers 5 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 2 of the main body 1 has a rectangular shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, guide grooves 6 that guide the descending movement of the dividers 5 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face 3 rising from the two long sides that face each other with the bottom face 2 in between. The bottom portion of the guide grooves 6 is located above the bottom face 2 in the orientation of the tray shown in FIG. 1. Rib portions 7 that are formed from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves 6 are provided in the center in the width direction in a front view of the guide grooves 6.
As shown in FIG. 3, the rib portions 7 have a shape that protrudes toward the inside of the main body 1 from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the rib portions 7 have a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view, that is, the width of the rib portions 7 on the side touching the outer peripheral face 3 is less than the width of the rib portions 7 on the distal end side (the inside of the main body 1).
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper ends of the rib portions 7 are not formed all the way to near the upper ends of the guide grooves 6 in the height direction, and are only provided to about halfway. Therefore, the width above the middle part of the guide grooves 6 is greater. That is, above the middle part of the guide grooves 6 becomes a guide space for guiding both ends in the width direction of the dividers 5 to the portion where the rib portions 7 are formed.
Meanwhile, mating grooves 8 that mate with the rib portions 7 in the orientation of being inserted into the tray are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lower part 8 a of the mating grooves 8 is formed to be wider than the upper part 8 b. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper part 8 b of the mating grooves 8 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the outer width is less than the inner width in a plan view in the orientation in which the dividers 5 are inserted into the tray.
The upper part 8 b of the mating grooves 8 (which are substantially trapezoidal in plan view) is formed to be slightly wider than the rib portions 7 (which have a substantially trapezoidal shape as mentioned above).
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the inner face of the main body 1 is divided up by the dividers 5, the ends of the dividers 5 are moved while pushing them downward along the guide grooves 6, which open up at the upper end of the outer peripheral face 3 of the main body 1. At this point, no rib portions 7 are provided above the guide grooves 6. Thus, as discussed above, an internal space can be created for guiding the ends of the dividers 5 to the rib portions 7, so the job of lowering the dividers 5 can be carried out extremely smoothly.
As the divider 5 descends, the lower part 8 a of the mating grooves 8 of the divider 5 reaches the rib portions 7, and this state is shown in FIG. 6.
As shown in FIG. 6, the lower part 8 a forms a rectangular space in a plan view of the state when the divider 5 has been inserted into the mating grooves 8, and is larger in the width direction than the rib portions 7. Therefore, as the divider 5 descends, at the point when the mating grooves 8 of the divider 5 reach the rib portions 7, the mating grooves 8 of the divider 5 are not tightly mated with the rib portions 7. On the contrary, the lowering of the divider 5 continues in a state in which the mating grooves 8 of the divider 5 are guided downward by the rib portions 7.
As this lowering operation proceeds, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper part 8 b of the mating grooves 8 mates with the rib portions 7. The rib portions 7 and the upper part 8 b of the mating grooves 8 both have a substantially trapezoidal shape, as mentioned above. The mating of the two results in a state in which the divider 5 is securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 3 of the main body 1.
Also, recesses 9 that allow the ends of the dividers 5 to be inserted are provided to the outer peripheral face on the opposing long sides, in the corners of the internal space of the main body 1. That is, when a housing component with a large volume is formed inside the main body 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the ends of dividers 5 are housed inside the mutually opposing recesses 9.
The depth of the recesses 9 (how far they are recessed from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 3) is substantially the same as the height of the rib portions 7 shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state in which the ends of the dividers 5 are housed in the recesses 9, just as in FIG. 6, the dividers 5 and the outer peripheral face 3 are separated by a minute spacing inside the recesses 9. This prevents the dividers 5 from accidentally flying out of the recesses 9.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, trays of this shape are conveyed and housed in a vertically stacked state. The upper trays are supported on faces formed above the recesses 9 of the lower trays. That is, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, support portions 10, which serve as faces to receive the lower sides of the bottom faces 2 of the upper trays, are provided to the outer peripheral edges 4 near the recesses 9 provided in the corners of the container-shaped main bodies 1. Accordingly, the support portions 10 support the bottom portion of the upper trays, on the faces of the support portions 10 of the lower trays.
As shown in FIG. 10, the support portions 10 have a concave shape that is lower than the upper face of the outer peripheral edge 4. Further, convex portions 11 that protrude upward are provided on the outer peripheral side of the support portions 10, at the portion on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral edge 4. This allows the bottom portion of the upper trays to be properly guided and supported on the faces of the support portions 10 of the lower trays.

