EP4245684A1 - Heat insulating container - Google Patents
Heat insulating container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP4245684A1 EP4245684A1 EP21891873.8A EP21891873A EP4245684A1 EP 4245684 A1 EP4245684 A1 EP 4245684A1 EP 21891873 A EP21891873 A EP 21891873A EP 4245684 A1 EP4245684 A1 EP 4245684A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- lid
- elastic part
- heat insulating
- container body
- opening
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 93
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 claims description 35
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 claims description 35
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 abstract description 14
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 abstract description 10
- 239000011810 insulating material Substances 0.000 description 10
- 239000011232 storage material Substances 0.000 description 6
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920002635 polyurethane Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 239000004814 polyurethane Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000001629 suppression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003245 working effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D43/02—Removable lids or covers
- B65D43/0202—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element
- B65D43/0214—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element secured only by friction or gravity
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/38—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation
- B65D81/3813—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/08—Containers of variable capacity
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D25/02—Internal fittings
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D43/02—Removable lids or covers
- B65D43/0202—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element
- B65D43/0214—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element secured only by friction or gravity
- B65D43/022—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element secured only by friction or gravity only on the inside, or a part turned to the inside, of the mouth of the container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/38—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation
- B65D81/3813—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container
- B65D81/3816—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container formed of foam material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/38—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation
- B65D81/3825—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents with thermal insulation rigid container being in the form of a box, tray or like container with one or more containers located inside the external container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00018—Overall construction of the lid
- B65D2543/00064—Shape of the outer periphery
- B65D2543/0012—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners
- B65D2543/00175—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners four straight sides, e.g. trapezium or diamond
- B65D2543/00194—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners four straight sides, e.g. trapezium or diamond square or rectangular
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
- B65D2543/0049—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on the inside, or a part turned to the inside of the mouth of the container
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00824—Means for facilitating removing of the closure
- B65D2543/00833—Integral tabs, tongues, handles or similar
- B65D2543/00851—Integral tabs, tongues, handles or similar on the central part of the lid
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a heat insulating container.
- cold storage boxes various types of heat insulating containers (cold storage boxes) have been proposed and put into practical use for transporting and storing foodstuffs and the like contained together with cold storage materials.
- a cold storage box 100 including an outer box 10, an inner box 20 placed in the outer box 10, an inner lid 30 spanning the opening of the inner box 20, and a cold storage material 40 disposed on the inner lid 30 (refer to Patent Document 1).
- the inner box 20 is placed in the outer box 10
- an object is placed in the inner box 20
- the inner lid 30 spans the opening of the inner box 20
- the cold storage material 40 is disposed on the inner lid 30, and the outer box 10 is sealed, thus making it possible to dispose the cold storage material 40 at a position above the object to cause cold air cooled by the cold storage material 40 to descend from the upper part inside the outer box 10 and circulate in the outer box 10, efficiently cooling the entire interior of the outer box 10.
- Patent Document 1 Utility Model Registration No. 3204212
- the conventional cold storage box disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to have the undeformable outer box, whereas the volume of an object stored therein changes depending on circumstances. Therefore, if, for example, the volume of the object is significantly reduced, the inside of the box will be filled with a relatively large amount of air. Air has high specific heat than the contents, thus posing a problem that the cold insulation (heat insulation efficiency) inconveniently deteriorates when the inside of the box is filled with a relatively large amount of air.
- the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even if the volume of an object stored is reduced.
- a heat insulating container in accordance with the present invention is a heat insulating container including: a container body having a storage space formed by a bottom wall and side walls, and an opening continuous to the storage space; and a deformable plate-shaped lid, wherein the lid is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body thereby to bring a peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.
- the lid is configured such that at least a part of the lid is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby bringing the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid (the position where the peripheral edge of the lid and the side walls of the container body come in close contact) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, if the volume of an object stored reduces, then a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume can be formed by shifting the position of the lid toward the bottom wall of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the side walls of the container body. Therefore, even if the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, thus making it possible to suppress the presence of air, which has high specific heat, inside the heat-insulated closed space with a resultant suppression of the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- a lid configured by connecting a plurality of sections by means of a connecting elastic part.
- the projected area of the lid can be reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part so as to extend the interval between the sections.
- the projected area of the lid may be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening) by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while it is also possible to set the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening) by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections.
- the connecting elastic part may have a bellows structure.
- the lid is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part. Further, the projected area of the lid is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body, or setting the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening), while the projected area is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body, or increasing the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening).
- the connecting elastic part When inserting the lid having such a configuration into the storage space of the container body, the connecting elastic part is compressed so as to reduce the projected area of the lid (to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body), and then the compression of the connecting elastic part is released in the storage space so as to increase the projected area (to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body), thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body.
- the lid is adopted that is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part, it is possible to, for example, set the height of a first section and the height of a second section to be different from each other, with the connecting elastic part being the boundary therebetween. Consequently, even if an object stored in the container body has a different height, the height of the first section and the height of the second section can be changed according to the height of the object, thus allowing the lid to be closer to the object (or allowing the lid to be in close contact with the object). As a result, the space generated between an object having a different height and the lid can be reduced (or substantially eliminated), thus effectively suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- a lid having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view can be configured by connecting a plurality of sections by a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in a first direction in plan view.
- the lid can be configured such that the length of a side of the lid along a second direction is reduced to be equal to or less than the length of a corresponding side of the opening of the container body by compressing the connecting elastic part along a second direction intersecting with the first direction (e.g., the direction orthogonal to the first direction), while the length of a side of the lid along the second direction is increased to be longer than the length of the corresponding side by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part along the second direction.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to increase the lengths of the sides of the lid along the second direction to be equal to or more than the sides corresponding thereto (corresponding sides) of the opening of the container body by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part of the lid along the second direction. This makes it possible to bring the sides intersecting with the sides along the second direction of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls at the sides of the opening of the container body that correspond to the intersecting sides so as to fix the lid to the container body.
- the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.
- the lid can be configured by connecting a first section and a second section, each having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, by a connecting elastic part. Further, the lid can be configured such that a projection protruding in a direction away from the connecting elastic part is formed on at least either a first side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the first section and a second side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the second section, and such that the projection is brought into close contact with at least a part of one side of the opening by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part.
- a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in the first direction in plan view can be adopted, a first projection protruding from the first side and a second projection protruding from the second side can be adopted, the first projection can be placed closer to one end portion in the first direction, and the second projection can be placed closer to the other end portion in the first direction.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to fix the lid to the container body by bringing the projection into close contact with the inner surface of a side wall in at least a part of a side of the opening of the container body corresponding to the projection, while bringing the remaining peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with a part of the inner surfaces of side walls of the container body that corresponds to the remaining peripheral edge when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released. Also in the case where such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.
- the heat insulating container according to the present invention it is possible to adopt a lid configured to be divided into a plurality of sections and deformable between a bent state and a flat state by connecting the sections by a hinge.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to appropriately deform the lid according to the size of the opening of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body, since the lid is divided into the plurality of sections and configured by connecting the sections by the hinge thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state.
- the hinge can be placed substantially at the center of the lid in plan view. In such a case, it is possible to reduce the projected area of the lid by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space.
- the projected area of the lid is reduced by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area thereof is increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space.
- the lid having such a configuration allows the peripheral edge thereof to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space of the container body so as to reduce the projected area and then setting the lid to the flat state (by pushing the hinge, which is located substantially at the center, toward the storage space or pulling the hinge up from the storage space side) thereby to increase the projected area in the storage space.
- the hinge can be placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the lid.
- the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and then the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby making it possible to reduce the projected area of the lid to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening.
- the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and the projected area thereof is reduced to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening when the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state at the time of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body.
- the lid having such a configuration is bent by the hinge located in the vicinity of the peripheral edge when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body so as to set the projected area thereof to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening of the container body, thus allowing the peripheral edge to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body.
- a grip to be grasped by a user can be provided on the surface of at least a part of the lid.
- Adopting such a configuration enables a user to grasp the grip provided on the surface of a section, which constitutes the lid, thereby to deform the lid. This makes it easy to deform the lid (compressing the connecting elastic part, releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part, shifting from the bent state to the flat state, shifting from the flat state to the bent state, and the like).
- a peripheral elastic part can be provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid.
