JP2022089201A - Transport container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport container capable of alleviating damage of articles, while having a compact structure.

SOLUTION: A transport container 1 includes: a container body 2 including a body bottom part 21 and a body side wall part 22 extending upward from a peripheral edge of the body bottom part 21, and for forming a storage space 20 above the body bottom part 21; and a middle container 3 including a top plate 31 arranged in the storage space 20 being spaced apart from the body bottom part 21. The container body 2 has body leg parts 211 protruding downward from the body bottom part 21. The body leg parts 211, in a plan view, do not overlap with a middle container leg part 34 of the middle container 3, and are arranged closer to the central part of the body bottom part 21 than the middle container leg part 34.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a transport container used for transporting goods.

In order to maintain the quality of the goods and provide them to the market, it is necessary to protect the goods from impacts during transportation. For example, strawberries with a relatively soft skin and cosmetics made by compressing powdered raw materials into solids may be damaged by friction with the shipping container during transportation, so special measures are required. ing.

As a transport container that protects fruits from impacts and the like, Patent Document 1 describes a storage tray that surrounds fruits with a thin film sheet. The sheet is made of a thermoplastic resin and is considered to be highly elastic and flexible. A plurality of protrusions protruding upward are formed on the bottom plate forming the bottom of the storage tray. When the sheet is supported from below by the plurality of protrusions, the sheet is displaced downward between the protrusions and a plurality of recesses are formed.

When one fruit is housed in each recess, the fruit is surrounded by a sheet forming the recess and held independently of each other. As a result, it is said that the fruits are protected from impacts during transportation and the risk of damage can be reduced.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-102152

By the way, when the transport vehicle travels on the minute unevenness of the road surface, vibration having a relatively high frequency is generated in the vehicle body. Similar vibrations may occur due to engine drive even when the transport vehicle is stopped or transported by ship. Such vibration is also transmitted to the transport container.

The seat of the storage tray described in Patent Document 1 is supported by protrusions at four points around each recess. Therefore, the distance between the protrusions becomes relatively short, and the natural frequency of the recesses formed between the protrusions becomes relatively high. In various transportation tests carried out by the inventor of the present application, a phenomenon that the article housed in the recess resonates when vibration having a relatively high frequency is transmitted to the recess via the protrusion has appeared. The resonating article vibrates in small steps or rotates irregularly in the recess. As a result, friction is repeatedly generated between the article and the sheet, causing a problem that the article is damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport container capable of reducing damage to an article while having a compact structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the transport container according to the present invention is a transport container used for transporting goods, and has a main body bottom portion and a main body side wall portion extending upward from the peripheral edge of the main body bottom portion. A container body that forms a storage space surrounded by the side wall portion of the main body above the bottom of the main body, and a middle container arranged in the storage space are provided. The middle container has a top plate provided with an article accommodating portion and a middle container leg portion extending downward from a portion of the top plate outside the article accommodating portion, and only the middle container leg portion is provided. It is supported from below by the bottom of the main body. The container body has a body leg that projects downward from the bottom of the body. The main body legs do not overlap with the middle container legs in a plan view, and are arranged closer to the center of the bottom of the main body than the middle container legs.

According to the above configuration, when the article is transported, the container main body supports the middle container leg portion of the middle container and is supported by the bottom surface of the cardboard box or the like at the main body leg portion. The legs of the main body do not overlap with the legs of the middle container in a plan view. Therefore, the portion of the bottom of the main body between the leg of the main body and the leg of the middle container bends due to the force received from both sides. By increasing the distance between the legs of the main body and the legs of the middle container, the natural frequency of the portion can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress the transmission of vibration having a relatively high frequency that causes resonance of the article from the main body leg to the middle container leg.

Further, the legs of the main body are arranged closer to the center of the bottom of the main body than the legs of the middle container in a plan view. Therefore, the container main body can be configured more compactly as compared with the case where the main body legs are arranged outside the main body bottom portion with respect to the middle container legs.

That is, according to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce damage to the article while having a compact configuration.

The article accommodating portion is provided with a plurality of recesses recessed downward to accommodate articles, and the recesses are a bottom surface of the recess, an upright side surface connected to one end of the bottom surface of the recess and extending toward the top plate, and the bottom surface of the recess. The angle between the inclined side surface and the top plate may be smaller than the angle between the upright side surface and the top plate.

The outer shape of general strawberries, loquats, figs, etc. is the largest in the vicinity of the calyx (also called "gaku"), and gradually decreases as the distance from the calyx increases. Therefore, the center of gravity of these fruits is located near the calyx. If the center of gravity of the fruit moves during transportation, it causes resonance of the fruit.