Embodiment 2

The tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.
As shown in FIG. 11, a container-shaped main body 101 comprises a substantially square bottom face 102, an outer peripheral face 103 that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face 102, and an outer peripheral edge 104 that extends outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral face 103.
The interior of the main body 101 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 105. The internal spaces of the main body 101 divided by the dividers 105 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 101 and the dividers 105 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 101 and the dividers 105 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 102 of the main body 101 has a rectangular shape. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, guide grooves 106 that guide the descending movement of the dividers 105 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face 103 rising from the two long sides that face each other with the bottom face 102 in between. The bottom portion of the guide grooves 106 is located above the bottom face 102 in the orientation of the tray shown in FIG. 11. Rib portions 107 that are formed from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves 106 are provided in the center in a front view of the guide grooves 106.
Meanwhile, mating grooves 108 that mate with the rib portions 107 in the orientation of being inserted into the tray are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 105.
As shown in FIG. 11, the mating grooves 108 mate with the rib portions 107. Consequently, the mating of these two results in a state in which the dividers 105 are securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 103 of the main body 101.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, trays of this shape are conveyed and housed in a vertically stacked state. The upper trays are supported on faces formed above the recesses 109 of the lower trays. That is, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, support portions 110, which serve as faces to receive the lower sides of the bottom faces 102 of the upper trays, are provided to the outer peripheral edges 104 near the recesses 109 provided in the corners of the container-shaped main bodies 101. Accordingly, the support portions 110 support the bottom portion of the upper trays, on the faces of the support portions 110 of the lower trays.
As shown in FIG. 14, the support portions 110 have a concave shape that is lower than the upper face of the outer peripheral edge 104. Further, convex portions 111 that protrude upward are provided on the outer peripheral side of the support portions 110, at the portion on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral edge 104. This allows the bottom portion of the upper trays to be properly guided and supported on the faces of the support portions 110 of the lower trays.

Embodiment 3

The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to FIGS. 15 to 20.
As shown in FIG. 15, a container-shaped main body 201 comprises a substantially square bottom face 202, an outer peripheral face 203 that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face 202, and an outer peripheral edge 204 that extends outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral face 203.
The interior of the main body 201 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 205. The internal spaces of the main body 201 divided by the dividers 205 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 201 and the dividers 205 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 201 and the dividers 205 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 202 of the main body 201 has a rectangular shape. As shown in FIGS. 15, 16, and 18, substantially rectangular mating grooves 206 that guide the descending movement of the dividers 205 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face 203 rising from the two long sides that face each other with the bottom face 202 in between.
The bottom portion of the mating grooves 206 is located above the bottom face 202 in the orientation of the tray shown in FIG. 15. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, the mating grooves 206 are formed such that the groove width at the top is greater than the groove width at the bottom.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 15, 16, and 17, substantially cuboid mating rib portions 208 that mate with the mating grooves 206 are provided from below to above, in the orientation of being inserted into the tray, to the side faces at both ends of the dividers 205.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, when the internal space of the main body 201 is divided up by the dividers 205, both ends of the dividers 205 are moved along the mating grooves 206 that open all the way to the upper end of the outer peripheral face 203 of the main body 201, and push the dividers 205 downward. Since the mating grooves 206 and the mating rib portions 208 are substantially rectangular in cross section, the job of lowering the dividers 205 can be carried out extremely smoothly.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, protrusions 212 that protrude in the left and right direction with respect to the mating rib portions 208 are provided to the side faces on both sides of the dividers 205. That is, the protrusions 212 are formed so as to protrude in a direction that intersects the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions 208, from both side faces in the width direction of the dividers 205.
As the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 descend in the mating grooves 206, as shown in FIG. 19, of course, the protrusions 212 are formed so as to be wider than the mating rib portions 208.
Therefore, in a state in which the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 have mated with the mating grooves 206 along with the descent of the dividers 205, even if a force is exerted in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 19 (such as when an external disturbance is exerted), the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 will not readily come loose from the mating grooves 206 of the main body 201. As a result, the dividers 205 are securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 203 of the main body 201.
Specifically, with the tray in this embodiment, the protrusions 212 that protrude in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions 208 are provided near the mating rib portions 208. Consequently, the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 are prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves 206 of the main body 201 in the event that the dividers 205 are subjected to an external force exerted in the left and right direction thereof (such as a disturbance corresponding to the arrow F in FIG. 19). This makes the tray more convenient to use and enhances reliability.
Also, recesses 209 that allow the ends of the dividers 205 to be inserted are provided to the outer peripheral face on the opposing long sides, at the ends of the internal space of the main body 201. That is, when a housing component with a large volume is formed inside the main body 201, as shown in FIG. 20, the ends of dividers 205 are housed inside the recesses 209 formed at mutually opposing locations.
The depth of the recesses 209 (how far they are recessed from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 203) is substantially the same as the depth of the mating grooves 206 shown in FIG. 18. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, in a state in which the ends of the dividers 205 are housed in the two recesses 209 disposed at mutually opposing locations, the dividers 205 and the outer peripheral face 203 are separated by a minute spacing inside the recesses 209. This prevents the dividers 205 from accidentally flying out of the recesses 209.