- the peripheral elastic part is provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid, the peripheral elastic part of the lid is compressed when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body thereby to reduce the projected area of the lid, and then the compression of the peripheral elastic part is released in the storage space thereby to increase the projected area, thus allowing the peripheral edge (or the peripheral elastic part in the case of the peripheral edge provided with the peripheral elastic part) to come in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.
- the present invention it is possible to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even when the volume of an object stored decreases.
- the heat insulating container 1 includes a container body 10 and a lid 20 as illustrated in Fig. 1 , and is used to store an object such as food together with a cold storage material therein for transportation and storage.
- the container body 10 has a bottom wall 11, which has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and four side walls 12 connected in such a manner as to rise from the sides of the bottom wall 11, and is configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
- a storage space 13 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed by the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 12 of the container body 10, and an opening 14 continuous to the storage space 13 is formed in the top of the storage space 13.
- Both the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 12 of the container body 10 are composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.
- heat insulating material panels for example, heat insulating material panels composed of a heat insulating material having a heat resistance of 50 m 2 ⁇ KI/W or less and a bending strength of 0.15 N/mm 2 or more can be adopted.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions and thickness of the heat insulating panels constituting the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 12 can be appropriately set according to the type or the like of an object stored in the heat insulating container 1.
- the lid 20 is a deformable, plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed when the lid 20 is inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10 thereby to bring peripheral edges 21 into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side wall 12 of the container body 10.
- the lid 20 in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (a first section 20A and a second section 20B), and is configured by connecting the first section 20A and the second section 20B to each other by a belt-shaped connecting elastic part 22 extending in a first direction (in the vertical direction on the paper surface) D 1 in plan view, and has a planar shape which is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the lid 20 is configured such that the connecting elastic part 22 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B so as to reduce the projected area thereof (consequently reducing the projected area of the lid 20 to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10, or reducing the length of one side of the lid 20 to be equal to or less than the length of the corresponding one side of the opening 14), and when the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 is released, the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B is increased thereby to increase the projected area thereof (consequently increasing the projected area of the lid 20 to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10, or increasing the length of one side of the lid 20 to be equal to or more than the corresponding one side of the opening 14).
- the term "projected area” refers to the area of a shadow formed when light is applied from directly above an object being projected (e.g., the lid 20).
- both the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid 20 can be configured using heat insulating material panels which have a predetermined thickness and are substantially rectangular in plan view.
- a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be adopted.
- the combination of the air layer contained in the polyurethane sponge and the highly airtight aluminum-deposited PET can provide high heat insulation performance.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panels constituting the sections 20A and 20B of the lid 20, and the thickness of the connecting elastic part 22 when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 20A and the second section 20B and the thickness of the connecting elastic part 22 when released from compression are set such that the projected area of the lid 20 in the state in which the connecting elastic part 22 is not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- Fig. 3 to Fig. 12 illustrate the modified examples of the present embodiment.
- the planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid 20 do not necessarily have to be the same, and for example, the area of the first section 20A may be set smaller and the area of the second section 20B may be set larger as illustrated in Fig. 3 . Further, the planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid 20 do not necessarily have to be rectangular, and for example, the planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B may be trapezoidal as illustrated in Fig. 4 , and these may be combined to constitute the lid 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.
- the surface of at least one part of the lid 20 (only the first section 20A in Fig. 3 , or the first section 20A and the second section 20B in Fig. 4 ) can be provided with a grip or grips 23 to be grasped by a user.
- the number of the sections constituting the lid 20 does not necessarily have to be two, and the lid 20 may be divided, for example, into four sections (the first section 20A, the second section 20B, a third section 20C, and a fourth section 20D), as illustrated in Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 , and these four sections may be connected by the connecting elastic parts 22.
- Fig. 5 illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have the same planar shape and the same area
- Fig. 6 illustrates a modified example in which the areas of two of the four sections are set smaller and the areas of the remaining two sections are set larger
- Fig. 7 illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have different planar shapes and different areas.
- planar shapes of the four sections are all rectangular (oblong)
- the planar shape of the lid 20 is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the three sections may be connected by the connecting elastic parts 22 to configure the lid 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.
- Fig. 9 illustrates a modified example in which the sections having relatively small areas (the first section 20A and the third section 20C) are placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lid 20, and are connected with the section having a relatively large area (the second section 20B) placed at the center in the longitudinal direction, and the grips 23 are provided on the surfaces of the two sections (the first section 20A and the third section 20C) placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction.
- Fig. 10 illustrates a modified example in which all three sections have different planar shapes and areas. In any case, the planar shape of the lid 20 has a substantially rectangular shape to fit the planar shape of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- peripheral edges 21 of the lid 20 do not necessarily have to contact the inner surface of the side walls 12 of the container body 10 over the entire periphery.
- the corners of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid 20 may be cut off to form gaps between the four corners of the lid 20 and the container body 10.
- the projected area of the lid 20 does not necessarily have to become larger than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10 when the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 is released, causing the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B to be increased; however, an arrangement is made such that, for example, when the compression along a second direction (the lateral direction on the paper surface) D 2 orthogonal to the extending direction of the connecting elastic part 22 (a first direction D 1 ) is released, the lengths of sides 21A and 21B of the lid 20 along the second direction D 2 are increased to be equal to or more than the lengths of sides (corresponding sides) 14A and 14B of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that correspond to the sides 21A and 21B, as illustrated in Fig. 11 .
- sides 21C and 21D orthogonal to the sides 21A and 21B of the lid 20 come in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 at sides 14C and 14D of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that correspond to the sides 21C and 21D, thereby fixing the lid 20 to the container body 10.
- An arrangement is made such that, when the lid 20 is compressed along the second direction D 2 of the connecting elastic part 22, the lengths of the sides 21A and 21B of the lid 20 along second direction D 2 are reduced to be equal to or less than the lengths of the corresponding sides 14A and 14B of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the extending direction (the first direction D 1 ) and the compressing direction (the second direction D 2 ) of the connecting elastic part 22 do not necessarily have to be orthogonal to each other as long as these directions intersect with each other.
- the connecting elastic part 22 may be compressed in a direction parallel to the upper and lower sides on the paper surface.
- the extending direction (the first direction D 1 ) and the compressing direction (the second direction D 2 ) of the connecting elastic part 22 intersect with each other although not being orthogonal to each other.
- a first projection 24 protruding from the first side 21C in a direction away from the connecting elastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the first side) 21C positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part 22 in the first section 20A of the lid 20, while a second projection 25 protruding from the second side 21D in a direction away from the connecting elastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the second side) 21D positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part 22 in the second section 20B of the lid 20.
- a first projection 24 protruding from the first side 21C in a direction away from the connecting elastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the first side) 21C positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part 22 in the first section 20A of the lid 20
- a second projection 25 protruding from the second side 21D in a direction away from the connecting elastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the second side) 21D positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part 22 in the second section 20B of the lid 20.
- the first projection 24 can be placed adjacently to one end in the first direction D 1
- the second projection 25 can be placed adjacently to the other end in the first direction D 1 , (i.e., the first projection 24 and the second projection 25 are placed on the diagonal line of the lid 20).
- an arrangement is made such that, when the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 along the second direction D 2 is released, the first projection 24 comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on the side 14C of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that corresponds thereto, and the second projection 25 comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on the side 14D of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that corresponds thereto.
- the lid 20 is fixed to the container body 10.
- An arrangement is made such that, when the lid 20 is compressed along the second direction D 2 of the connecting elastic part 22, the close contact between the first projection 24 and the second projection 25 and the sides 14C and 14D of the opening 14 of the container body 10 is released to allow the lid 20 to be detached from the container body 10.
- the number of the projections is not limited to two, and the projection may be provided only on one of the sides as long as the lid 20 can be fixed to the container body 10.
- the first projection 24 is provided only on the side 21C, and when the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 is released, the first projection 24 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the side wall 12 of a part of the one side 14C of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that corresponds thereto, while the side 21D located on the opposite side from the first projection 24 of the lid 20 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the side wall 12 of the side 14D of the opening 14 of the container body 10 that corresponds thereto, thus allowing the lid 20 to be fixed to the container body 10.
