JP2014043279A - Beverage container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beverage container by which a user can drink immediately and also a cold state can be kept for a long time by preparing a convection blocking portion in the container without spoiling handling property of the container or causing reduction of capacity.SOLUTION: A convection blocking portion 2 is composed of a convection blocking plate 7, a container narrowed segment or a through hole 5 or the like. When the through hole is prepared, it is also useful as an efficient cooling method for a PET bottle frozen body in a refrigerator of a flat type since it is also possible to use the through hole as a flow passage for cold air when selling the container by cooling.

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage container, in particular, a beverage container structure that can hold a liquid contained in the container for a long time while being cooled, and a liquid cooling method using the same.

  Today, various liquid beverages are sold at convenience stores, supermarkets, retail stores, vending machines, and the like. As individual packaging forms of these liquid beverages, there are individual packaging packages such as resin bottles typified by plastic bottles, metal can containers such as steel cans and aluminum cans, glass bottles, and paper packs. In particular, PET bottles are widely used because they are lightweight and have high strength.

  These liquid beverages may be provided at room temperature, but in many cases, they are sold to consumers for drinking either in the state of being cooled or heated. In particular, when sold in the summer or in a relatively high temperature environment, it is necessary to maintain the cold state of the liquid for a certain period of time in order to maintain a refreshing feeling and suppress propagation of germs after opening.

  As means for maintaining the cold state of the liquid beverage, a cold cover made of a nonwoven fabric laminated with an aluminum vapor-deposited film is commercially available, but the effect does not last for a long time. Therefore, a plastic bottle holder with a coolant in which a gel-like coolant is attached (Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-317101), a double-structured PET bottle (for example, Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-145488), Using a heat insulating material for a part of the PET bottle body (for example, Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-077883). A thin doughnut-shaped cryogen for PET bottles (Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-017139), a structure including a cryogen storage part formed so as to protrude from the bottom side into the container body (Patent Document 5: Various things, such as Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2008-239246), are proposed. It is also conceivable that the entire container is frozen.

  Among these, in the configuration in which the coolant / coolant is attached outside the PET bottle, the weight and bulk of the coolant / coolant are reduced, and the lightness and handleability of the container are reduced.・ There are major problems in convenience, such as the need to cool the cryogen. The cost of the cooling agent and the treatment of the used cooling agent are also problems. When the PET bottle has a double structure, there are few such problems, but it is difficult to obtain a sufficient heat insulation effect by providing an air layer, and the internal capacity is also reduced. In addition, since the structure becomes extremely complicated, it is difficult to provide an inexpensive container. Even when a heat insulating material is used for a part of a container body of a PET bottle, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient heat insulating effect by itself. Further, when the cold storage container is provided so as to protrude into the container, the internal capacity is significantly reduced, and the cost of the cold storage agent and the treatment of the used cold storage agent are also problems. Also, when freezing the entire container, there is no liquid part left, and even if it starts to melt, the liquid temperature is too low to be used for drinking immediately after purchase, or the frozen body floats in the container and is difficult to drink .

JP2004-317101 JP2005-145488 JP2006-077883 JP2007-017139 JP2008-239246

  In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention is a beverage container that allows a purchaser to drink immediately and maintains a cold state for a long time without impairing the handleability of the container or reducing the capacity. It is an issue to provide.

  As a result of various studies for solving the above problems, the present inventors have found an unexpected fact that the above problems can be solved by providing a convection blocking portion inside the container, and to complete the present invention. It came.