According to the above configuration, when fruits such as strawberries, loquats and figs are housed in the recesses, the fruits are surrounded by the bottom surface of the recesses, the upright side surface and the inclined side surface. The bottom surface of the recess supports the fruit from below, and the upright side supports the part near the calyx of the fruit from the side. In addition, the inclined side surface supports the portion where the outer shape of the fruit gradually becomes smaller along the outer shape.

As a result, the fruit can be supported in a state where the center of gravity of the fruit is arranged below the concave portion while distributing the load received from the concave portion by the fruit in contact with the outer surface of the fruit over a wide range. As a result, it is possible to suppress the movement of the center of gravity of the fruit and suppress the resonance of the fruit and the accompanying damage to the epidermis even when the vibration having a high frequency is transmitted from the bottom of the main body to the recess of the article accommodating portion.

The supported portion is provided with a middle container leg portion extending downward from the top plate. The middle container may be supported only by the legs of the middle container.

The middle container leg is provided on the supported portion of the top plate, which is located outside the article accommodating portion. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the top plate can be supported by the upper ends of the middle container legs that are largely separated from each other. As a result, the natural frequency of the article accommodating portion that vibrates between the legs of the middle container can be made relatively low. As a result, even when vibration having a high frequency is transmitted from the bottom of the main body to the recess of the article accommodating portion via the middle container leg, it is possible to suppress the resonance of the article and the damage accompanying it.

The middle container leg may be formed over the entire peripheral edge of the top plate.

According to this configuration, by supporting the entire peripheral edge of the top plate by the legs of the middle container, it is possible to suppress excessive bending of the top plate downward. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recessed portion containing the article from coming into contact with the bottom portion of the main body, thereby directly transmitting vibration from the bottom portion of the main body to the recessed portion.

The middle container leg may be inclined so as to extend outward from the top plate from the upper end to the lower end.

According to this configuration, when the inner container receives an external force, the legs of the inner container can be elastically deformed so as to fall inward. As a result, even when the bottom of the main body vibrates at a relatively high frequency, the elastic deformation of the legs of the inner container reduces the transmission of the vibration, and it becomes possible to suppress the resonance of the article and the damage of the article accompanying it.

The middle container leg may have an inflection portion in which the normal direction of the outer surface changes between the upper end and the lower end thereof.

According to this configuration, when the inner container receives an external force, the legs of the inner container may undergo elastic deformation starting from the inflection portion. As a result, even when the bottom of the main body vibrates at a relatively high frequency, the elastic deformation of the legs of the inner container reduces the transmission of the vibration, and it becomes possible to suppress the resonance of the article and the damage of the article accompanying it.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport container capable of reducing damage to an article while having a compact structure.

It is a perspective view which shows the transport container which concerns on embodiment. It is an exploded view which shows the transport container of FIG. It is a top view which shows the transport container of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the IV-IV cross section of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the deformation of the transport container of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals as possible in the drawings, and duplicate description is omitted.

First, the configuration of the transport container 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transport container 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the transport container 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the transport container 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an IV-IV cross section of FIG. 3, and a part of the cross section is omitted. For ease of understanding, FIG. 4 shows only the IV-IV cross section of the transport container 1. Further, in FIG. 4, the main body leg portion 211 of the container main body 2 is shown by a broken line.

The transport container 1 is a container that accommodates and transports a plurality of strawberries. Further, after transportation, the transportation container 1 can be displayed at the store in a state where the strawberries are housed. Strawberries are an example of a suitable article, and the transport container 1 can also contain loquats, figs, and the like having the same shape as strawberries.

The transport container 1 includes a container main body 2, a middle container 3, and a lid member (not shown).

The container body 2 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, or polypropylene. As shown in FIG. 2, the container main body 2 has a main body bottom portion 21 and a main body side wall portion 22. The bottom portion 21 of the main body is a substantially flat plate-shaped portion, and its outer shape is rectangular in a plan view. The main body side wall portion 22 extends upward from the peripheral edge of the main body bottom portion 21. The main body side wall portion 22 is formed over the entire peripheral edge of the main body bottom portion 21 and exhibits a closed annular shape. The bottom portion 21 of the main body and the side wall portion 22 of the main body are integrally formed, and the thickness thereof is uniform at about 0.20 mm to 0.50 mm.