- the lid 20 is configured such that at least a part of the lid 20 is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 21 into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of the container body 10, and the lid 20, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 20 (the position where the peripheral edges 21 of the lid 20 come in close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges 21 of the lid 20 are brought into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10 in a state in which the position of the lid 20 has been shifted toward the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- the lid 20 is configured by being divided into a plurality of sections (such as the first section 20A and the second section 20B) and by connecting these sections by the connecting elastic part 22.
- the projected area of the lid 20 is reduced when the connecting elastic part 22 is compressed so as to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently reducing the projected area of the lid 20 to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10, or the length of one side of the lid 20 to be equal to or less than the length of corresponding one side of the opening 14), while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 is released so as to increase the interval between the sections (consequently increasing the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10, or the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of corresponding one side of the opening).
- the projected area thereof is reduced (to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10) by compressing the connecting elastic part 22 when the lid 20 is inserted into the storage space 13 of the container body 10, and then the projected area is increased (to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening 14 of the container body 10) by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part 22 in the storage space 13, thus allowing the peripheral edges 21 to come in close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the heat insulating container 1 adopts the lid 20 configured by connecting the plurality of sections (such as the first section 20A and the second section 20B) by the connecting elastic part 22, so that the height of the first section 20A and the height of the second section 20B can be made different at the connecting elastic part 22 serving as the boundary. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 13 , even if the objects C 1 and C 2 stored in the container body 10 have different heights, the height of the first section 20A and the height of the second section 20B can be changed according to the heights of the objects C 1 and C 2 so as to bring the lid 20 close to the objects C 1 and C 2 (or to bring the lid 20 into close contact with the objects C 1 and C 2 ). As a result, the space generated between the objects C 1 and C 2 having different heights and the lid 20 can be reduced (or the space can be substantially eliminated), thus making it possible to effectively suppress the deterioration of the heat insulation efficiency.
- the surface of at least one part of the lid 20 is provided with the grip 23 to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to deform the lid 20 by grasping the grip 23 provided on the surface of the part constituting the lid 20.
- the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid 20 of the heat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 30) will be mainly described, and a common configuration (a container body 10) will be assigned the same reference sign and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
- the lid 30 in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (a first section 30A and a second section 30B), and configured to be deformable between a bent state ( Fig. 14 (A) ) and a flat state ( Fig. 14 (B) ) by connecting the first section 30A and the second section 30B by a hinge 32.
- the planar shape of the lid 30 in the flat state is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the lid 30 is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced by being set to the bent state as illustrated in Fig. 14 (A) when the lid 30 is inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10, while the projected area thereof is increased when the lid 30 is set to the flat state as illustrated in Fig. 14 (B) after being inserted into the storage space 13 of the container body 10.
- the first section 30A and the second section 30B constituting the lid 30 can be both composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, as with a bottom wall 11 and the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thicknesses of the heat insulating material panels constituting the sections 30A and 30B of the lid 30 can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 30A and the second section 30B are set such that the projected area when the lid 30 is in the flat state ( Fig. 14 (B) ) is substantially the same as (or slightly larger than) the projected area of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the hinge 32 is placed substantially at the center of the lid 30 in plan view, and has a plate-shaped first fixed part 32A fixed to the first section 30A of the lid 30 and a plate-shaped second fixed part 32B fixed to the second section 30B of the lid 30, which are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft 32C, as illustrated in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 .
- the first fixed part 32A of the hinge 32 is fixed to the first section 30A of the lid 30 and the second fixed part 32B of the hinge 32 is fixed to the second section 30B of the lid 30, thereby enabling the lid 30 to deform between the bent state ( Fig. 14 (A) ) and the flat state ( Fig. 14 (B) ).
- the surfaces of the first section 30A and the second section 30B of the lid 30 can be provided with grips 33 to be grasped by a user, as illustrated in FIG. 14 .
- the rear side of the hinge 32 connecting the first section 30A and the second section 30B of the lid 30 can be provided with a connecting elastic part 34 (e.g., a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET) like the one described in the first embodiment.
- the lid 30 is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 31 into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of the container body 10, and the lid 30, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 30 (the position where the peripheral edges 31 of the lid 30 come in close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges 31 of the lid 30 are brought into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10 in a state in which the position of the lid 30 has been shifted toward the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, thereby making it possible to form a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- the lid 30 is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 30A and the second section 30B) and configured such that the sections are connected by the hinge 32 thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 31 into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10 by appropriately deforming the lid 30 according to the size of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the projected area of the lid 30 in the present embodiment is reduced by being set to the bent state when the lid 30 is inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10, while the projected area is increased when the lid 30 is set to the flat state after being inserted into the storage space 13.
- the lid 30 is set to the bent state so as to reduce the projected area when inserting the lid 30 into the storage space 13 of the container body 10, and then the lid 30 is set to the flat state by a user pulling the grips 33 upward thereby to increase the projected area in the storage space 13, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 31 into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the user can deform the lid 30 by grasping the grip 33 provided on the surface of the section constituting the lid 30. This makes it easy to deform the lid 30 (shifting from the bent state to the flat state and shifting from the flat state to the bent state).
- the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid 20 of the heat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 40) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body 10) will be omitted.
- the lid 40 of the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, as with the first embodiment, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into a storage space 13 through an opening 14 of the container body 10 thereby to bring peripheral edges 41 (or peripheral elastic parts 42 to be described later) into close contact with the inner surfaces of side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the lid 40 in the present embodiment has a first section 40A composed of a heat insulating material panel having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the peripheral edge 41 of the first section 40A is provided with the peripheral elastic part 42.
- a sponge made of polyurethane which contains an air layer and has excellent heat insulation performance, can be used for the peripheral elastic part 42.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panel constituting the first section 40A of the lid 40, and the thickness of the peripheral elastic parts 42 when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 40A and the thickness of the peripheral elastic parts 42 when released from compression are set such that the projected area of the lid 40 in a state in which the peripheral elastic parts 42 are not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 illustrate modified examples of the present embodiment.
- Fig. 17 illustrates an example in which the peripheral elastic parts 42 are provided on all the peripheral edges 41 of the first section 40A of the lid 40; however, the peripheral elastic parts 42 may be provided on a part (a pair of opposing sides) of the peripheral elastic parts 42 of the first section 40A, as illustrated in Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 .
- the lid 40 can be divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 40A, a second section 40B, and a third section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected by hinges 43 so as to allow the lid 40 to be deformed between a bent state and a flat state.
- the hinges 43 can be placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edges 41 of the lid 40, and the peripheral elastic parts 42 can be provided on the peripheral edges 41 in the vicinity of the hinges 43.
- the projected area of the lid 40 in the flat state is set to be larger than the projected area of the opening 14 of the container body 10, and the lid 40 is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserted into a storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10 thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening 14.
- the lid 40 is configured such that at least a part of the lid 40 in a state of being inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10 is deformed, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 41 (or the peripheral elastic parts 42) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of the container body 10, and the lid 40, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 40 (the position where the peripheral edges 41 of the lid 40 come in close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges 41 of the lid 40 are brought into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10 in a state in which the position of the lid 40 has been shifted toward the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- the peripheral edges 41 of the lid 40 is provided with the peripheral elastic parts 42, so that the peripheral elastic parts 42 of the lid 40 are compressed to reduce the projected area of the lid 40 when the lid 40 is inserted into the storage space 13 of the container body 10, and then the compression of the peripheral elastic parts 42 is released inside the storage space 13 so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 41 (or the peripheral elastic parts 42 in the case where the peripheral edges 41 are provided with the peripheral elastic parts 42) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12.
- the lid 40 is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 40A, the second section 40B, and the third section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected by the hinges 43 so as to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state. This makes it possible to appropriately deform the lid 40 according to the size of the opening 14 of the container body 10 so as to bring the peripheral edges 41 into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the projected area of the lid 40 in the present modified example is set to be larger than the projected area of the opening 14 of the container body 10 in the flat state, and the flat state is replaced by the bent state when the lid 40 is inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10 thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening 14.
- the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid 20 of the heat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 50) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body 10) will be omitted.
