JP2000072188A - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container which is suitable for using repeatedly, which can secure the ventilation of cool air in a condition where container main bodies are stacked in cooling in advance, and which can be stacked compactly in storing or transporting when they are empty. SOLUTION: The top part 10 of a container main body 1 is made larger than its bottom part 20. On the inner face of the top part 10, a recess 11 and a projection 12 are formed vertically so that they are placed alternatively and point symmetrically. On the outer face of the bottom part 20, a projection 22 and a recess 21 each corresponding the recess 11 and the projection 12 of the top inner face are formed at a vertically corresponding position of the projection 12 and the recess 11 of the top inner face. When a plurality of container main bodies 1 are stacked in the same direction, the projection 22 of the bottom outer face touches and is placed on the projection 12 of the lower stage container main body top inner face. When they are stacked rotating 180 deg., the projection 22 and the recess 21 of the bottom outer face fit the recess 11 and the projection 12 of the top inner face of the lower stage container main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container suitable mainly for pre-cooling and shipping of various kinds of foods requiring cold preservation, such as vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, ham, pickles and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general,
When shipping or transporting vegetables, fruits, meat, etc. to a distant place,
Pre-differential pressure pre-cooling or vacuum pre-cooling is performed in a state in which these are stored in a heat insulating container, and the products are shipped in a cold-preserved state.

For example, in differential pressure pre-cooling, containers are stacked in multiple stages and arranged side by side in a cooling facility such as a refrigerator room, and while cooling air from a cooling device is supplied by a blowing means such as a fan or a suction means, the container rows are cooled. Is provided with a pressure difference on both sides thereof to cool the cool air by flowing through the container portion.

[0004] In such pre-cooling and shipping containers, it is necessary that cold air can flow through the inside of the container in a pre-cooled state, and various measures have been devised.

[0005] For example, the lid for the container body can be sealed when it is put in a normal state, and the opening for ventilation can be held when the lid is turned by 180 degrees with respect to this state ( (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-43262), or a device in which a ventilation portion can be secured between containers by stacking with the lid removed (Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-3677).
No. 4, JP-A-64-47678).

However, in any of these cases, at the time of pre-cooling, it is possible to allow cold air to flow through the containers in a stacked state, and to keep the airtight state by covering the container as usual. When returning an empty container from the destination for repeated use of such a container, or when storing an empty container until use, etc., it is bulky and empty containers if each container is left covered with it. Transport and storage efficiency will be reduced. Nevertheless, no consideration has been given to making handling of empty containers easier and improving transport and storage efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in pre-cooling, it is possible to secure a ventilation portion for circulating cool air in a state where container bodies are stacked, and furthermore, when returning from a destination or using the container. In the handling of empty containers such as storage of containers, each container body can be stacked low and high, and the transportation and storage effects are high, and it is suitable for this kind of pre-cooling and transportation containers that are used repeatedly. It is intended to provide a container that can be used.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the invention of claim 1 is a container comprising a container body which opens upward and a lid which can be fitted on the container body, The container body has an upper portion formed to be larger than the lower portion, and an upper inner surface and a lower outer surface are formed in a corresponding shape that can be fitted in a certain direction, and the upper inner surface has at least one opposed side wall, Concave portions and convex portions in the vertical direction are alternately formed, and these concave portions and convex portions are formed so as to be located at point-symmetric positions with respect to each other. On the lower outer surface, the concave portions and convex portions of the upper inner surface are respectively provided. Are formed at upper and lower positions corresponding to the upper inner surface convex and concave portions, and when a plurality of container bodies are stacked in the same direction, the lower outer surface convex portion is a lower layer. Rests on the protrusion on the upper inner surface of the container body, When superposed 80 degrees by turning, characterized by comprising configured to projections and recesses of the lower outer surface is fitted into the recess and the convex portion of the upper inner surface of the lower layer of the container body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a container similar to the above is provided as a basic structure, and a convex portion and a concave portion on a lower outer surface,
That is, the convex portion and the concave portion corresponding to the concave portion and the convex portion of the upper inner surface are formed by shifting the position by 180 degrees to the point symmetrical position of the vertical corresponding position with the convex portion and the concave portion of the upper inner surface, and a plurality of container bodies are formed. When the direction is changed by 180 degrees, the protrusions on the lower outer surface are in contact with the protrusions on the upper inner surface of the lower container body, and when stacked in the same direction, the protrusions and recesses on the lower outer surface are It is characterized in that it is configured to fit into the concave and convex portions on the upper inner surface of the lower container body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the container according to each of the above aspects, the concave portion and the convex portion on the upper inner surface are arranged such that the concave portion and the convex portion of the opposing side walls are symmetrically positioned with respect to the center of the container on a plane. The projections and the depressions are arranged so as to correspond to the point symmetrical positions.