Embodiment 4

The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to FIGS. 21 to 25.
As shown in FIG. 21, a container-shaped main body 301 comprises a substantially square bottom face 302, an outer peripheral face 303 that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face 302, and an outer peripheral edge 304 that extends outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral face 303.
The interior of the main body 301 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 305. The internal spaces of the main body 301 divided by the dividers 305 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 301 and the dividers 305 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 301 and the dividers 305 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 302 of the main body 301 has a substantially rectangular shape. As shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 24, mating grooves 306 that guide the descending movement of the dividers 305 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face 303 rising from the two long sides that face each other.
As shown in FIG. 24, the mating grooves 306 have a substantially circular shape in plan view.
The bottom portion of the mating grooves 306 that are substantially circular in plan view is located above the bottom face 302 in the orientation of the tray shown in FIG. 21. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 22, the mating grooves 306 are formed such that the groove width at the top is greater than the groove width at the bottom.
Meanwhile, mating rib portions 308 that are substantially circular in plan view, so as to mate with the mating grooves 306 that are substantially circular in plan view, are provided from below to above on the side faces at both ends of the dividers 305.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, when the internal space of the main body 301 is divided up by the dividers 305, both ends of the dividers 305 are moved along the mating grooves 306 that open all the way to the upper end of the outer peripheral face 303 of the main body 301, and push the dividers 305 downward. Since the mating grooves 306 and the mating rib portions 308 are both substantially circular in shape, the job of lowering the dividers 305 can be carried out extremely smoothly.
Also, in a state in which the mating rib portions 308 of the dividers 305 have mated with the mating grooves 306 along with the descent of the dividers 305, even if a force is exerted in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 25 (such as when an external disturbance is exerted), the mating rib portions 308 of the dividers 305 will not readily come loose from the mating grooves 306 of the main body 301 since there is only a tiny gap between the mating rib portions 308 and the mating grooves 306 in which they are held. As a result, the dividers 305 are securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 303 of the main body 301.
Specifically, since the dividers 305 are mounted in a state in which the substantially circular mating grooves 306 have been mated with the mating rib portions 308 that are also substantially circular, the dividers 305 are prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves 306 of the main body 301 in the event that the dividers 305 are subjected to an external force exerted in the left and right direction thereof (such as a disturbance corresponding to the arrow F in FIG. 25). This makes the tray more convenient to use and enhances reliability.