- the lid 50 in the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into a storage space 13 through an opening 14 of the container body 10 thereby to bring peripheral edges 51 (or peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with the inner surfaces of side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- the lid 50 in the present embodiment has a configuration that combines the configuration of the lid 20 in the first embodiment ( Fig. 2 ) and the configuration of the lid 40 in the third embodiment ( Fig. 18 ). More specifically, as illustrated in Fig. 20 , the lid 50 is divided into two sections (a first section 50A and a second section 50B), configured such that the first section 50A and the second section 50B are connected by a connecting elastic part 52, and the planar shape thereof is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening 14 of the container body 10.
- the lid 50 is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced when the connecting elastic part 52 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the first section 50A and the second section 50B, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part 52 is released thereby to increase the interval between the first section 50A and the second section 50B.
- the two sides orthogonal to the connecting elastic part 52 are provided with the peripheral elastic parts 53.
- the connecting elastic part 52 and the peripheral elastic parts 53 have already been described in the first embodiment and the third embodiment, so that detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
- the surfaces of the first section 50A and the second section 50B of the lid 50 are provided with grips 54 to be grasped by a user.
- the lid 50 is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space 13 through the opening 14 of the container body 10, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 51 (or the peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space 13, a heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of the container body 10, and the lid 50, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 50 (the position where the peripheral edges 51 of the lid 50 come in close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges 51 of the lid 50 are brought into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10 in a state in which the position of the lid 50 has been shifted toward the bottom wall 11 of the container body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume.
- the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- the lid 50 is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 50A and the second section 50B), and configured by connecting these sections by the connecting elastic part 52.
- the projected area of the lid 50 is reduced when the connecting elastic part 52 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part 52 is released thereby to increase the interval between the sections.
- the connecting elastic part 52 is compressed to reduce the projected area of the lid 50 when the lid 50 is inserted into the storage space 13 of the container body 10, and then the compression of the connecting elastic part 52 is released inside the storage space 13 so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 51 (or the peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with the side walls 12 of the container body 10.
- a part of the peripheral edges 51 of the lid 50 is provided with the peripheral elastic parts 53, so that the projected area of the lid 50 can be reduced by compressing the peripheral elastic parts 53 of the lid 50 when the lid 50 is inserted into the storage space 13 of the container body 10, and then the projected area can be increased by releasing the compression of the peripheral elastic parts 53 in the storage space 13 so as to allow the peripheral edges 51 (the peripheral elastic parts 53 in the case of the peripheral edges 51 provided with the peripheral elastic parts 53) to be brought into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 12.
- the surfaces of the plurality of sections of the lid 50 are provided with the grips 54 to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to grasp the grips 54 provided on the surfaces of the sections constituting the lid 50 to deform the lid 50. This makes it easy to deform the lid 50 (by compressing the connecting elastic part 52 and releasing the compression).
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Packages (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a heat insulating container.
- Hitherto, various types of heat insulating containers (cold storage boxes) have been proposed and put into practical use for transporting and storing foodstuffs and the like contained together with cold storage materials. For example, there has currently been proposed a cold storage box 100 including an
outer box 10, aninner box 20 placed in theouter box 10, aninner lid 30 spanning the opening of theinner box 20, and acold storage material 40 disposed on the inner lid 30 (refer to Patent Document 1). It is described that, by adopting such a configuration, theinner box 20 is placed in theouter box 10, an object is placed in theinner box 20, theinner lid 30 spans the opening of theinner box 20, thecold storage material 40 is disposed on theinner lid 30, and theouter box 10 is sealed, thus making it possible to dispose thecold storage material 40 at a position above the object to cause cold air cooled by thecold storage material 40 to descend from the upper part inside theouter box 10 and circulate in theouter box 10, efficiently cooling the entire interior of theouter box 10. - Patent Document 1: Utility Model Registration No.
3204212 - Meanwhile, the conventional cold storage box disclosed in
Patent Document 1 is configured to have the undeformable outer box, whereas the volume of an object stored therein changes depending on circumstances. Therefore, if, for example, the volume of the object is significantly reduced, the inside of the box will be filled with a relatively large amount of air. Air has high specific heat than the contents, thus posing a problem that the cold insulation (heat insulation efficiency) inconveniently deteriorates when the inside of the box is filled with a relatively large amount of air. - The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even if the volume of an object stored is reduced.
- To achieve the above-described object, a heat insulating container in accordance with the present invention is a heat insulating container including: a container body having a storage space formed by a bottom wall and side walls, and an opening continuous to the storage space; and a deformable plate-shaped lid, wherein the lid is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body thereby to bring a peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.
- When such a configuration is adopted, the lid is configured such that at least a part of the lid is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby bringing the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space, a heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall of the container body and a part of the side walls (the portions closer to the bottom wall) of the container body, and the lid, thus making it possible to hold an object in the heat-insulated closed space for the purpose of transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid (the position where the peripheral edge of the lid and the side walls of the container body come in close contact) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, if the volume of an object stored reduces, then a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume can be formed by shifting the position of the lid toward the bottom wall of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the side walls of the container body. Therefore, even if the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, thus making it possible to suppress the presence of air, which has high specific heat, inside the heat-insulated closed space with a resultant suppression of the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a lid configured by connecting a plurality of sections by means of a connecting elastic part can be adopted. In such a case, the projected area of the lid can be reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part so as to extend the interval between the sections. In addition, it is possible to set the projected area of the lid to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening) by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while it is also possible to set the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening) by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections. The connecting elastic part may have a bellows structure.
- When such a configuration is adopted, the lid is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part. Further, the projected area of the lid is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body, or setting the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening), while the projected area is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body, or increasing the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening). When inserting the lid having such a configuration into the storage space of the container body, the connecting elastic part is compressed so as to reduce the projected area of the lid (to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body), and then the compression of the connecting elastic part is released in the storage space so as to increase the projected area (to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body), thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body.
- Further, when such a configuration is adopted, since the lid is adopted that is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part, it is possible to, for example, set the height of a first section and the height of a second section to be different from each other, with the connecting elastic part being the boundary therebetween. Consequently, even if an object stored in the container body has a different height, the height of the first section and the height of the second section can be changed according to the height of the object, thus allowing the lid to be closer to the object (or allowing the lid to be in close contact with the object). As a result, the space generated between an object having a different height and the lid can be reduced (or substantially eliminated), thus effectively suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a lid having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view can be configured by connecting a plurality of sections by a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in a first direction in plan view. In such a case, the lid can be configured such that the length of a side of the lid along a second direction is reduced to be equal to or less than the length of a corresponding side of the opening of the container body by compressing the connecting elastic part along a second direction intersecting with the first direction (e.g., the direction orthogonal to the first direction), while the length of a side of the lid along the second direction is increased to be longer than the length of the corresponding side by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part along the second direction.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to increase the lengths of the sides of the lid along the second direction to be equal to or more than the sides corresponding thereto (corresponding sides) of the opening of the container body by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part of the lid along the second direction. This makes it possible to bring the sides intersecting with the sides along the second direction of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls at the sides of the opening of the container body that correspond to the intersecting sides so as to fix the lid to the container body. In this case, the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the lid can be configured by connecting a first section and a second section, each having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, by a connecting elastic part. Further, the lid can be configured such that a projection protruding in a direction away from the connecting elastic part is formed on at least either a first side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the first section and a second side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the second section, and such that the projection is brought into close contact with at least a part of one side of the opening by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part. In this case, a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in the first direction in plan view can be adopted, a first projection protruding from the first side and a second projection protruding from the second side can be adopted, the first projection can be placed closer to one end portion in the first direction, and the second projection can be placed closer to the other end portion in the first direction.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to fix the lid to the container body by bringing the projection into close contact with the inner surface of a side wall in at least a part of a side of the opening of the container body corresponding to the projection, while bringing the remaining peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with a part of the inner surfaces of side walls of the container body that corresponds to the remaining peripheral edge when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released. Also in the case where such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, it is possible to adopt a lid configured to be divided into a plurality of sections and deformable between a bent state and a flat state by connecting the sections by a hinge.
- Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to appropriately deform the lid according to the size of the opening of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body, since the lid is divided into the plurality of sections and configured by connecting the sections by the hinge thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the hinge can be placed substantially at the center of the lid in plan view. In such a case, it is possible to reduce the projected area of the lid by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space.