[0011]

According to the container having the above-mentioned structure, for example, in a cooling facility such as a refrigerator compartment, when carrying out differential pressure pre-cooling by stacking the container bodies, each container body is covered with the lid removed. In the case of item 1, when the direction is changed in the same direction, and in the case of claim 2, the direction is sequentially turned by 180 degrees and stacked, the lower end of the lower outer surface of the upper container body becomes the upper end of the upper inner surface of the lower container body. Will be in contact with In this state, since the concave portions on the upper inner surface of the lower container body correspond to the concave portions on the lower outer surface of the upper container body, the upper and lower concave portions communicate with each other, so that the air can be opened. Is held. Thereby, cool air can be circulated in each container main body, and differential pressure pre-cooling etc. can be implemented suitably. After the pre-cooling, the container can be hermetically closed by attaching a lid to the opening of the container body, and can be kept in a cool state.

When the container is returned from the destination, or when the container is to be stored or transported until use, the container body with the lid removed is turned 180 degrees in reverse to the above. When the direction is changed, and in the case of claim 2, the projections on the lower outer surface of the upper container body and the recesses therebetween correspond to the concave and convex portions on the upper inner surface of the lower container body, respectively. Then, these convex portions and concave portions are fitted with each other. In other words, the lower part of the container body can be sequentially fitted to the lower layer container body so that it can be stacked low in volume, facilitating handling such as transportation and storage, and when returning an empty container from the destination or until use. The storage efficiency or the storage efficiency at the time of storage can be improved, and the storage container can be suitably used as a repeatedly used transport container or cold storage container.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a container (A) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (1) is a container main body made of a synthetic resin foam and having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and (2) is the same material as above. The cover is formed by fitting into the inside of the opening of the container body (1) as described later.

The upper part (10) of the four side walls (3) of the container body (1) is formed larger than the lower part (20).
As will be described later, the upper inner surface and the lower outer surface are formed in corresponding shapes so that the lower portion (20) can be fitted inside the upper portion (10). In the case of the figure, the inner and outer surfaces of the side wall (3) between the upper part (10) and the lower part (20) are formed as slopes.

On the inner surface of the upper portion (10), a plurality of vertical groove-shaped recesses (11) opening at the upper end are formed on at least one of the inner surfaces of the opposed side walls (3) and (3). The gap is formed at a required interval so that the space is left as a convex portion (12), and the concave portion (11) and the convex portion (12) are located at point symmetric positions. In the case of the figure, the concave portions (11) and the convex portions (12) are alternately formed on the inner surface of each side wall (3) except for the four corners (4) in the upper portion (10). Specifically, the concave portions (11) of the opposite side walls (3) (3)
(11) The convex portions (12) and the concave portions (11) are located symmetrically with each other, and the convex portions (12) and the concave portions (11) are located at point-symmetric positions with respect to the container center (O) on the plane. It is arranged in. The lower end of each recess (11) is formed as a step (11a). The upper inner surface of the four corners (4) is formed in the same convex shape as the convex portion (12).

The outer surface of the lower portion (20) has a vertical projection (2) having a shape corresponding to the concave portion (11) of the upper inner surface.
2) and a concave portion (2) having a shape corresponding to the convex portion (12).
1) are formed at positions corresponding to the projections (12) and the depressions (11) on the upper inner surface, respectively, in the upper and lower directions, and like the upper inner surface, these projections (22) and the depressions (21) are formed.
Are formed so as to be in point symmetry with each other.
Specifically, the concave portions (21) and (21) on both sides facing each other
And the projections (22) and (22) are located symmetrically,
At the point symmetric position with respect to the container center (O), the convex portion (22) and the concave portion (21) are arranged so as to correspond to each other.

