JP2001301864A - Small animal storage container and thermo-welding plate for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small animal storage container wherein a gap can be prevented from forming at a welded portion between an outer peripheral position of a vent hole and a filter welded to the outer peripheral position, and dust or the like can be prevented from entering a container body, and to provide a thermo-welding plate for manufacturing the storage container. SOLUTION: A ventilation is formed respectively on a lid 13, a left side wall 17 and a right side wall, and a filter 20 made of a nonwoven fabric covering each ventilation is thermo-welded. On the lid 13, the filter 20 is thermo- welded to a top plate 22 with a predetermined width around four side peripheries and along lines which are orthogonal to a pair of opposite longer sides at three positions and orthogonal to shorter sides at one position, respectively. The welded portion 21 is formed on the thermo-welded portion, and the top plate 22 and the filter 20 are welded along lines which slantly cross as a twill on the welded portion 21. The filter 20 has all of its parts corresponding to the welded portion 21 welded to an upper surface of the top plate 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small animal for a laboratory, which is formed so as to be accommodated therein, and which is provided with a vent for allowing air to flow between the inside and the outside. The present invention relates to a small animal container and a heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, this kind of small animal container has been composed of a container body formed into a bottomed box made of synthetic resin, and a lid capable of closing the entire upper opening of the container body. I have.

[0003] A large number of small holes are formed in the side wall of the container body and the top plate of the lid to form a ventilation portion, and the side wall and the top plate located on the outer periphery of each ventilation portion are formed in the ventilation hole. A nonwoven fabric filter is welded to each. Heat, moisture, off-flavors and the like generated from the small animals in the small animal container are released from the ventilation section to the outside of the container body, and external air flows into the container body via the ventilation section. I have. At this time, dust, insects, and the like in the air passing through the ventilation section are removed by the filter, thereby preventing dust, insects, and the like from entering the container body from the ventilation section.

[0004] The filter is heat-welded to the side wall or the top plate using a heat welding device, respectively, and the heat welder includes a heat welding plate for heat-welding the filter to the side wall or the top plate. . As shown in FIG. 6, the heat welding plate 40 is formed in a plane shape corresponding to the plane shape of the filter, and a pressure contact surface 41 is protruded from the back surface of the heat welding plate 40.

The heat welding plate 40 for the lid will be described. The press-contact surface 41 has a rectangular frame-like outer frame 42 extending along the outer peripheral edge inside the outer peripheral edge of the heat welding plate 40.
And an outer frame 42 at a slight interval inside the outer frame 42.
And a plurality of first ridges 4 extending from the outer frame 42 to the outer peripheral edge side of the heat welding plate 40.
4 and a second ridge 45 which is formed along a center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the heat welding plate 40 and whose end is not connected to the inner frame 43.

[0006] In order to heat-weld the filter to the upper surface of the top plate of the lid, first, the filter is arranged on the top plate so as to cover the ventilation portion. Next, the press-contact surface 41 of the heat welding plate 40 heated to the predetermined temperature is pressed against the filter at a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time. Then, the outer frame 42, the inner frame 4
3 and the filter at the position corresponding to the first and second ridges 44 and 45 and the upper surface of the top plate are heated and welded to form a welded portion.
A filter is provided on the upper surface of the top plate, and the filter covers the ventilation portion.

[0007]

However, since the filter is heated and welded to the top plate using the above-described heat welding plate 40 of the conventional configuration immediately after the lid is formed, the cover shrinks when it hardens, for example, Both ends in the length direction of the lid are warped upward. At this time, since the nonwoven fabric filter does not follow the warpage of the lid, the welded portion is peeled off from the top surface of the top plate along the direction in which the outer frame 42 and the inner frame 43 extend. A gap is formed. As a result, there is a problem that dust, insects, and the like may enter the gap, and the dust, insects, and the like may enter the container body.