  In the container of the present invention, by providing the convection blocking portion, the convection in the container is convection on the top side (hereinafter referred to as “the container upper portion”) from the convection blocking portion and the bottom side (hereinafter referred to as “the container”). Is substantially divided into convection in the lower part). For this reason, when the lower part of the container is intensively cooled in a state where the container is filled with the liquid, the effect of cooling mainly remains at the lower part of the container. For this reason, even if freezing occurs in the lower part of the container, the inside of the upper part of the container can be maintained in a liquid state. However, since the liquid in the container can be circulated between the upper part and the lower part, if the container is moved to a room temperature environment, for example, when the beverage at the lower part of the container is frozen, Thus, the liquid in the upper part of the container can be kept in a cold state for a long time. Further, in the present invention, since the liquid itself stored in the container is used as the cold insulation material, it is not necessary to use a separate cold insulation material. For this reason, the capacity | capacitance of a container, lightness, a handleability, etc. are not impaired, and the problem of the cost of a cryogen or the process of a used cryogen is not generated.

It is the perspective view which showed the 1st aspect of this invention typically. It is sectional drawing which shows one aspect of the convection interruption | blocking part in this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the 2nd aspect of this invention typically. It is the perspective view which showed the 3rd aspect of this invention typically. It is the graph which showed the temperature change in the container at the time of cooling the container of Example 1 of this invention by contrasting the container upper part and the lower part. It is a photograph which shows the freezing state of the container of Example 1 of this invention.

The beverage container according to the present invention has a convection blocking portion inside the container.
Generally, a beverage container has a top portion and a bottom portion provided with a drinking mouth, but in the present invention, the “convection blocking portion” means that when the container is filled with a liquid and cooled from the outside, the container is longitudinally moved (the top and bottom portions of the container are Tying direction (the same applies hereinafter)) Refers to the part that prevents the occurrence of continuous convection over the entire length.

  The structure of the convection blocking portion is not particularly limited as long as it has the above function, but in particular (1) is constituted by a convection blocking plate having one or more openings provided on a surface orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beverage container. A first aspect, (2) a second aspect configured by providing a constricted portion at least partially between the bottom and the top of the container, and (3) a lateral through hole in a part of the container A third embodiment is included. Hereinafter, each aspect will be described in detail.

(Mode with convection blocking plate)
An embodiment using a convection blocking plate is schematically shown in FIG. In the figure, the convection blocking plate 2 refers to the convection in the container on the top side 3 (hereinafter referred to as “the container upper part”) from the convection blocking part and the bottom side 4 (hereinafter referred to as “the container lower part”) from the convection blocking part. ), And is provided on a surface substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the container and has one or more openings 5 as shown in this figure.

  The convection blocking plate is on a plane that is “perpendicular” to the longitudinal direction of the container. Here, “perpendicular” means that it intersects, and does not necessarily have to be a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container. Moreover, although the convection blocking plate is shown as a plane in FIG. 1, the convection blocking plate may include shapes such as a curved surface, a polygonal surface, and a corrugated plate. Therefore, basically, the plane connecting the edges of the convection blocking plate (the shape consisting of the edge line in contact with the container body) may be substantially orthogonal to the container vertical axis, and preferably 90 degrees ± It may be within a range of about 20 degrees. Examples of the curved surface include a hemisphere, a part thereof, an ellipse, a parabola, and other arbitrary curved rotation surfaces. Examples of the polygonal surface include shapes such as a truncated cone (pudding-like shape) and a truncated pyramid surface. Further, the cross-sectional shape may be a shape protruding along the outer periphery of the container. When the lower part of the container is cooled from the outside, a downward flow is generated along the wall surface, and an upward flow is generated in the center of the container, but by providing such a raised portion near the wall surface of the convection blocking plate, the upward flow in the center of the container is provided. Most of the water is guided in the direction of the raised portion, and the convection above and below the container can be effectively blocked.

  The convection blocking plate may not be an independent member, and may be continuous with and integrated with the lower or upper portion of the container. For example, a parison is placed in a mold having a predetermined shape and blown by blowing air from the opening to produce a half (eg, lower part) of the container including the convection blocking plate, and then the remaining half of the container is Can be joined.

  Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the convection blocking plate has five openings, the number may be limited to a small number (for example, 1 to 5) depending on the size, shape, and purpose of the container. However, a larger number of openings (for example, a sieve plate shape) may be provided. The shape of the opening is arbitrary, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or a ring. Arrangement is optional, but when the lower part of the container is cooled from the outside, an opening may be provided at least a certain distance from the wall so that the downward flow generated along the wall does not draw in the liquid in the upper part of the container. preferable. For example, when filling a 500 mL PET bottle with a drink, it is preferable to separate about 7-12 mm. Further, when the viscosity of the liquid is relatively high and the container diameter is large, a convection cell is generated. In this case, a downward flow or an upward flow is strongly generated depending on the shape and size of the convection cell assumed according to the cooling condition. It is preferable to provide an opening other than the portion.

  Although the (total) area of the opening depends on the dimensions of the container, in the case of a 500 mL PET bottle, about 1/20 to 4/5 of the container cross-sectional area is preferable. If it is less than 1/20, the circulation of the liquid in the room temperature environment after stopping the cooling becomes too low, and the cooling effect in the room temperature environment cannot be exhibited efficiently. When it exceeds 4/5, the effect by providing the convection blocking plate is reduced. However, these numerical ranges are for typical cases, and are outside the range depending on the type of liquid and the time and purpose for maintaining the cold state, and are included in the scope of the present invention.

  The convection blocking plate is provided in the range of preferably 1/10 to 7/10, more preferably 2/5 to 3/5 of the height of the beverage container along the longitudinal direction from the bottom of the beverage container. If it is less than 1/10, the volume of the lower part of the container is less than 1/10 of the entire container, so that the cold insulation effect is difficult to maintain for a long time. Further, if it exceeds 7/10, the volume of the upper part of the container becomes less than 3/10, so that only a small amount of the liquid portion remains, which is inappropriate when the purchaser uses it as a beverage immediately. However, these numerical ranges are for typical cases, and are outside the range depending on the type of liquid and the time and purpose for maintaining the cold state, and are included in the scope of the present invention.

  Further, the convection blocking plate may be a single plate, but it may be a composite in which at least one each of a heat insulating plate and a supporting plate is combined or a laminated body in which at least one each of a heat insulating layer and a supporting layer is combined. preferable. With this configuration, heat transfer due to propagation / radiation between the lower part and the upper part of the container is prevented during cooling, and it becomes easier to freeze the lower part while keeping the upper part in a liquid. The support plate (layer) is a resin plate such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene terephthalate, preferably a constituent material of the container body, and the heat insulating plate (layer) is a foam such as foamed polyethylene or urethane foam. is there.

When the convection blocking plate 2 is a combination of a heat insulating plate and a support plate, these may not be a laminated body but a structure having a gap therebetween. For example, the heat insulating plate is curved to provide a gap between the heat insulating plate and the support plate. In this case, it is preferable to shift the position of each opening. FIG. 2 illustrates such an aspect.
FIG. 2A is a transverse cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the position of the convection blocking plate 2 in FIG. 1, and the end portion of the support plate 2 is in contact with the container wall surface 6. However, unlike FIG. 1, an embodiment having one opening 5 at the center is shown.
On the other hand, FIGS. 2 (B) and 2 (C) are embodiments in which a heat insulating plate 7 is provided, which has openings 8 (one on the left and one on the right) that are off the center. Moreover, the container wall surface 6 has the annular rib 9 which controls the motion of the heat insulation board 7 in the inner side.