The container body 2 forms a storage space 20. The accommodation space 20 is a space that is partitioned by a main body bottom portion 21 and a main body side wall portion 22 and has an open upper portion.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container main body 2 is provided with four main body legs 211. The main body leg portion 211 is integrally formed with the main body bottom portion 21, and protrudes downward from the main body bottom portion 21.

The inner container 3 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, or polypropylene. The thickness of the middle container 3 is about 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and has flexibility. The middle container 3 has a top plate 31. The top plate 31 is a substantially flat plate-shaped portion, and its outer shape is a rectangle slightly smaller than the main body bottom 21 of the container main body 2 in a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the top plate 31 has a fruit accommodating portion 311 and a supported portion 312.

The fruit accommodating portion 311 is an example of an article accommodating portion, and is an inward portion of the top plate 31. The fruit accommodating portion 311 is provided with a recess 32 recessed downward from the top plate 31. The recesses 32 are arranged linearly with four in the short side direction and five in the long side direction of the top plate 31 at intervals from each other. For example, in the case of the transport container 1 having a dimension in the short side direction of 150 mm and a dimension in the long side direction of 210 mm, the number of recesses 32 is preferably 3 to 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 32 has a recess bottom surface 32a, an upright side surface 32b, and an inclined side surface 32c.

The bottom surface 32a of the recess is the lower end surface of the recess 32. The bottom surface 32a of the recess is curved so as to project downward.

The upright side surface 32b is a surface whose lower end is connected to one end of the concave bottom surface 32a and extends toward the top plate 31. The upper end of the upright side surface 32b is connected to the top plate 31. The upright side surface 32b extends so as to form an angle θ1 with the top plate 31.

The inclined side surface 32c is a surface whose lower end is connected to the other end of the concave bottom surface 32a and extends toward the top plate 31. The upper end of the inclined side surface 32c is connected to the top plate 31. The inclined side surface 32c is arranged so as to face the upright side surface 32b in the horizontal direction. The inclined side surface 32c extends so as to form an angle θ2 with the top plate 31. The angle θ2 is smaller than the above-mentioned angle θ1.

The supported portion 312 is a portion of the top plate 31 outside the fruit accommodating portion 311. The supported portion 312 surrounds the fruit accommodating portion 311 and is provided over the entire peripheral edge of the top plate 31.

The supported portion 312 is provided with a middle container leg portion 34 extending downward from the top plate 31. The middle container leg 34 and the top plate 31 are integrally formed. The middle container leg 34 is inclined so as to extend outward from the top plate 31 from the upper end 34a side to the lower end 34b side connected to the top plate 31.

Further, the middle container leg portion 34 has two inflection portions 34c between the upper end 34a and the lower end 34b. The normal direction of the outer surface of the inflection portion 34c is different from the normal direction of other parts of the outer surface. The inflection portion 34c is formed so as to extend linearly along each of the short side and the long side of the top plate 31, whereby the middle container leg portion 34 has a staircase shape.

The middle container 3 thus formed is arranged in the accommodation space 20 of the container main body 2. The inner container 3 is supported by contacting the upper surface of the bottom portion 21 of the main body only with the lower end 34b of the inner container leg 34 without being restrained by the container main body 2. By not restraining the inner container 3 with respect to the container main body 2, it is possible to reduce the transmission of vibration from the container main body 2 to the inner container 3.

Further, a gap is formed between the main body side wall portion 22 of the container main body 2 and the middle container leg portion 34. The size of the gap is preferably about 0.1 mm to 5 mm. With such dimensions, the movement of the inner container 3 in the accommodation space 20 during transportation can be reduced, and as a result, the impact on the strawberry S due to the movement of the inner container 3 can be suppressed. ..

By arranging the middle container 3 in the accommodation space 20, the top plate 31 is arranged at a distance from the bottom portion 21 of the main body. Further, a gap of about 3 mm is formed between the concave bottom surface 32a of the concave portion 32 and the upper surface of the main body bottom portion 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body leg portion 211 of the container main body 2 is arranged so as not to overlap with the middle container leg portion 34 in a plan view. Further, the main body leg 211 is arranged closer to the center of the main body bottom 21 than the middle container leg 34.

The strawberry S housed in the transport container 1 is housed in the recess 32 of the middle container 3. When the strawberry S is housed in the recess 32, its lower surface is in contact with the recess bottom surface 32a and is supported from below. Further, the side surface of the strawberry S on the S1 side is supported from the side by the upright side surface 32b. Further, the portion S2 in which the outer shape of the strawberry S gradually decreases is supported in contact with the inclined side surface 32c. That is, the recess 32 has a shape along the outer shape of the strawberry S so that the strawberry S to be accommodated can be stably held. The middle container 3 is provided with a predetermined rigidity so that the bottom surface 32a of the recess does not come into contact with the top surface of the bottom portion 21 of the main body even when the strawberry S is housed in the recess 32.