- By adopting such a configuration, the projected area of the lid is reduced by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area thereof is increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space. The lid having such a configuration allows the peripheral edge thereof to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space of the container body so as to reduce the projected area and then setting the lid to the flat state (by pushing the hinge, which is located substantially at the center, toward the storage space or pulling the hinge up from the storage space side) thereby to increase the projected area in the storage space.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the hinge can be placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the lid. In such a case, the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and then the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby making it possible to reduce the projected area of the lid to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening.
- When such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and the projected area thereof is reduced to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening when the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state at the time of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body. The lid having such a configuration is bent by the hinge located in the vicinity of the peripheral edge when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body so as to set the projected area thereof to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening of the container body, thus allowing the peripheral edge to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body.
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a grip to be grasped by a user can be provided on the surface of at least a part of the lid.
- Adopting such a configuration enables a user to grasp the grip provided on the surface of a section, which constitutes the lid, thereby to deform the lid. This makes it easy to deform the lid (compressing the connecting elastic part, releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part, shifting from the bent state to the flat state, shifting from the flat state to the bent state, and the like).
- In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a peripheral elastic part can be provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid.
- When such a configuration is adopted, since the peripheral elastic part is provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid, the peripheral elastic part of the lid is compressed when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body thereby to reduce the projected area of the lid, and then the compression of the peripheral elastic part is released in the storage space thereby to increase the projected area, thus allowing the peripheral edge (or the peripheral elastic part in the case of the peripheral edge provided with the peripheral elastic part) to come in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.
- According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even when the volume of an object stored decreases.
-
-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heat insulating container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 10 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 11 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 12 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the working effect of the heat insulating container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 14 presents side views of the lid of a heat insulating container according to a second embodiment of the present invention ((A) illustrating a bent state, and (B) illustrating a flat state). -
Fig. 15 presents perspective views of a hinge of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the second embodiment of the present invention ((A) illustrating the bent state, and (B) illustrating the flat state). -
Fig. 16 presents side views of the hinge of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the second embodiment of the present invention ((A) illustrating the bent state, and (B) illustrating the flat state). -
Fig. 17 is a plan view of the lid of a heat insulating container according to a third embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 18 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the third embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 19 is a plan view of a modified example of the lid of the heat insulating container according to the third embodiment of the present invention. -
Fig. 20 is a plan view of the lid of a heat insulating container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. - The following will describe the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are merely preferred application examples, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto.
- First, referring to
Fig. 1 to Fig. 13 , the configuration of aheat insulating container 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Theheat insulating container 1 according to the present embodiment includes acontainer body 10 and alid 20 as illustrated inFig. 1 , and is used to store an object such as food together with a cold storage material therein for transportation and storage. - As illustrated in
Fig. 1 , thecontainer body 10 has abottom wall 11, which has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and fourside walls 12 connected in such a manner as to rise from the sides of thebottom wall 11, and is configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Astorage space 13 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed by thebottom wall 11 and theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10, and anopening 14 continuous to thestorage space 13 is formed in the top of thestorage space 13. - Both the
bottom wall 11 and theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 are composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. As such heat insulating material panels, for example, heat insulating material panels composed of a heat insulating material having a heat resistance of 50 m2·KI/W or less and a bending strength of 0.15 N/mm2 or more can be adopted. The vertical and horizontal dimensions and thickness of the heat insulating panels constituting thebottom wall 11 and theside walls 12 can be appropriately set according to the type or the like of an object stored in theheat insulating container 1. - The
lid 20 is a deformable, plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed when thelid 20 is inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 thereby to bringperipheral edges 21 into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside wall 12 of thecontainer body 10. As illustrated inFig. 2 , thelid 20 in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (afirst section 20A and asecond section 20B), and is configured by connecting thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B to each other by a belt-shaped connectingelastic part 22 extending in a first direction (in the vertical direction on the paper surface) D1 in plan view, and has a planar shape which is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - The
lid 20 is configured such that the connectingelastic part 22 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B so as to reduce the projected area thereof (consequently reducing the projected area of thelid 20 to be equal to or smaller than the area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, or reducing the length of one side of thelid 20 to be equal to or less than the length of the corresponding one side of the opening 14), and when the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 is released, the interval between thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B is increased thereby to increase the projected area thereof (consequently increasing the projected area of thelid 20 to be equal to or larger than the area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, or increasing the length of one side of thelid 20 to be equal to or more than the corresponding one side of the opening 14). In the present specification, the term "projected area" refers to the area of a shadow formed when light is applied from directly above an object being projected (e.g., the lid 20). - As with the
bottom wall 11 and theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10, both thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B constituting thelid 20 can be configured using heat insulating material panels which have a predetermined thickness and are substantially rectangular in plan view. For the connectingelastic part 22 connecting thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B, a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be adopted. The combination of the air layer contained in the polyurethane sponge and the highly airtight aluminum-deposited PET can provide high heat insulation performance. - The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panels constituting the
sections lid 20, and the thickness of the connectingelastic part 22 when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B and the thickness of the connectingelastic part 22 when released from compression are set such that the projected area of thelid 20 in the state in which the connectingelastic part 22 is not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. -
Fig. 3 to Fig. 12 illustrate the modified examples of the present embodiment. - The planar shapes of the
first section 20A and thesecond section 20B constituting thelid 20 do not necessarily have to be the same, and for example, the area of thefirst section 20A may be set smaller and the area of thesecond section 20B may be set larger as illustrated inFig. 3 . Further, the planar shapes of thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B constituting thelid 20 do not necessarily have to be rectangular, and for example, the planar shapes of thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B may be trapezoidal as illustrated inFig. 4 , and these may be combined to constitute thelid 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The surface of at least one part of the lid 20 (only thefirst section 20A inFig. 3 , or thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B inFig. 4 ) can be provided with a grip or grips 23 to be grasped by a user. - The number of the sections constituting the
lid 20 does not necessarily have to be two, and thelid 20 may be divided, for example, into four sections (thefirst section 20A, thesecond section 20B, athird section 20C, and afourth section 20D), as illustrated inFig. 5 to Fig. 8 , and these four sections may be connected by the connectingelastic parts 22.Fig. 5 illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have the same planar shape and the same area,Fig. 6 illustrates a modified example in which the areas of two of the four sections are set smaller and the areas of the remaining two sections are set larger, andFig. 7 illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have different planar shapes and different areas. Further, whileFig. 5 to Fig. 7 illustrate the modified examples in which the planar shapes of the four sections are all rectangular (oblong), it is possible to set two of the four sections to have pentagonal planar shapes and to set the remaining two to have triangular planar shapes, as in the modified example ofFig. 8 . In any case, the planar shape of thelid 20 is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - Further, as illustrated in
Fig. 9 andFig. 10 , the three sections (thefirst section 20A, thesecond section 20B, and thethird section 20C) may be connected by the connectingelastic parts 22 to configure thelid 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.Fig. 9 illustrates a modified example in which the sections having relatively small areas (thefirst section 20A and thethird section 20C) are placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of thelid 20, and are connected with the section having a relatively large area (thesecond section 20B) placed at the center in the longitudinal direction, and thegrips 23 are provided on the surfaces of the two sections (thefirst section 20A and thethird section 20C) placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction.Fig. 10 illustrates a modified example in which all three sections have different planar shapes and areas. In any case, the planar shape of thelid 20 has a substantially rectangular shape to fit the planar shape of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - Further, the