In the state before freezing, the opening 8 of the heat insulating plate 7 is located away from the convection blocking plate 2, and the upper and lower liquids can flow through the opening 8 and the opening 5 (FIG. 2 (B)). . However, when the lower part is frozen by cooling, the heat insulating plate 7 moves upward, and the opening 8 is pressed against the non-opening of the convection blocking plate 2. Further, the opening 5 of the convection blocking plate 2 is also closed by the heat insulating plate 7 (FIG. 2C). Therefore, the more the freezing of the lower part, the more the convection blocking effect increases.
On the other hand, when the container is placed at room temperature, the above-mentioned close-closed state is released, so that the flow of the liquid above and below the convection blocking plate 2 is resumed and the liquid from the lower part is supplied to the upper part. Is possible.
In the example of FIG. 2, the example in which the movement of the heat insulating plate 7 is regulated by the annular rib 9 is shown. However, for example, the heat insulating plate 7 may be fixed or integrated with the convection blocking plate 2 or the container inner surface 6. Good.
In addition, although the convection blocking effect can be expected as the thickness of the convection blocking plate increases, the inner volume of the container decreases as the thickness increases. Preferably, it is about the same as the thickness of the container main body or about several times the same.

(Aspect by stenosis)
FIG. 3 schematically shows an embodiment using the narrowed portion. As shown in this figure, the narrowed portion 10 is provided so as to substantially divide the container into two vertically, and forms a flow path for the liquid filled in the upper and lower portions.

  The narrowed portion has a shape similar to the transverse cross section of the outer shape of the container, a rectangular shape, or a circular cross sectional shape. For example, when the container is cylindrical, a narrowed portion having a circular cross-sectional shape is provided by narrowing and narrowing a part of the container. A narrow portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape may be provided by sandwiching a part of the container between parallel members facing each other and narrowing the distance between the members. Although the cross-sectional area of the constriction (that is, the cross-sectional area of the flow passage portion) depends on the dimensions of the container, in the case of a 500 mL PET bottle, about 1/20 to 4/5 of the container cross-sectional area is preferable. If it is less than 1/20, the circulation of the liquid in a room temperature environment becomes too low and the cold-retaining effect cannot be exhibited efficiently. When it exceeds 4/5, the effect by providing the convection blocking plate is reduced. However, these numerical ranges are for typical examples, and those outside these ranges are also included in the scope of the present invention depending on the type of liquid and the time and purpose for maintaining the cold state.

  The narrowed portion is provided in the range of preferably 1/10 to 7/10, more preferably 2/5 to 3/5 of the height of the beverage container along the vertical direction from the bottom of the beverage container. If it is less than 1/10, the volume of the lower part of the container is less than 1/10 of the entire container, so that the cold insulation effect is difficult to maintain for a long time. Further, if it exceeds 7/10, the volume of the upper part of the container becomes less than 3/10, so that only a small amount of the liquid portion remains, which is inappropriate when the purchaser uses it as a beverage immediately. However, these numerical ranges are for typical cases, and are outside the range depending on the type of liquid and the time and purpose for maintaining the cold state, and are included in the scope of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a shape holding member 11 may be provided so as to cover the narrowed portion 10. The shape holding member covers the stenosis part and connects the upper part and the lower part of the container, thereby preventing the container from bending and bending at the stenosis part. The shape retaining member may be provided with a resin member having the same material as the container body and having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the container body. Preferably, the shape retaining member is formed of a shrink film commonly used for product display on the outer periphery of the container. May be used as well.

(Mode with through holes)
FIG. 4 schematically shows an embodiment using through holes. As shown in this figure, the through-hole 15 passes through the container 1 so as to substantially divide the container 1 into two vertically and the container part other than the through-hole 15 is filled with the liquid filled in the upper and lower parts. A flow passage is formed. In this case, the hole does not necessarily pass through the container only for the purpose of blocking the upper and lower convection, and such a non-penetrating mode is also included in the present invention. It is suitable for cold storage in refrigerators at stores such as convenience stores. That is, in the refrigerator of such a store, whether it is a shelf type or a flat type, PET bottles are arranged in a row in a row, but cold air is blocked by the PET bottles themselves and does not reach the inside sufficiently. In particular, in the case of the present invention, it is assumed that at least the lower part of the container is frozen and sold in a flat freezer (a freezer currently used for selling ice creams). Since cold air circulates only in the lateral direction, there is a risk that the PET bottles may not be uniformly cooled. On the other hand, if a PET bottle is arrange | positioned in a warehouse so that a through-hole may follow the circulation path | route of cold air, cold air can circulate through the inside of a warehouse smoothly and each plastic bottle can be kept cold.