The recess (21) is open below the bottom surface, and the upper end of the recess is a step (21a). Also in the lower part (20), the convex part (22) and the concave part (21) are provided on each side surface except the outer surface of the four corners (4) as described above. The lower outer surface of the four corners (4) is formed in the same concave shape as the concave portion (21) so as to correspond to the upper inner surface of the four corners.

That is, the concave portion (11) and the convex portion (12) on the upper inner surface and the convex portion (22) and the concave portion (21) on the lower outer surface except for the four corners (4) as shown in the figure. The concave portions (11) and (21) and the convex portions (12) and (2)
2) They are located at the corresponding positions in the vertical direction, and have a corresponding shape in which the upper and lower concaves and convexes can be fitted with a difference of 180 degrees in the direction. Thereby, when the plurality of container bodies (1) are stacked in the same direction, the lower end of the convex portion (22) on the lower outer surface becomes the upper end of the convex portion (12) on the upper inner surface of the lower container body (1). When it is placed in contact with, and turned over by 180 degrees, the projections (22) and recesses (21) on the lower outer surface become concave (11) and projections (12) on the upper inner surface of the lower container body (1). ).

In order to facilitate the fitting, the width of the projections (12) and (22) is formed to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the depressions (11) and (21). Further, the depth of the concave portions (11) and (21), that is, the convex portions (12) and (2)
The height of 2) is set in consideration of the strength and stability at the time of stacking. The vertical dimensions of the upper concave portion (11) and the convex portion (12) and the lower concave portion (21) and the convex portion (22) are set to be substantially the same. Steps (11a) of recesses (11) and (21)
(21a) comes into contact with the projections (22) and (12) to perform the receiving action.

In the above embodiment, the upper and lower concave portions (1
1) (21) and the protruding portions (12) and (22) are in the upper and lower corresponding positions, and a plurality of container bodies (1) can be stacked in the same direction and fitted by turning by 180 degrees. On the contrary, a concave portion (1) of the upper inner surface disposed at a point symmetric position is provided on the lower outer surface.
By forming the convex part (22) and the concave part (21) corresponding to the convex part (1) and the convex part (12) at positions corresponding to the concave part (11) and the convex part (12), respectively, a plurality of parts are formed. When the container bodies are stacked in the same direction, the projections and recesses on the lower outer surface fit into the recesses and projections on the upper inner surface of the lower container body, and when they are turned 180 degrees and stacked,
It can be configured and implemented so that the lower end of the convex portion on the lower outer surface is placed in contact with the upper end of the convex portion on the upper inner surface of the lower container body and can be stacked.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the lid (2) is fitted to the container body (1) in a manner such that the upper end opening of the side wall (3) of the container body (1) is formed on the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the lid (2). A convex edge (2a) that fits inside is provided, and a convex portion (2b) that fits into a concave portion (11) on the upper inner surface of the container body (1) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the convex edge (2a). Have been.
Further, a protruding edge (2c) into which the bottom of the container body (1) fits is provided at a peripheral portion on the upper surface of the lid (2), and each container (2) covered with the lid (2) at the time of shipping and transportation is provided. A) can be stacked with good stability.

As the constituent material of the container body (1) and the lid (2), a foam formed by foaming beads of a polystyrene resin such as a copolymer containing polystyrene and styrene is preferably used. Other synthetic resin foams such as a base resin foam can also be used.
In addition, a container in which a foam is filled inside a double-structured exterior body made of a non-foamed synthetic resin can also be used. Of course, even in a container made of a non-foamed synthetic resin molded article, it can be carried out in the same manner as described above, but for shipping and transportation of articles such as vegetables that require cooling, from the viewpoint of cooling effect and lightness, It is preferable to use a synthetic resin foam having good heat insulating properties as a material.

The use state of the container (A) of the illustrated embodiment will be described. For example, vegetables and the like are stored in the container body (1). When performing differential pressure pre-cooling in a cooling facility such as a refrigerator compartment, the required number of the container bodies (1) are stacked on top of each other with the lid (2) removed.