The container body 2 and the middle container 3 are covered with a lid member (not shown) with the strawberry S housed in the recess 32. The lid member is detachably fixed to the upper end of the main body side wall portion 22 of the container main body 2. The lid member is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, or polypropylene. From the viewpoint of visibility and cosmetics, the lid member is preferably transparent. If the lid member is transparent, the consumer can visually recognize the state of the strawberry S through the lid member even when the strawberry S is displayed in the store while being housed in the transport container 1.

From the viewpoint of fitting and sealing with the container body 2, the lid member is preferably a molded product obtained by vacuum forming, compressed air forming or the like using a veneer-shaped sheet or film. At the time of the molding, the sheet or film is softened by heating and adheres to the mold. Further, the lid member is preferably a plate-shaped flexible film from the viewpoint of protecting the strawberry S from the impact during transportation.

Next, the operation and effect of the transport container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the deformation of the transport container 1. For ease of understanding, FIG. 5 shows only the IV-IV cross section of the transport container 1.

During the transportation of the strawberry S, the container body 2 supports the middle container leg 34 of the middle container 3. The container body 2 receives a downward force from the middle container leg 34 as shown by the arrow F1 in FIG. Further, the container main body 2 is supported by the bottom surface CB of the cardboard box at the main body leg portion 211. As shown by the arrow F2 in FIG. 4, the container body 2 receives an upward force from the bottom surface CB of the cardboard box at the body leg 211.

When the transport container 1 is not subjected to an external force such as during non-transportation, the bottom portion 21 of the main body is arranged at the position indicated by the solid line 21A as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the transport container 1 receives an external force such as during transportation, vibration may occur at the bottom 21 of the main body. At this time, the bottom portion 21 of the main body is deformed so as to bend between the leg portion 211 of the main body and the leg portion 34 of the middle container, as shown by the broken line 21B. The broken line 21B is shown by being extremely displaced for understanding.

As described above, since the main body bottom portion 21 is deformed between the main body leg portion 211 and the middle container leg portion 34 which are largely separated from each other, its natural frequency is relatively low. As a result, even when vibration having a relatively high frequency is transmitted from the main body leg 211 to the recess 32 of the fruit container 311 via the middle container leg 34, the resonance of the strawberry S and the accompanying damage to the epidermis are suppressed. Will be possible.

Further, the main body leg portion 211 is arranged closer to the center portion of the main body bottom portion 21 than the middle container leg portion 34 in a plan view. Therefore, the container main body 2 can be configured more compactly than the case where the main body leg portion 211 is arranged outside the main body bottom portion 21 with respect to the middle container leg portion 34.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the strawberry S is housed in the recess 32, the strawberry S is surrounded by the recess bottom surface 32a, the upright side surface 32b, and the inclined side surface 32c. The bottom surface 32a of the recess supports the strawberry S from below, and the upright side surface 32b supports the portion of the strawberry S near S1 from the side. Further, the inclined side surface 32c supports the portion S2 in which the outer shape of the strawberry S gradually becomes smaller along the outer shape.

As a result, the strawberry S can be supported in a state where the center of gravity G of the strawberry S is arranged below the recess 32 while the load received by the strawberry S from the recess 32 is dispersed in contact with the outer surface of the strawberry S over a wide range. can. As a result, the movement of the center of gravity G of the strawberry S is suppressed, and even when the vibration having a high frequency is transmitted from the bottom portion 21 of the main body to the recess 32 of the fruit accommodating portion 311, the resonance of the strawberry S and the accompanying damage to the epidermis are suppressed. Will be possible.

The supported portion 312 is provided with a middle container leg portion 34 extending downward from the top plate 31. The middle container 3 is supported from below only by the middle container leg portion 34.

The middle container leg portion 34 is provided on the supported portion 312 located outside the fruit accommodating portion 311 in the top plate 31. Therefore, according to this configuration, the top plate 31 is supported by the upper end 34a of the middle container legs 34 that are largely separated from each other.

When the transport container 1 is not subjected to an external force such as during non-transport, the top plate 31 is arranged at the position indicated by the broken line 31A as shown in FIG. That is, although the top plate 31 bends slightly downward due to the weight of the strawberry S (see FIG. 4) housed in the recess 32, the top plate 31 is substantially horizontal to the bottom portion 21 of the main body.