  For the purpose of blocking the upper and lower convection, the thickness of the through-hole (same as in the case of a non-through-hole) along the container vertical direction is arbitrary. For example, it may be 1 mm or more, but it also functions as a cold air flow path. In the case, for example, it is preferably 2 cm or more. Since the inner volume of the container decreases as the height of the through-hole increases, it is preferably 5 cm or less. However, these dimensions depend on the original capacity of the PET bottle (reference capacity when no through hole is provided). Moreover, in the aspect which provides a through-hole, it is desirable that the original capacity | capacitance of a PET bottle is large to some extent, for example, is 750 mL or more.

  The present invention can be applied to beverage containers made of various materials for any of the first to third aspects. For example, the present invention can be applied to any of plastic bottles typified by plastic bottles, metal can containers such as steel cans and aluminum cans, glass bottles, and paper packs. However, it is preferable that the container itself is formed of a low heat conductive material, and application to a PET bottle is particularly preferable. The beverage is not particularly limited as long as it can be frozen, and includes water, tea-based beverages, coffee, fruit juice beverages, milk beverages, alcoholic beverages and the like. Beverages suitable for filling into PET bottles are particularly preferable.

  In addition, in any of the first to third aspects, it is possible to improve the cold insulation property by using a heat insulating material for a part of the container. For example, when cooling from the bottom of the container is performed in the following cold insulation method, a heat insulating material can be applied to the side of the container. In particular, most of the side of the container is covered with a heat insulating material, and a part of the lower side of the container is used as an exposed part that does not have a heat insulating material. It is possible to promote the melting of the contents and use it in a timely manner. Alternatively, the flexibility of all or part of the lower part of the container may be increased so that the user can easily push out the low-temperature melt at the lower part of the container to the upper part of the container.

(Cooling method)
As understood from the above description, according to the present invention, there is also provided a method for cooling the liquid in the container. Specifically, the container of the present invention described above is filled with liquid, and the bottom side (lower part of the container) is intensively cooled below the freezing point of the liquid from the convection blocking part, so that the top part from the convection blocking part of the beverage container. Even after releasing all or part of the liquid in the lower part of the container while holding the side (upper part of the container) in a liquid state and thereby releasing the container from the cooled state, the heat of melting of the frozen body in the lower part of the container There is provided a method for cooling a liquid in a container, characterized by maintaining a cold state of the liquid in the container. Alternatively, it is possible to fill a beverage container with a liquid, freeze the whole, place it in circulation, maintain the frozen state while cooling the lower part of the container at the store, and thaw only the upper part of the container to return it to the liquid.

In order to cool the lower part of the container intensively to below the freezing point of the liquid, for example, a method of cooling by placing the container on a cooling plate, or a refrigeration apparatus provided with a cooling unit so as to wrap only the lower part of the container or a part thereof is used. Examples thereof include a method, a method of spraying cold air only on the lower part of the container, or a part thereof.
In a manufacturing factory or a sales store, all or part of the liquid in the lower part of the container is frozen while such a method is used to hold most of the upper part of the container in a liquid state.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention more concretely, this invention is not limited to the following examples.

Polyethylene terephthalate flat plate (same as PET bottle material) with a 1.5cm diameter hole in the center and a foamed polystyrene thin plate with four 1.2cm diameter holes in the four corners (thickness approx. 1.5mm) A convection blocking plate was prepared by joining one piece at the periphery so that there was a gap between them. The dimension of the convection blocking plate was made to adhere to the inner wall of the following PET bottle.
This is fixed at a height (distance from the bottom to the lower edge of the drinking cap) of about 19.5 cm, about 500 cm square type PET bottle of about 6 cm in length and breadth, and about 8.5 cm from the bottom. A beverage container was created.