[0008] The present invention has been made by focusing on the problems existing in such prior art. The purpose is to prevent a gap from being formed in the welded portion between the outer peripheral position of the ventilation hole and the filter welded to the outer peripheral position, and to prevent dust and the like from entering the container body. And a heat-welding plate for manufacturing the same.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a small animal container according to the first aspect of the present invention has a bottomed box-like shape which is open upward and accommodates small animals therein. A main body, and a lid for opening and closing the opening of the container main body. At least one of the side wall and the lid of the container main body is provided with a large number of small air holes, and the air holes are made of non-woven fabric. A small animal container provided with a welded portion covered with a filter made of heat and at least the periphery of the filter is heat-welded to at least one of the side wall and the lid of the container body with a predetermined width, wherein the welded portions intersect at welded portions. It is configured to extend in the direction.

[0010] A heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container according to the second aspect of the present invention is a heat welding plate for forming a welding portion of the small animal container according to the first aspect of the present invention. It has at least a pressure contact surface that is pressed against the periphery, and the pressure contact surface is provided with a protrusion extending in a direction intersecting with the pressure contact surface.

The heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container according to the third aspect of the present invention is the heat welding plate according to the second aspect, wherein the pressing surface further extends in a direction intersecting at an intermediate portion. And the end is connected to the surrounding pressure contact surface.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a small animal container will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a small animal container 11 is opened upward, and has a bottomed box-shaped synthetic resin container body 12 for accommodating small animals such as mice and rats. And a cover 13 made of synthetic resin for opening and closing the opening.

First, the container body 12 will be described.
Side walls 15 to 18 corresponding to each side are set up on the peripheral edge of the bottom plate 14 having a flat rectangular shape of the container body 12 so as to slightly spread upward. Of the side walls 15 to 18, the front side wall 15 and the rear side wall 16 correspond to the short side of the bottom plate 14, and the left side wall 17 and the right side wall 18 correspond to the long side of the bottom plate 14 and are provided to face each other. Have been. An opening that opens upward is formed in the container body 12 by the upper ends of the side walls 15 to 18.

The left side wall 17 and the right side wall 18 of the container body 12
In this case, a plurality of small holes are provided to form a ventilation portion 19 (only the ventilation portion 19 of the right side wall 18 is shown).
Are formed in two places. Left side wall 17 and right side wall 18
A non-woven filter 20 (only the filter 20 on the left side wall 17 is shown), which is formed in a flat rectangular shape, is heat-welded to cover the respective ventilation portions 19 on the outer surface of the non-woven fabric.

As shown by hatching in FIG. 3, the filter 20 has four peripheral edges and a portion along a straight line orthogonal to each of a pair of long sides and short sides opposed to each other. It has a predetermined width and is heat-welded to the left and right side walls 17 and 18, and a welded portion 21 is formed in the heat-welded portion. In addition, the welded portions 21 formed along straight lines orthogonal to each of a pair of long sides and short sides opposed to each other intersect at an intermediate portion of the filter 20, and both end portions of each welded portion 21 have four sides. The entire welded portion 21 is formed in a planar lattice shape following the welded portion 21 formed on the peripheral portion.

Next, the lid 13 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown, the lid 13 is formed in a substantially square plate shape by a top plate 22 formed in a planar rectangular shape, and a peripheral flange 28 protruding downward along the periphery of the top plate 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the ventilation portion 19 is formed in the top plate 22 by penetrating a large number of small holes. On the upper surface of the top plate 22, a filter 20 made of a non-woven fabric having a flat rectangular shape is coated by heating to cover the ventilation portion 19.

As shown by hatching in FIG. 3, the filter 20 has a four-sided peripheral portion and a straight line perpendicular to the pair of long sides facing each other at three points and one point at the short side. The portions along the respective sides are heat-welded to the top plate 22 with predetermined widths, respectively, and the welded portions 21 are formed in the heat-welded portions. Further, the welded portions 21 formed along a straight line orthogonal to each of a pair of long sides and short sides opposed to each other intersect at an intermediate portion of the filter 20, and both ends of each welded portion 21 have four peripheral edges. The entire welded portion 21 is formed in a plane lattice shape following the welded portion 21 formed in the portion.