At this time, when the container bodies (1) are overlapped in the same direction, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower end of the projection (22) on the lower outer surface of the upper layer container body (1) is It comes into contact with the upper end surface of the projection (12) on the upper inner surface of the lower container body (1). In this state, the concave portions (11) on the upper inner surface of the lower container body (1) correspond to the concave portions (21) on the lower outer surface of the upper container body (1), and are held in a ventilated open state. You. Thereby, the recess (1)
1) The differential pressure pre-cooling or the like can be carried out as it is by using (21) as the ventilation section. After this pre-cooling, it can be kept in a cool state by covering the lid (2). Further, when the containers are stacked in this manner and arranged in a row, the adjacent container bodies (1) and (1) are in the upper portion (10).
However, even if they are in contact with each other, the lower part (20) can have a ventilable space.

At the time of returning an empty container from the destination, or during handling such as storage and transportation until use of the container, the container body (1) with the lid (2) removed is shown in FIGS. As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the layers are sequentially turned one by one by 180 degrees and overlapped, the convex part (22) on the lower outer surface of the upper container body (1) and the concave part (21) therebetween are respectively lower container body (1). The lower part (20) fits inside the upper part (10) of the lower container body (1) by corresponding to the concave part (11) and the convex part (12) of the upper inner surface of 1). Thereby, the container main bodies (1) can be stacked lower in volume than when they are simply stacked. The top (2) is covered with a lid (2), but the other lid (2) can be handled in a low volume by stacking a large number of sheets separately from the container body (1).

Therefore, handling of empty containers at the time of return of empty containers from the destination, or storage and transportation of empty containers until use can be facilitated, transportation and storage efficiency can be improved, and refrigerating containers used repeatedly can be used. It can be suitably implemented.

Even when the differential pressure pre-cooling or the like is not performed, when returning an empty container from the destination, the container can be returned in the same overlapping state as described above.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, when pre-cooling in a refrigeration facility, good circulation of cold air into the container can be ensured by stacking and juxtaposing the container bodies. Pre-cooling can be performed efficiently. In addition, when handling empty containers such as when returning them from the destination or when storing them, each container body can be stacked low and high, so that the efficiency of transportation and storage can be increased, and pre-cooling and transport containers for repeated use. And can be suitably used as a cold storage container.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which a container body and a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention are separated.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same half vertical section;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of the previous figure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in the preceding figure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a state in which container bodies are stacked.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the above.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which container bodies are overlapped.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Container body (2) Lid (3) Side wall (4) Four corners (10) Upper part (11) Upper concave part (12) Upper convex part (20) Lower part (21) Lower concave part (22) Lower part Convex part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A container comprising an upwardly opening container main body and a lid which can be fitted to the container main body, wherein the upper part of the container main body is formed to be larger than the lower part, and the upper inner surface and the lower outer surface have a fixed direction. In the upper inner surface, at least one of the opposing side walls is alternately formed with a concave portion and a convex portion in the vertical direction, and the concave portion and the convex portion are formed on the upper inner surface. Protrusions and recesses corresponding to the recesses and protrusions of the upper inner surface are formed on the lower outer surface at positions corresponding vertically to the protrusions and recesses of the upper inner surface, respectively. When a plurality of container bodies are stacked in the same direction, the convex portion of the lower outer surface comes into contact with the convex portion of the upper inner surface of the lower container main body, and when the direction is changed by 180 degrees and stacked. The convex and concave portions on the lower outer surface are Container characterized by comprising configured to fit into the recess and the convex portion of the upper inner surface of the body. 2. A container comprising a container body which opens upward and a lid which can be fitted to the container body, wherein the upper part of the container body is formed larger than the lower part, and the upper inner surface and the lower outer surface are in a certain direction. In the upper inner surface, at least one of the opposing side walls is alternately formed with a concave portion and a convex portion in the vertical direction, and the concave portion and the convex portion are formed on the upper inner surface. Protrusions and recesses corresponding to the recesses and protrusions of the upper inner surface are formed on the lower outer surface at points symmetrical to the protrusions and recesses of the upper inner surface. 18 in symmetric position
It is formed by shifting the position by 0 degrees, and when a plurality of container bodies are turned over by 180 degrees and overlapped, the convex portion of the lower outer surface is in contact with the convex portion of the upper inner surface of the lower container body, A container characterized in that, when stacked in the same direction, the projections and depressions on the lower outer surface fit into the depressions and projections on the upper inner surface of the lower container body. 3. The concave portion and the convex portion of the upper inner surface are arranged such that the concave portions and the convex portions of the opposing side walls are symmetrically positioned, and
The container according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion and the concave portion are disposed so as to correspond to point symmetric positions with respect to the container center.