  This was filled with water, and a cooling plate using a Peltier device was provided at the bottom, and the whole was placed on the cooling plate of an experimental freezer covered with a heat insulating material for cooling. Thermometer terminals were placed in the container at the bottom of the container (the part below the convection blocking plate) and the top of the container (the part below the convection blocking plate), and the temperature was measured together with the bottom temperature. A graph of temperature change over time is shown in FIG. In the figure, the bottom temperature is the air temperature at the bottom of the inside. Although the bottom of the PET bottle is basically not a flat plate, it is difficult to cool from the bottom, but according to the present invention, although there is a slight delay, it can be seen that the cooling of the lower part of the container proceeds very smoothly. . On the other hand, the cooling of the upper part of the container is slow and non-continuous, and it can be seen that the upper and lower parts of the container are clearly blocked by the convection blocking plate and show different temperature changes.

When the container of the present invention was finally used, icing progressed early only at the lower part of the container. The state is shown in FIG. 6 (in FIG. 6, in order to make it easy to distinguish between liquid and solid, after freezing the lower part, a small amount of colorant was added to the container and photographed in an inclined state. As can be seen from the fact that is still at the top of the container, freezing is only at the bottom).
In addition, after the lower part of the container is frozen, the container was removed from the cooling plate, and the temperature change immediately under the drinking mouth when placed in a room temperature environment was examined. It was confirmed that can be maintained in a cold state.

A rectangular constricted portion was formed by sandwiching a position 8 cm from the bottom of a cylindrical container made of polyethylene terephthalate with a heated plate. The container which hold | maintained the self-supporting shape was able to be manufactured by winding this with a shrink film and fixing a film.
A cooling experiment and a standing experiment in a room temperature environment were performed in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, it was confirmed that only the lower part of the container was frozen and maintained for a long time.

Claims (12)

A beverage container having a convection blocking portion inside. The beverage container has a top portion and a bottom portion having a drinking mouth, and the convection blocking portion is provided on a surface orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beverage container (the direction connecting the top portion and the bottom portion, the same shall apply hereinafter). The beverage container according to claim 1, comprising a convection blocking plate having the above-described opening. The beverage container according to claim 2, wherein the convection blocking plate is provided in a range of 1/10 to 7/10 of the height of the beverage container along the vertical direction from the bottom of the beverage container. The beverage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the convection blocking plate is a combination of at least one heat insulating plate and a supporting plate each having an opening. The beverage container according to claim 4, wherein the convection blocking plate is a plate in which a heat insulating plate and a support plate in which the position of the opening is displaced are coupled to each other via a gap. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the convection blocking portion is a constricted portion provided in a range of 1/10 to 7/10 of the height of the beverage container along the vertical direction from the bottom of the beverage container. The beverage container according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a cylindrical shape holding member that matches the general shape of the beverage container around the narrowed portion. The said convection interruption | blocking part is a hole which penetrates the inside of the container provided in the range of 1/10-7/10 of the height of a drink container along the vertical direction from the bottom part of a drink container. Beverage container. The beverage container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the beverage container is formed of a low thermal conductivity material. The beverage container according to claim 9, wherein the low thermal conductivity material is PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Filling the beverage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10 with a liquid, and intensively cooling the bottom side (hereinafter referred to as "container lower part") below the freezing point of the liquid, Even after the cooling of the container is stopped by freezing all or part of the liquid in the lower part of the container while maintaining the top side (upper part of the container) in a liquid state from the convection blocking part of the beverage container A method for cooling the liquid in the container, wherein the liquid in the container is kept cold by the heat of fusion of the frozen body. A method for keeping a liquid in a container cool, wherein the beverage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is filled with a liquid, the whole is frozen, and then placed in circulation.