Then, the small animal is accommodated in the container main body 12, and the lid 13 is attached to the container main body 12, thereby forming the small animal accommodating container 11. At this time, heat, moisture, off-flavors, etc. generated from the small animals housed in the container main body 12 are released from the vent body 19 of the container main body 12 and the lid 13 to the outside of the container main body 12, and the vent 19 External air flows into the container main body 12 through the container. At this time, dust, insects, and the like in the air passing through the ventilation section 19 are removed by the filter 20, and the container body 1 is removed from the ventilation section 19.
2 prevents trash, insects, etc. from entering.

In the small animal container 11 having the above-described structure, a heating welding device (not shown) is used to heat-weld the filter 20 to the top plate 22 of the lid 13 and the left and right side walls 17 and 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the heat welding device is provided with a heating plate 23 for heat-welding the filter 20 to the top plate 22 and the left and right side walls 17 and 18. FIG. 4 shows the filter 20 on the top plate 22 of the lid 13.
Is shown, and the heat welding plate 23 for the lid 13 will be described below.

The heat welding plate 23 made of a metal plate is formed in a flat rectangular shape corresponding to the flat shape of the filter 20 to be heat welded to the top plate 22. On the back surface of the heat welding plate 23, as shown by hatching in FIG. 4, a press contact surface 24 extending at a predetermined width along the four peripheral edges is formed. Further, pressure contact surfaces 24 are formed at predetermined positions along straight lines orthogonal to each other at three locations on a pair of opposed long sides and one location on a short side of the heat welding plate 23. The press contact surface 24 intersects at an intermediate portion of the heat welding plate 23, and both end portions are continuous with the press contact surfaces 24 formed on the four peripheral edges, so that the entire press contact surface 24 has a planar lattice shape.

As shown in the enlarged portion of FIG.
4, a plurality of concave stripes 24b are formed along a straight line extending obliquely in a crosswise direction in a twill pattern.
Are formed, a plurality of projections 24a having a flat diamond shape are formed.

In order to heat-weld the filter 20 to the top plate 22 of the lid 13 immediately after molding using the heat-welding plate 23, first, the press-contact surface 24 of the heat-welding plate 23 is heated to a predetermined temperature. I do. Next, the ventilation part 19 is placed on the top plate 22.
1. The filter 20 is arranged so as to cover the filter 20 and the filter 20 is heated at 161 ° C. from above by the heat welding plate 23.
It is pressed for 1.7 seconds under the condition of 6 tons. Then press-contact surface 2
4 and the top plate 22 are pressed against each other and heated and welded, and as shown by hatching in FIGS. 3 and 5, a welded portion 21 is formed on the filter 20 and the filter 20 is attached to the top surface of the top plate 22. Is heated and welded.

As shown in the enlarged portion of FIG. 5, the portion of the welding portion 21 corresponding to the projection 24a of the press contact surface 24 is cut into the top plate 22 together with the filter 20. on the other hand,
A portion corresponding to the concave strip 24b of the press contact surface 24 is heat-welded in a state where the top plate 22 and the filter 20 cross obliquely obliquely, and are welded portions 21a extending in the direction obliquely crosswise obliquely. Are formed. That is, the filter 20 has a portion corresponding to the welded portion 21 entirely heated and welded to the upper surface of the top plate 22. Further, both ends of a plurality of linear welded portions 21 passing through the intermediate portion of the filter 20 are connected to the welded portions 21 on the four peripheral edges of the filter 20.

The welding portion 21 of the welding portion 21 of the filter 20
“a” extends in a diagonally crosswise diagonal direction. Therefore, for example, the lid 13 contracts after curing, and both ends in the length direction of the lid 13 warp upward, and a part of the welded portion 21 is
Even if it peels from 2, a plurality of welding points 2
1a prevents a gap connected to the ventilation portion 19 from being formed between the filter 20 and the top plate 22.