On the other hand, when the transport container 1 receives an external force such as during transportation, the top plate 31 may vibrate. At this time, the top plate 31 is deformed in a mode with the upper end 34a of the middle container leg 34 as a fulcrum, as shown by the broken line 31B. The broken line 31B is shown by being extremely displaced for understanding.

As described above, since the top plate 31 is deformed with the upper end 34a of the middle container leg 34, which is largely separated, as a fulcrum, its natural frequency is relatively low. As a result, even when vibration having a relatively high frequency is transmitted from the bottom portion 21 of the main body to the recess 32 of the fruit accommodating portion 311 via the middle container leg portion 34, the resonance of the strawberry S and the accompanying damage to the epidermis are suppressed. Will be possible.

The middle container leg 34 is formed over the entire peripheral edge of the top plate 31.

According to this configuration, by supporting the entire peripheral edge of the top plate 31 by the middle container leg portion 34, it is possible to suppress excessive bending of the top plate 31 downward. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recess 32 accommodating the strawberry S from coming into contact with the bottom portion 21 of the main body, thereby directly transmitting vibration from the bottom portion 21 of the main body to the recess 32.

The middle container leg 34 is inclined so as to extend outward from the top plate 31 from the upper end 34a side to the lower end 34b side.

According to this configuration, when the inner container 3 receives an external force, the leg portion 34 of the inner container can be elastically deformed so as to fall inward as indicated by the arrow M. As a result, even when the bottom portion 21 of the main body vibrates at a relatively high frequency, it is possible to reduce the transmission of vibration due to the elastic deformation of the inner container leg 34, and to suppress the resonance of the strawberry S and the accompanying damage to the epidermis. Become.

The middle container leg portion 34 has an inflection portion 34c in which the normal direction of the outer surface changes between the upper end portion 34a and the lower end portion 34b.

According to this configuration, when the inner container 3 receives an external force, the inner container leg portion 34 may undergo elastic deformation starting from the inflection portion 34c. As a result, even when the bottom portion 21 of the main body vibrates at a relatively high frequency, it is possible to reduce the transmission of vibration due to the elastic deformation of the inner container leg 34, and to suppress the resonance of the strawberry S and the accompanying damage to the epidermis. Become.

In the above embodiment, the transport container 1 is used for transporting the strawberry S. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. The transport container according to the present invention can also be used, for example, for transporting cosmetics obtained by compressing a powdered raw material into a solid substance.

In the above embodiment, the inflection portion 34c is formed so as to extend linearly along each of the short side and the long side of the top plate 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. The inflection portion may extend in a curved shape that meanders between the upper end 34a and the lower end 34b of the middle container leg portion 34.

1: Transport container 2: Container body 3: Medium container 20: Storage space 21: Main body bottom 211: Main body leg 31: Top plate 32: Recessed portion 34: Medium container leg 34c: Curved part 311: Fruit storage part (article) Containing part) 312: Supported part S: Strawberry (article)

Claims (5)

A transport container used to transport goods,
A container main body having a main body bottom portion and a main body side wall portion extending upward from the peripheral edge of the main body bottom portion, and forming a storage space surrounded by the main body side wall portion above the main body bottom portion.
With a medium container arranged in the storage space,
The middle container has a top plate provided with an article accommodating portion and a middle container leg portion extending downward from a portion of the top plate outside the article accommodating portion. Only the legs are supported from below by the bottom of the main body,
The container body has a body leg portion that projects downward from the bottom of the body.
A transport container in which the legs of the main body do not overlap with the legs of the middle container in a plan view and are arranged closer to the center of the bottom of the main body than the legs of the middle container. The article accommodating portion is provided with a plurality of recesses recessed downward and accommodating articles.
The recess has a bottom surface of the recess, an upright side surface connected to one end of the bottom surface of the recess and extending toward the top plate, and an inclined side surface connected to the other end of the bottom surface of the recess and extending toward the top plate. ,
The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the angle formed by the inclined side surface and the top plate is smaller than the angle formed by the upright side surface and the top plate. The transport container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the middle container leg is provided over the entire peripheral edge of the top plate. The transport container according to claim 3, wherein the middle container leg is inclined so as to extend outward from the top plate from the upper end to the lower end. The transport container according to claim 4, wherein the middle container leg has an inflection portion between the upper end and the lower end thereof in which the normal direction of the outer surface is different from that of other portions.

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