peripheral edges 21 of thelid 20 do not necessarily have to contact the inner surface of theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 over the entire periphery. For example, as illustrated inFig. 11 , the corners of thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B constituting thelid 20 may be cut off to form gaps between the four corners of thelid 20 and thecontainer body 10. In this case, the projected area of thelid 20 does not necessarily have to become larger than the area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 when the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 is released, causing the interval between thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B to be increased; however, an arrangement is made such that, for example, when the compression along a second direction (the lateral direction on the paper surface) D2 orthogonal to the extending direction of the connecting elastic part 22 (a first direction D1) is released, the lengths ofsides lid 20 along the second direction D2 are increased to be equal to or more than the lengths of sides (corresponding sides) 14A and 14B of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that correspond to thesides Fig. 11 . Thus, sides 21C and 21D orthogonal to thesides lid 20 come in close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12 atsides opening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that correspond to thesides lid 20 to thecontainer body 10. An arrangement is made such that, when thelid 20 is compressed along the second direction D2 of the connectingelastic part 22, the lengths of thesides lid 20 along second direction D2 are reduced to be equal to or less than the lengths of the correspondingsides opening 14 of thecontainer body 10. The extending direction (the first direction D1) and the compressing direction (the second direction D2) of the connectingelastic part 22 do not necessarily have to be orthogonal to each other as long as these directions intersect with each other. For example, in the case where the extending direction of the connectingelastic part 22 is slightly inclined rather than being orthogonal with respect to the upper and lower sides on the paper surface as illustrated inFig. 4 andFig. 8 , the connectingelastic part 22 may be compressed in a direction parallel to the upper and lower sides on the paper surface. In this case, the extending direction (the first direction D1) and the compressing direction (the second direction D2) of the connectingelastic part 22 intersect with each other although not being orthogonal to each other. - Further, as illustrated in
Fig. 12 , afirst projection 24 protruding from thefirst side 21C in a direction away from the connectingelastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the first side) 21C positioned on the opposite side from the connectingelastic part 22 in thefirst section 20A of thelid 20, while asecond projection 25 protruding from thesecond side 21D in a direction away from the connectingelastic part 22 can be formed on the side (the second side) 21D positioned on the opposite side from the connectingelastic part 22 in thesecond section 20B of thelid 20. In this case, as illustrated inFig. 12 , thefirst projection 24 can be placed adjacently to one end in the first direction D1, and thesecond projection 25 can be placed adjacently to the other end in the first direction D1, (i.e., thefirst projection 24 and thesecond projection 25 are placed on the diagonal line of the lid 20). Further, an arrangement is made such that, when the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 along the second direction D2 is released, thefirst projection 24 comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on theside 14C of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that corresponds thereto, and thesecond projection 25 comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on theside 14D of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that corresponds thereto. Thus, thelid 20 is fixed to thecontainer body 10. An arrangement is made such that, when thelid 20 is compressed along the second direction D2 of the connectingelastic part 22, the close contact between thefirst projection 24 and thesecond projection 25 and thesides opening 14 of thecontainer body 10 is released to allow thelid 20 to be detached from thecontainer body 10. The number of the projections is not limited to two, and the projection may be provided only on one of the sides as long as thelid 20 can be fixed to thecontainer body 10. For example, thefirst projection 24 is provided only on theside 21C, and when the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 is released, thefirst projection 24 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of theside wall 12 of a part of the oneside 14C of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that corresponds thereto, while theside 21D located on the opposite side from thefirst projection 24 of thelid 20 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of theside wall 12 of theside 14D of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 that corresponds thereto, thus allowing thelid 20 to be fixed to thecontainer body 10. - In the
heat insulating container 1 according to the embodiment described above, thelid 20 is configured such that at least a part of thelid 20 is deformed in a state of being inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, thereby bringing theperipheral edges 21 into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. This makes it possible to form, inside thestorage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of thecontainer body 10, and thelid 20, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 20 (the position where theperipheral edges 21 of thelid 20 come in close contact with theside walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, theperipheral edges 21 of thelid 20 are brought into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 in a state in which the position of thelid 20 has been shifted toward thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Therefore, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency. - Further, in the
heat insulating container 1 according to the embodiment described above, thelid 20 is configured by being divided into a plurality of sections (such as thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B) and by connecting these sections by the connectingelastic part 22. In addition, the projected area of thelid 20 is reduced when the connectingelastic part 22 is compressed so as to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently reducing the projected area of thelid 20 to be equal to or smaller than the area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, or the length of one side of thelid 20 to be equal to or less than the length of corresponding one side of the opening 14), while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 is released so as to increase the interval between the sections (consequently increasing the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, or the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of corresponding one side of the opening). In thelid 20 having such a configuration, the projected area thereof is reduced (to be equal to or smaller than the area of theopening 14 of the container body 10) by compressing the connectingelastic part 22 when thelid 20 is inserted into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10, and then the projected area is increased (to be equal to or larger than the area of theopening 14 of the container body 10) by releasing the compression of the connectingelastic part 22 in thestorage space 13, thus allowing theperipheral edges 21 to come in close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - In addition, the
heat insulating container 1 according to the embodiment described above adopts thelid 20 configured by connecting the plurality of sections (such as thefirst section 20A and thesecond section 20B) by the connectingelastic part 22, so that the height of thefirst section 20A and the height of thesecond section 20B can be made different at the connectingelastic part 22 serving as the boundary. Therefore, as illustrated inFig. 13 , even if the objects C1 and C2 stored in thecontainer body 10 have different heights, the height of thefirst section 20A and the height of thesecond section 20B can be changed according to the heights of the objects C1 and C2 so as to bring thelid 20 close to the objects C1 and C2 (or to bring thelid 20 into close contact with the objects C1 and C2). As a result, the space generated between the objects C1 and C2 having different heights and thelid 20 can be reduced (or the space can be substantially eliminated), thus making it possible to effectively suppress the deterioration of the heat insulation efficiency. - Further, in the
heat insulating container 1 according to the embodiment described above, the surface of at least one part of thelid 20 is provided with thegrip 23 to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to deform thelid 20 by grasping thegrip 23 provided on the surface of the part constituting thelid 20. This makes it easy to deform the lid 20 (by compressing the connectingelastic part 22 and releasing the compression). - Referring now to
Fig. 14 to Fig. 16 , the configuration of a heat insulating container according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of thelid 20 of theheat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of thecontainer body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 30) will be mainly described, and a common configuration (a container body 10) will be assigned the same reference sign and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. - As illustrated in
Fig. 14 , thelid 30 in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (afirst section 30A and asecond section 30B), and configured to be deformable between a bent state (Fig. 14 (A) ) and a flat state (Fig. 14 (B) ) by connecting thefirst section 30A and thesecond section 30B by ahinge 32. The planar shape of thelid 30 in the flat state is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - The
lid 30 is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced by being set to the bent state as illustrated inFig. 14 (A) when thelid 30 is inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, while the projected area thereof is increased when thelid 30 is set to the flat state as illustrated inFig. 14 (B) after being inserted into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10. - The
first section 30A and thesecond section 30B constituting thelid 30 can be both composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, as with abottom wall 11 and theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thicknesses of the heat insulating material panels constituting thesections lid 30 can be appropriately set according to the size of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the
first section 30A and thesecond section 30B are set such that the projected area when thelid 30 is in the flat state (Fig. 14 (B) ) is substantially the same as (or slightly larger than) the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. - The
hinge 32 is placed substantially at the center of thelid 30 in plan view, and has a plate-shaped first fixedpart 32A fixed to thefirst section 30A of thelid 30 and a plate-shaped second fixedpart 32B fixed to thesecond section 30B of thelid 30, which are rotatably connected by arotating shaft 32C, as illustrated inFig. 15 andFig. 16 . The firstfixed part 32A of thehinge 32 is fixed to thefirst section 30A of thelid 30 and the secondfixed part 32B of thehinge 32 is fixed to thesecond section 30B of thelid 30, thereby enabling thelid 30 to deform between the bent state (Fig. 14 (A) ) and the flat state (Fig. 14 (B) ). - The surfaces of the
first section 30A and thesecond section 30B of thelid 30 can be provided withgrips 33 to be grasped by a user, as illustrated inFIG. 14 . In addition, the rear side of thehinge 32 connecting thefirst section 30A and thesecond section 30B of thelid 30 can be provided with a connecting elastic part 34 (e.g., a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET) like the one described in the first embodiment. - In the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the
lid 30 is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, thereby bringing theperipheral edges 31 into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. This makes it possible to form, inside thestorage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of thecontainer body 10, and thelid 30, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 30 (the position where theperipheral edges 31 of thelid 30 come in close contact with theside walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, theperipheral edges 31 of thelid 30 are brought into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 in a state in which the position of thelid 30 has been shifted toward thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, thereby making it possible to form a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Therefore, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the