Embodiment 5

The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to FIGS. 26 to 29.
If, for example, medicines or other such things are to be housed, sometimes a document listing information about the things (such as medicine names) or the like is prepared, and this document is placed on this tray so that the worker handling the tray (such as a nurse) will be able to easily recognize the information or the like about the contained things.
However, with the conventional tray discussed above, when a document listing information about the contained things was placed on the tray containing the things, the document would fall out of the tray during conveyance of the tray, etc., and this made the tray extremely inconvenient to use.
In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to prevent a document placed on a tray from falling out, and to make the tray more convenient to use.
As shown in FIG. 26, a container-shaped main body 401 comprises a substantially square bottom face 402, an outer peripheral face 403 that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face 402, and an outer peripheral edge 404 that extends outward from the upper end of the outer peripheral face 403.
The interior of the main body 401 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 405 (in FIG. 26, only one divider 405 is shown). The internal spaces of the main body 401 divided by the dividers 405 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 401 and the dividers 405 are both formed from a synthetic resin. The main body 401 and the dividers 405 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face of the main body 401 has a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 26, guide grooves 406 that guide the descending movement of the dividers 405 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face 403 rising from the two long sides that face each other. The bottom portion of the guide grooves 406 is located above the bottom face 402 in the orientation of the tray shown in FIG. 26. Rib portions 407 that rise from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves 406 are provided in the center of the guide grooves 406.
The rib portions 407 formed inside the guide grooves 406 have a shape that protrudes toward the inside of the main body 401 from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 403. As shown in FIG. 26, the width of the rib portions 407 on the side linked to the outer peripheral face 403 is less than the width of the rib portions 407 on the distal end side (the inside of the main body 401). That is, the rib portions 407 have a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view.
As shown in FIG. 26, the upper ends of the rib portions 407 are only provided to about halfway inside the guide grooves 406. Therefore, the width above the upper part of the guide grooves 406 is greater than the width of the middle. That is, above the middle part of the guide grooves 6 becomes a guide space for guiding both ends of the dividers 405 to the rib portions 407.
Meanwhile, mating grooves 408 that mate with the rib portions 407 are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 405. As shown in FIG. 26, the lower part 408 a of the mating grooves 408 is formed to be wider than the upper part 408 b. Also, as shown in FIG. 26, the upper part 408 b of the mating grooves 408 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the width gradually narrows from below to the top end thereof.
The width of the upper part 408 b of the mating grooves 408 having a substantially trapezoidal shape is slightly greater than the width of the distal end portion of the rib portions 407 that have a substantially trapezoidal shape as mentioned above.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 26, when the internal space of the main body 401 is divided up by the dividers 405, the ends of the dividers 405 are moved along the mating grooves 406 that open all the way to the upper end of the outer peripheral face 403 of the main body 401, and push the dividers 405 downward. Here, the upper portion of the mating grooves 406 is not provided with the rib portions 407, and acts as a guide space for guiding the ends of the dividers 405 to the rib portions 407, so the job of lowering the dividers 405 can be carried out extremely smoothly.
When the mating grooves 408 of the dividers 405 reach the rib portions 407 along with the descent of the dividers 405, rib portions 407 are not securely mated to the mating grooves 408 formed at the end faces on both sides of the dividers 405. On the contrary, the lowering of the dividers 405 continues while the mating grooves 408 of the dividers 405 are guided downward by the rib portions 407.
As this lowering operation proceeds, finally the upper part 408 b of the mating grooves 408 mates with the rib portions 407. The rib portions 407 and the upper part 408 b of the mating grooves 408 both have a substantially trapezoidal shape, as mentioned above. Therefore, the mating of the two results in a state in which the dividers 405 are securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 403 of the main body 401.
Next, the divider 405 will be described in detail.
FIG. 27 is a front view of the divider 405 in this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 27, the tray in this embodiment has holders 409 provided to the upper face of at least one end of the divider 405 (both ends of left and right, in this embodiment).
The holders 409 hold a document 413 (see FIG. 29) placed on the main body 401 of the tray (such as a document listing information about the things housed in the main body 401).
Next, the mechanism by which the holders 409 hold the document 413 plated on the main body 401 will be described in detail.
FIG. 28 is an enlarged front view of a portion of a holder 409 of the divider 405 in this embodiment (an enlarged front view of the region A in FIG. 27).
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the holders 409 have insertion slots 410 for inserting the document 413. Thus, the document 413 placed on the main body 401 of the tray is inserted into the insertion slots 410. Also, as shown in FIG. 28, the insertion slot 410 comprises a first inclined face 411 provided on the side where the document 413 is inserted, and a second inclined face 412 provided more to the inside than the first inclined face 411.
As shown in FIG. 28, the first inclined face 411 is formed so as to incline downward with respect to the direction in which the document 413 is inserted (the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 28).
The second inclined face 412 is formed so as to incline upward with respect to the direction in which the document 413 is inserted (the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 28).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 28, the insertion slots 410 are formed so that the first inclined face 411 and the second inclined face 412 substantially create an L shape. This allows the document 413 inserted into the holders 409 to be held tight.
Also, with the tray in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, the incident angle D at which the document is inserted at the second inclined face 412 is greater than the incident angle C at which the document is inserted at the first inclined face 411. This facilitates the job of inserting the document 413 into the holders 409, and also increases the holding force at which the document 413 is held in the holders 409.
The above is a description of the mechanism by which the document 413 placed on the tray is held by the holders 409.
FIG. 29 is an oblique view of the usage state when the document 413 is placed on the tray in this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 29, the document 413 placed on the main body 401 can be held at the holders 409 formed at the upper end faces at one or more ends of the dividers 405 (both ends in this embodiment).
In this embodiment, the holders 409 are formed at the upper end faces at both ends of the dividers 405.
Consequently, as shown in FIG. 29, for example, when the holders 409 of two dividers 405 are used to hold the document 413, since the holders 409 are provided to both ends of the upper end faces of the dividers 405, the worker does not have to worry about the insertion direction in inserting the dividers 405 into the main body 401. This makes the tray more convenient to use.