In addition, the heat welding plate 23 is connected to the left and right side walls 1.
The filter 20 is formed in a flat rectangular shape corresponding to the flat shape of the filter 20 to be heat-welded to the first and second heat-treating plates 7 and 18. A press contact surface 24 extending at a predetermined width along a straight line orthogonal to the location is formed. Then, the heat welding plate 23 is attached to a heat welding machine, and the filter 20 is pressed by the heat welding plate 23 at 161 ° C. under a condition of 2.6 tons for 1.5 seconds. As a result, the filter 20 can be heated and welded to the left and right side walls 17 and 18 in a state where the filters 20 cover the ventilation portions 19.

The effects exerted by the above embodiment will be described below. (1) At the welded portion 21 on the four peripheral edges of the filter 20, the filter 20, the top plate 22, and the left and right side walls 17, 18
Is a welding point 2 extending in the direction crossing diagonally obliquely
Heat-welded at 1a. Therefore, for example, the lid 1
3 is warped and a part of the welded portion 21 is peeled off from the top plate 22, unlike the related art in which the welded portion 21 extends along the outer peripheral edge of the filter 20, the ventilation portion 19a is formed by the welded portion 21a.
Can be prevented from being formed.
Therefore, dirt and insects accumulate in the gaps, and dirt and insects enter the filter 20 and pass through the vent 19 to the container body 1.
2 can be eliminated.

(2) A welded portion 21 formed along a straight line orthogonal to each of a pair of opposed long sides and short sides of the filter 20 intersects at the center of the filter 20 and has four peripheral edges. The entire welded portion 21 is formed in a plane lattice shape following the welded portion 21 formed at the bottom. Therefore, unlike the related art in which the welded portion 21 extends in a straight line at the center portion of the filter 20 and the end portion is not connected to the welded portion 21 on the four-sided peripheral portion, unlike the related art.
Floating of the central portion of the vehicle can be prevented. Therefore, for example, when another small animal container 11 is loaded on the lid 13 of the small animal container 11, the filter 2
0 can be a hindrance, and the problem that the loading state becomes unstable can be eliminated.

(3) The press contact surface 24 is formed with a ridge 24b extending obliquely and crosswise in a cross-like manner. Therefore, unlike the related art in which the press contact surface 24 extends linearly along the outer periphery of the heat welding plate 23, the contact area between the press contact surface 24 and the top plate 22 can be increased. Therefore, for example, the top plate 22
When the filter 20 is warped, the area for welding the filter 20 to the top plate 22 can be increased, and the filter 20 can be reliably heated and welded to the top plate 22. As a result, in the welding portion 21,
A gap is prevented from being formed between the filter 20 and the top plate 22, and dust, insects, and the like accumulate in the gap, that is, below the filter 20, and the dust, insects, and the like enter the filter 20. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of entering the container main body 12 from the ventilation section 19.

(4) In the welded portion 21 on the four peripheral edges of the filter 20, the filter 20, the top plate 22, and the left and right side walls 17, 18 are welded portions 21a extending in a crosswise oblique crosswise direction. Heating and welding can prevent the formation of a gap between the filter 20 and the top plate 22. Therefore, unlike the related art in which the four peripheral edges of the filter are partially welded to the top plate, dirt and insects collect between the back surface of the filter 20 and the top plate 22 at the four peripheral edges of the filter 20. Can be prevented.

The present embodiment can be embodied with the following modifications. The press-contact surface 24 extending along a straight line orthogonal to each of a pair of long sides and short sides of the heat-welding plate 23 facing each other is omitted, and the press-contact surfaces 24 are formed only on the four peripheral edges of the heat-welding plate 23.
May be formed. Then, the welded portion 21 may be formed only on the four peripheral edges of the filter 20.

The heat welding plate 23 for the lid 13 is orthogonal to the pair of opposed long sides at one, two or four or more places, and at two or more places with respect to the short side. A press contact surface 24 extending at a predetermined width along a straight line may be formed. Heat welding plate 23 for right and left side walls 17, 18
In this case, the press contact surface 24 extending at a predetermined width along straight lines orthogonal to each other at two or more locations on the pair of opposed long sides and at two or more locations on the short side may be formed. In addition, the press-contact surface 2 which is orthogonal to only one of a pair of opposed long sides or short sides of the heat welding plate 23 and extends with a predetermined width along a straight line connected to the four peripheral edges.
4 may be formed.