lid 30 is divided into a plurality of sections (thefirst section 30A and thesecond section 30B) and configured such that the sections are connected by thehinge 32 thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state, thus making it possible to bring theperipheral edges 31 into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 by appropriately deforming thelid 30 according to the size of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. In particular, the projected area of thelid 30 in the present embodiment is reduced by being set to the bent state when thelid 30 is inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, while the projected area is increased when thelid 30 is set to the flat state after being inserted into thestorage space 13. Therefore, thelid 30 is set to the bent state so as to reduce the projected area when inserting thelid 30 into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10, and then thelid 30 is set to the flat state by a user pulling thegrips 33 upward thereby to increase the projected area in thestorage space 13, thus making it possible to bring theperipheral edges 31 into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, since the surface of at least one section of the
lid 30 is provided with thegrip 33 to be grasped by a user, the user can deform thelid 30 by grasping thegrip 33 provided on the surface of the section constituting thelid 30. This makes it easy to deform the lid 30 (shifting from the bent state to the flat state and shifting from the flat state to the bent state). - Referring now to
Fig. 17 to Fig. 19 , the configuration of a heat insulating container according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of thelid 20 of theheat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of thecontainer body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 40) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body 10) will be omitted. - The
lid 40 of the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, as with the first embodiment, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into astorage space 13 through anopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 thereby to bring peripheral edges 41 (or peripheralelastic parts 42 to be described later) into close contact with the inner surfaces ofside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - The
lid 40 in the present embodiment has afirst section 40A composed of a heat insulating material panel having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and theperipheral edge 41 of thefirst section 40A is provided with the peripheralelastic part 42. For example, a sponge made of polyurethane, which contains an air layer and has excellent heat insulation performance, can be used for the peripheralelastic part 42. - The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panel constituting the
first section 40A of thelid 40, and the thickness of the peripheralelastic parts 42 when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of thefirst section 40A and the thickness of the peripheralelastic parts 42 when released from compression are set such that the projected area of thelid 40 in a state in which the peripheralelastic parts 42 are not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. -
Fig. 18 andFig. 19 illustrate modified examples of the present embodiment. -
Fig. 17 illustrates an example in which the peripheralelastic parts 42 are provided on all theperipheral edges 41 of thefirst section 40A of thelid 40; however, the peripheralelastic parts 42 may be provided on a part (a pair of opposing sides) of the peripheralelastic parts 42 of thefirst section 40A, as illustrated inFig. 18 andFig. 19 . - In addition, as illustrated in
Fig. 19 , thelid 40 can be divided into a plurality of sections (thefirst section 40A, asecond section 40B, and athird section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected byhinges 43 so as to allow thelid 40 to be deformed between a bent state and a flat state. In this case, thehinges 43 can be placed in the vicinity of theperipheral edges 41 of thelid 40, and the peripheralelastic parts 42 can be provided on theperipheral edges 41 in the vicinity of the hinges 43. When such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of thelid 40 in the flat state is set to be larger than the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, and thelid 40 is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserted into astorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of theopening 14. - In the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the
lid 40 is configured such that at least a part of thelid 40 in a state of being inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 is deformed, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 41 (or the peripheral elastic parts 42) into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. This makes it possible to form, inside thestorage space 13, the heat-insulated closed space composed of thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of thecontainer body 10, and thelid 40, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 40 (the position where theperipheral edges 41 of thelid 40 come in close contact with theside walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, theperipheral edges 41 of thelid 40 are brought into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 in a state in which the position of thelid 40 has been shifted toward thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Consequently, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, at least a part of the
peripheral edges 41 of thelid 40 is provided with the peripheralelastic parts 42, so that the peripheralelastic parts 42 of thelid 40 are compressed to reduce the projected area of thelid 40 when thelid 40 is inserted into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10, and then the compression of the peripheralelastic parts 42 is released inside thestorage space 13 so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 41 (or the peripheralelastic parts 42 in the case where theperipheral edges 41 are provided with the peripheral elastic parts 42) into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the modified example (
Fig. 19 ) of the embodiment described above, thelid 40 is divided into a plurality of sections (thefirst section 40A, thesecond section 40B, and thethird section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected by thehinges 43 so as to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state. This makes it possible to appropriately deform thelid 40 according to the size of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 so as to bring theperipheral edges 41 into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. In particular, the projected area of thelid 40 in the present modified example is set to be larger than the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 in the flat state, and the flat state is replaced by the bent state when thelid 40 is inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of theopening 14. This makes it possible to bend thelid 40 by thehinges 43 located in the vicinity of theperipheral edges 41 when inserting thelid 40 into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10 so as to set the projected area of thelid 40 to be substantially the same as the projected area of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, thus allowing the peripheral edges 41 (or the peripheralelastic parts 42 in the case where theperipheral edges 41 are provided with the peripheral elastic parts 42) to come in close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - Referring now to
Fig. 20 , the configuration of a heat insulating container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of thelid 20 of theheat insulating container 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of thecontainer body 10 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid 50) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body 10) will be omitted. - The
lid 50 in the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into astorage space 13 through anopening 14 of thecontainer body 10 thereby to bring peripheral edges 51 (or peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with the inner surfaces ofside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - The
lid 50 in the present embodiment has a configuration that combines the configuration of thelid 20 in the first embodiment (Fig. 2 ) and the configuration of thelid 40 in the third embodiment (Fig. 18 ). More specifically, as illustrated inFig. 20 , thelid 50 is divided into two sections (afirst section 50A and asecond section 50B), configured such that thefirst section 50A and thesecond section 50B are connected by a connectingelastic part 52, and the planar shape thereof is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10. Further, thelid 50 is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced when the connectingelastic part 52 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between thefirst section 50A and thesecond section 50B, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connectingelastic part 52 is released thereby to increase the interval between thefirst section 50A and thesecond section 50B. Further, in theperipheral edges 51 of thelid 50, the two sides orthogonal to the connectingelastic part 52 are provided with the peripheralelastic parts 53. The connectingelastic part 52 and the peripheralelastic parts 53 have already been described in the first embodiment and the third embodiment, so that detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The surfaces of thefirst section 50A and thesecond section 50B of thelid 50 are provided withgrips 54 to be grasped by a user. - In the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the
lid 50 is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into thestorage space 13 through theopening 14 of thecontainer body 10, thereby bringing the peripheral edges 51 (or the peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. This makes it possible to form, inside thestorage space 13, a heat-insulated closed space composed of thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, a part of the side walls 12 (a part close to the bottom wall 11) of thecontainer body 10, and thelid 50, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid 50 (the position where theperipheral edges 51 of thelid 50 come in close contact with theside walls 12 of the container body 10) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, theperipheral edges 51 of thelid 50 are brought into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10 in a state in which the position of thelid 50 has been shifted toward thebottom wall 11 of thecontainer body 10, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Consequently, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the
lid 50 is divided into a plurality of sections (thefirst section 50A and thesecond section 50B), and configured by connecting these sections by the connectingelastic part 52. In addition, the projected area of thelid 50 is reduced when the connectingelastic part 52 is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connectingelastic part 52 is released thereby to increase the interval between the sections. In thelid 50 having such a configuration, the connectingelastic part 52 is compressed to reduce the projected area of thelid 50 when thelid 50 is inserted into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10, and then the compression of the connectingelastic part 52 is released inside thestorage space 13 so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges 51 (or the peripheral elastic parts 53) into close contact with theside walls 12 of thecontainer body 10. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, a part of the
peripheral edges 51 of thelid 50 is provided with the peripheralelastic parts 53, so that the projected area of thelid 50 can be reduced by compressing the peripheralelastic parts 53 of thelid 50 when thelid 50 is inserted into thestorage space 13 of thecontainer body 10, and then the projected area can be increased by releasing the compression of the peripheralelastic parts 53 in thestorage space 13 so as to allow the peripheral edges 51 (the peripheralelastic parts 53 in the case of theperipheral edges 51 provided with the peripheral elastic parts 53) to be brought into close contact with the inner surfaces of theside walls 12. - Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the surfaces of the plurality of sections of the
lid 50 are provided with thegrips 54 to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to grasp thegrips 54 provided on the surfaces of the sections constituting thelid 50 to deform thelid 50. This makes it easy to deform the lid 50 (by compressing the connectingelastic part 52 and releasing the compression). - The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and any design modifications added as appropriate by those skilled in the art to these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as such modifications have the features of the present invention. More specifically, each element provided in each of the above embodiments and its placement, material, conditions, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, each element provided in each of the above-described embodiments can be combined to a technically possible extent, and any combinations of these are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the combinations include the features of the present invention.