Embodiment 6

The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to FIG. 30.
Here, just as in Embodiment 5 above, we will describe a case in which, when medicines or other such things are to be housed, for example, a document listing information about the things (such as medicine names) or the like is prepared, and this document is placed on this tray.
As shown in FIG. 30, with the tray in this embodiment, a mechanism for holding a document as follows is provided as another mode of the holder in Embodiment 5, at the upper faces of the dividers 505 in order to prevent a document 513 from shifting on the tray during conveyance, etc., of the tray in a state in which the document 513 has been placed on the tray.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 30, the divider 505 has a concave stepped part 511 at the upper end faces on which the document 513 is placed.
The stepped part 511 is formed in the approximate center of the divider 505 so as to sandwich inclined portions 512 a and 512 b formed near the ends of the divider 505. That is, the stepped part 511 is a concave portion formed so as to be lowered via the inclined portions 512 a and 512 b formed near the ends of the divider 505 in the width direction.
Consequently, as shown in FIG. 30, the document 513 placed on the tray is held at both ends by the inclined portions 512 a and 512 b, which helps keep the document 513 from accidentally shifting during the conveyance, etc., of the tray.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention has the effect of providing a tray that is very convenient to use, and therefore is expected to find application in trays and the like that hold medicines and other such things.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 main body
2 bottom face
3 outer peripheral face
4 outer peripheral edge
5 divider
6 guide groove
7 rib portion
8 mating groove
8 a lower part
8 b upper part
9 recess
10 support portion
11 convex portion
101 main body
102 bottom face
103 outer peripheral face
104 outer peripheral edge
105 divider
106 guide groove
107 rib portion
108 mating groove
109 recess
110 support portion
111 convex portion
201 main body
202 bottom face
203 outer peripheral face
204 outer peripheral edge
205 divider
206 mating groove
208 mating rib portion
209 recess
212 protrusion
301 main body
302 bottom face
303 outer peripheral face
304 outer peripheral edge
305 divider
306 mating groove
308 mating rib portion
401 main body
402 bottom face
403 outer peripheral face
404 outer peripheral edge
405 divider

406 guide groove

407 rib portion
408 mating groove
408 a lower part
408 b upper part
409 holder
410 insertion slot
411 first inclined face
412 second inclined face
413 document
505 divider
511 stepped part (holder)
512 a, 512 b inclined part
513 document

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A tray, comprising:

a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space;

one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces;

guide grooves provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, for guiding the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face;

rib portions provided in the center of the guide grooves and rising from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves; and

mating grooves that mate with the rib portions and are provided to at least one end of the dividers from the lower part to the upper part in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves.

19. The tray according to claim 18,

wherein the mating grooves are formed so that the groove width is greater at the bottom than at the top in a state in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves from above.

20. The tray according to claim 18,

wherein the main body has a substantially square shape,

further comprising recesses that are provided to the mutually opposing outer peripheral faces in the inside corners of the main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.

21. The tray according to claim 18,

further comprising support portions that are provided on the outer peripheral side of concave upper faces formed in the four corners of the substantially square shape of the main body, and that support part of the bottom of a tray superposed from above.

22. A tray, comprising:

a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face;

one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces; and

support portions that are provided to the upper end faces of the dividers and that support a document placed in the tray.

23. The tray according to claim 22,

wherein the holders are concave stepped portions formed at the upper end faces of the dividers, according to the size of the document.

24. The tray according to claim 22,

wherein the holders have an insertion slot into which the document is inserted.

25. The tray according to claim 24,

wherein the insertion slots each have:

a first inclined face that becomes a downward inclined face with respect to the direction in which the document is inserted, on the side where the document is inserted; and

a second inclined face that is provided on the side where the document comes out of the first inclined face, and becomes an upward inclined face with respect to the direction in which the document is inserted.

26. The tray according to claim 25,

wherein the incident angle at which the document is inserted at the second inclined face is greater than the incident angle at which the document is inserted at the first inclined face.

27. The tray according to claim 22,

wherein the holders are provided to at least one end of the dividers in the width direction.

28. The tray according to claim 22,

wherein the holders are provided to both ends of the dividers in the width direction.

29. A tray, comprising:

substantially rectangular mating grooves that are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and that guide the descending movement of the dividers;

mating rib portions that are provided so as to protrude from at least one of the both side faces of a divider in the width direction, and that have a substantially rectangular shape that mates with the mating grooves from below to above;

protrusions that are provided so as to protrude in both directions that intersect the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions, at an inside portion of the divider close to the mating rib portion; and

recesses that are provided to the two mutually opposing outer peripheral faces at the ends of the internal space of the substantially square main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.

30. A tray, comprising:

substantially circular mating grooves that are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and that guide the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face;

substantially circular mating rib portions that are provided to at least one end of the dividers, and that mate with the mating grooves from below to above in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the mating grooves; and

recesses that are provided to the mutually opposing outer peripheral faces in the inside corners of the substantially square main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.