In the pressing surface 24, in the embodiment, the projections 24a are formed in a rhombic shape by forming a plurality of concave stripes 24b in a diagonally crosswise manner in a direction crossing obliquely. May be formed in a square shape by extending the concave streak 24b in a direction perpendicular to and intersecting the lattice shape. Also, the protrusion 24
The extending direction of the plurality of concave stripes 24b may be changed so that the planar shape of a is circular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, or the like.

A press contact surface 24 may be formed along a straight line obliquely intersecting the press contact surface 24 formed on the four peripheral edges of the heat welding plate 23. The planar shape of the heat welding plate 23 may be changed to a planar triangular shape, a square shape, a pentagonal shape, or the like in accordance with the planar shape of the filter 20.

The ventilation part 19 and the filter 20 of the container body 12 may be omitted, and the ventilation part 19 may be formed only on the lid 13 and a filter 20 covering the ventilation part 19 may be provided. Omit the unit 19 and the filter 20,
The ventilation part 19 is formed only in the container body 12 and the ventilation part 1 is formed.
9 may be provided. Further, a ventilation portion 19 may be formed on each of the front wall 15 and the rear wall 16 of the container body 12, and each ventilation portion 19 may be covered with the filter 20. Further, the front side wall 15, the rear side wall 16, and the left side wall 17
Alternatively, a ventilation part 19 may be formed on one of the right side wall 18 and the ventilation part 19 may be covered with the filter 20.

Lid 1 that shrinks after curing to cause warpage
The filter 20 may be heated and welded to the container body 3 or the container body 12 by using a heat welding plate 23. Further, technical ideas that can be grasped from the embodiment will be described below.

The small animal container according to claim 1, wherein the welding portion extends in a direction crossing obliquely in a twill pattern. In the case of such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed in a welded portion between the outer peripheral position of the vent hole and the filter welded to the outer peripheral position, and to prevent dust and the like from entering the container body. Can be.

A heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least the periphery of the filter is heated at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time by the pressing surface. A method for producing a small animal container in which a filter is heated and welded to at least one of a side wall and a lid of a container body by applying pressure. With this configuration,
A small animal container in which a filter is welded to the outer peripheral position of the vent so that no gap is formed in the welded portion can be manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed in the welded portion with the filter, and to prevent dust or the like from entering the container body.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. According to the small animal container of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed between the outer peripheral position of the vent and the welded portion between the filter and the filter welded to the outer peripheral position. Can be prevented from entering.

According to the heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container of the invention according to the second aspect, the filter can be welded to the outer peripheral position of the ventilation hole so that no gap is formed in the welding portion.

According to the heat welding plate for manufacturing the small animal container of the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the filter from floating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a small animal container according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view and a bottom view showing the lid according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a small animal container according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the heat welding plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a filter and a welded portion thereof.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a conventional heat welding plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 small animal container, 12 container body, 13 lid
15-18: side wall, 19: vent, 20: filter, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Welding part, 21a ... Welding location, 23 ... Heat welding plate, 2
4 ... Pressing contact surface, 24a ... Protrusion.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A container body having a bottomed box shape that is open upward and accommodates a small animal therein, and a lid that closes the opening of the container body so as to be openable and closable. At least one of the bodies is provided with a large number of small air holes, and the air holes are covered with a filter made of a nonwoven fabric. What is claimed is: 1. A small animal container having a welded portion welded by heating, wherein the welded portion is configured to extend in a direction in which welded portions intersect. 2. A heat welding plate for forming a welding portion of the small animal container according to claim 1, comprising a pressure contact surface pressed against at least the periphery of the filter, and intersecting with the pressure contact surface. A heat welding plate for manufacturing a small animal container provided with a projection extending in a direction. 3. The small animal housing according to claim 2, wherein the pressure contact surface is further configured to extend in a direction intersecting at an intermediate portion, and the end portion thereof is configured to be continuous with a peripheral pressure contact surface. Heat welding plate for manufacturing containers.