-
- 1 ... heat insulating container
- 10 ... container body
- 11 ... bottom wall
- 12 ... side wall
- 13 ... storage space
- 14 ... opening
- 14A, 14B ... corresponding side (side corresponding to a side along the second direction of the lid)
- 20 · 30 · 40 · 50 ... lid
- 20A to D · 30A to B · 40A to C · 50A to B ... a plurality of sections
- 21 · 31 · 41 · 51 ... peripheral edge
- 21A · 21B ... side along the second direction
- 21C ... first side
- 21D ... second side
- 22 · 52 ... connecting elastic part
- 23 · 33 · 54 ... grip
- 24 ... first projection
- 25 ... second projection
- 32 · 43 ... hinge
- 42 · 53 ... peripheral elastic part
- D1 ... first direction
- D2 ... second direction
Claims (13)
- A heat insulating container comprising: a container body having a storage space formed by a bottom wall and side walls, and an opening continuous to the storage space; and a deformable plate-shaped lid,
wherein the lid is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body thereby to bring a peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with inner surfaces of the side walls. - The heat insulating container according to claim 1,
wherein the lid is configured by connecting a plurality of sections by a connecting elastic part, and a projected area thereof is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to reduce an interval between the sections, while the projected area thereof is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part so as to increase the interval between the sections. - The heat insulating container according to claim 2, wherein the projected area of the lid becomes equal to or smaller than an area of the opening by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area thereof becomes equal to or larger than the area of the opening by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic parts so as to increase the interval between the sections.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 2, wherein in the lid, the interval between the sections is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to cause a length of at least one side of the lid to become equal to or less than a length of a corresponding one side of the opening, while the interval between the sections is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part so as to cause the length of the one side to become equal to or more than the length of the corresponding one side of the opening.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 2, wherein the lid is configured to have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part shaped like a belt extending in a first direction in plan view, and also configured such that the length of a side of the lid along a second direction is reduced to be equal to or less than the length of a corresponding side of the opening by compressing the connecting elastic part along the second direction intersecting with the first direction, while the length of the side of the lid along the second direction is extended to be equal to or more than the length of the corresponding side by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part along the second direction.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 2,wherein the lid is configured by connecting a first section and a second section, each having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, by the connecting elastic part,a projection protruding in a direction away from the connecting elastic part is formed on at least either a first side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the first section and a second side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the second section, andthe lid is configured such that the projection is brought into close contact with at least a part of one side of the opening by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 6,wherein the connecting elastic part is formed in a belt shape extending in a first direction in plan view,the projection includes a first projection protruding from the first side and a second projection protruding from the second side,the first projection is placed closer to one end portion in the first direction, andthe second projection is placed closer to the other end portion in the first direction.
- The heat insulating container according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the connecting elastic part has a bellows structure.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 1, wherein the lid is divided into a plurality of sections, and is configured by connecting the sections by a hinge so as to be deformable between a bent state and a flat state.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 9,wherein the hinge is placed substantially at a center of the lid in plan view, andthe lid is set to the bent state at the time of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body thereby to reduce the projected area thereof, while the lid is set to the flat state after being inserted into the storage space thereby to increase the projected area thereof.
- The heat insulating container according to claim 9,wherein the hinge is placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the lid, andthe projected area of the lid in the flat state is set to be larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body, and the projected area is reduced to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening by shifting the flat state to the bent state at the time of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body.
- The heat insulating container according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein a surface of the at least one section of the lid is provided with a grip to be grasped by a user.
- The heat insulating container according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid is provided with a peripheral elastic part.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2020188395 | 2020-11-12 | ||
PCT/JP2021/041225 WO2022102627A1 (en) | 2020-11-12 | 2021-11-09 | Heat insulating container |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP4245684A1 true EP4245684A1 (en) | 2023-09-20 |
EP4245684A4 EP4245684A4 (en) | 2024-04-03 |
Family
ID=81602314
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP21891873.8A Pending EP4245684A4 (en) | 2020-11-12 | 2021-11-09 | Heat insulating container |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20240017889A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP4245684A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP7387028B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN116490438A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2022102627A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2172457A (en) * | 1937-03-15 | 1939-09-12 | Schwartz Hyman | Container |
GB1213150A (en) * | 1967-12-23 | 1970-11-18 | James Gregg | Improvements in or relating to lids |
JPS4728697U (en) * | 1971-04-28 | 1972-12-01 | ||
JPS59175022U (en) * | 1983-05-10 | 1984-11-22 | 岐阜プラスチック工業株式会社 | Inner lid for container |
US5558241A (en) * | 1994-01-06 | 1996-09-24 | Temp Top Container Systems, Inc. | Cryotransport chamber |
JP3022214U (en) * | 1995-08-31 | 1996-03-22 | 天馬株式会社 | Double hinge structure in lid of storage container |
JP3204212B2 (en) | 1998-05-01 | 2001-09-04 | 日本電気株式会社 | Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof |
JP4350887B2 (en) * | 2000-12-13 | 2009-10-21 | 三甲株式会社 | container |
TW200714530A (en) * | 2005-10-14 | 2007-04-16 | Ind Tech Res Inst | Delivery system of isothermal container and applications thereof |
JP2012131546A (en) * | 2010-12-22 | 2012-07-12 | Globeride Inc | Cold box, and inner lid for the same |
US11161678B2 (en) * | 2018-11-27 | 2021-11-02 | Otter Products, Llc | Portable storage container |
-
2021
- 2021-11-09 EP EP21891873.8A patent/EP4245684A4/en active Pending
- 2021-11-09 JP JP2022561946A patent/JP7387028B2/en active Active
- 2021-11-09 WO PCT/JP2021/041225 patent/WO2022102627A1/en active Application Filing
- 2021-11-09 US US18/036,003 patent/US20240017889A1/en active Pending
- 2021-11-09 CN CN202180076265.8A patent/CN116490438A/en active Pending
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JPWO2022102627A1 (en) | 2022-05-19 |
EP4245684A4 (en) | 2024-04-03 |
US20240017889A1 (en) | 2024-01-18 |
JP7387028B2 (en) | 2023-11-27 |
WO2022102627A1 (en) | 2022-05-19 |
CN116490438A (en) | 2023-07-25 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US9758273B2 (en) | High strength partition box assembly | |
US6843062B2 (en) | Food container having a separable refrigerant section | |
JP2019127316A (en) | Packing container | |
EP4245684A1 (en) | Heat insulating container | |
JP2006264717A (en) | Plastic container | |
CN210479525U (en) | Container for packaging | |
JP6966068B2 (en) | Fresh fish transport container | |
JP2002332026A (en) | Paper cold insulation box | |
RU141612U1 (en) | TRAY TYPE CARTON BOX (OPTIONS) | |
JP6641499B2 (en) | refrigerator | |
JP2017001730A (en) | Bottom surface protective member of collapsible storage box | |
RU128187U1 (en) | TRANSPORT CONTAINER (OPTIONS) | |
JP3117695U (en) | Food packaging container and food packaging container set | |
KR200448345Y1 (en) | A parking box for fruit | |
RU202040U1 (en) | PACKAGING EGGS | |
JP2004250098A (en) | Suspension packaging case | |
KR102575416B1 (en) | Cooling box | |
JP2012035891A (en) | Inner container of agricultural product container | |
JP7259276B2 (en) | container with lid | |
CN212686200U (en) | High strength resistance to compression carton | |
JP5959291B2 (en) | Cold storage container | |
JP3028418U (en) | Packing box container for transporting spherical fruit | |
US20150014190A1 (en) | Reusable apparatus for storing and transporting beverage containers | |
JP3131973U (en) | Folding box | |
JP2017178425A (en) | Assembly packaging container and stacked set thereof |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE |
|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20230510 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
|
DAV | Request for validation of the european patent (deleted) | ||
DAX | Request for extension of the european patent (deleted) | ||
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: EXAMINATION IS IN PROGRESS |
|
A4 | Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched |
Effective date: 20240301 |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: B65D 43/02 20060101ALI20240226BHEP Ipc: B65D 25/02 20060101ALI20240226BHEP Ipc: B65D 21/08 20060101ALI20240226BHEP Ipc: B65D 81/38 20060101ALI20240226BHEP Ipc: B65D 43/04 20060101AFI20240226BHEP |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20240328 |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: GRANT OF PATENT IS INTENDED |
|
INTG | Intention to grant announced |
Effective date: 20240704 |