JP3694701B2 - Insulator for food container - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a warmer for maintaining food and beverage containers such as cans and bottles as seen in canned tea or canned coffee, green tea in a plastic bottle, and others.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some containers such as cans and bottles with food and drink sold at vending machines and in stores are sold in a warm state depending on the type of food and drink. However, such foods and drinks have a problem of being cooled in a short time together with the containers after purchase.
[0003]
Moreover, since there is no means to warm easily about what is sold at normal temperature or a cooling state instead of a heat retention state, there exists a problem that it cannot eat and drink in the warmed state.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this regard, a heat insulating bag is provided for maintaining the food and drink container in a warm state. However, although the heat retention time can be extended for a while, the heat retention state cannot be maintained for a long time.
[0005]
For this reason, provision of a warmer provided with a heat source is desired, but there are various problems to be solved in order to provide a warmer that is convenient to carry. For example, when an electric heater is used as a heat source, there is a problem that battery power is consumed in a short time. On the other hand, when a thermal heater that burns fuel as a heat source is used, there is a problem that there is a risk of fire.
[0006]
By the way, it is advantageous for the present inventor to employ a catalyst heater that undergoes an oxidative exothermic reaction when a reactant is passed in a vaporized state with respect to a heating body provided with a catalyst on the surface as a heat source of the incubator. I found out. Such a catalyst heater itself is known, for example, as used in a mosquito trap shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-15248 and a stove shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-51086.
[0007]
However, according to the experiments of the present inventors, when such a catalyst heater is used as a heat source for an incubator for a food and drink container, the following various problems have been known.
(1) When providing a warmer that keeps food and drink containers such as cans and bottles in a warm state, it is desirable to configure a cylindrical container body with an upper opening that allows the food and drink containers to be inserted and removed. However, when the bottom of the beverage container is heated by installing a catalyst heater in such a container body, the catalyst heater is disposed in a generally closed space, so that the vaporization efficiency of the reactant and the passage efficiency to the catalyst are high. It is bad, and sufficient oxidation heat cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a problem that should solve this problem.
(2) When the food and drink container is heated, it generates water droplets due to condensation, and drops water droplets from the bottom. If the water droplets adhere to the surface of the catalyst heater, the oxidation exothermic reaction is hindered, so that necessary heat generation cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a problem that such a problem must be solved.
(3) In order to improve the vaporization efficiency of the reactant and the passage efficiency with respect to the catalyst, it is desirable to provide an air introduction hole on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical container body located below the catalyst heater. When a strong cross wind is received when the vessel is used outdoors, the gas vaporized by the reactant is blown sideways and the necessary heat generation by the catalyst heater cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a problem to solve such a problem.
(4) In addition, since it is desirable that the incubator can be used in a vehicle such as an automobile by a consumer and it is required to have a configuration that can be held in an appropriate position in the vehicle, there is a problem with this configuration. is there.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, the present invention is configured as a means, an upper opening-shaped cylindrical container body into which a food or drink container such as a can or a bottle is removably inserted, and a support that supports the bottom of the food container inside the container body A warmer configured to form a ventilation gap between the outer peripheral surface of the food and drink container and the inner peripheral surface of the container body, comprising a guide plate and a catalyst heater provided below the support guide plate; The catalyst heater is a cassette container that holds a heating body in which a large number of through holes provided at least on the surface are formed in a vertically penetrating manner and a reactant that undergoes an oxidative exothermic reaction by the catalyst when passing through the heating body in a vaporized state. The support guide plate is formed of a heat conductive plate, and forms a support plate portion that supports the bottom portion of the food and drink container, and a guide groove portion that is recessed downward from the support plate portion and extends in the diametrical direction. And it has opened a window opening occupying face the upper portion of the heating member to the guide groove, from the heating of the catalyst heater to the point comprising brought forming a hot air passage leading to the vent gap through said guide groove. And according to various embodiment added to this invention, the subject mentioned above can be solved ugly.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 1, the incubator supports a cylindrical container body 1 having an upper opening into which a food or drink container such as a can or a bottle is detachably inserted, and supports the bottom of the food container inside the container body 1. A supporting guide plate 2 to be heated, a heating body 3 as a catalyst heater provided below the supporting guide plate 2, a guide sleeve 4 for holding the heating body 3, and a holding cylinder 5 for holding the guide sleeve 4. A fixing ring provided with a unit plate 6 for constituting a catalyst heater unit as will be described later, a cassette container 7 holding a reactant, and a screw part 8 removably screwed to the lower end edge of the container body 1 In addition, a protection ring 10 as an attachment, a holding holder 11 and a mounting holder 12 are provided as needed.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the support guide plate 2 is formed by a heat conductive plate made of a substantially circular metal plate or the like that can be installed in the container body 1, and has a large number of through holes 13 over almost the entire surface. are doing. In the case of the illustrated example, it is formed by a punching metal sheet, but may be formed by a net. The support guide plate 2 forms support plate portions 14 and 14 that support the bottom portion of the food and drink container inserted into the container body 1 and a guide groove portion 15 that is recessed downward from the support plate portion and extends in the diameter direction. In addition, both ends of the guide groove portion 15 are opened, and a window hole 16 is formed in a substantially central portion.
[0012]
The heating element 3 is provided with a catalyst such as platinum at least on its surface and has a large number of through holes formed in a vertically penetrating manner to which the holding plate 17 is fixed. The holding plate 17 holds and heats the heating element 3 by a claw piece 19 suspended from the opposing portion of the pair of wing portions 18, 18, and the folded piece 20 is bent from the wing tip of each wing portion 18. In addition, a downward insertion piece 21 bent from each folded piece 20 is provided. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, the heating element 3 is attached and fixed to the support guide plate 2 via the holding piece 17. That is, the support plate portions 14 and 14 of the support guide plate 2 are sandwiched from above and below by the pair of wing portions 18 and 18 and the folded pieces 20 and 20, and the wing portion 18 and the folded piece 20 sandwiching the support plate portion 14 are combined. Fixing is performed by fixing means 22 such as a caulking fixing means by a through-caulking hole or a shaft attaching means such as a rivet. In this state, the upper portion of the heating body 3 is made to face the window hole 16.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the guide sleeve 4 constitutes a cylindrical portion 24 having a storage chamber 23 in which the heating element 3 can be inserted from above, and the insertion piece 21 is attached to the upper flange 25 of the cylindrical portion 24. , 21 are inserted, and insertion holes 26, 26 are provided. A large number of rib-like irregularities 27 extending in the vertical direction are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the storage chamber 23, and a plurality of small holes 28 penetrating inside and outside are formed on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24.
[0014]
The moisture absorbent sheet 29 shown in FIG. 2B is made of a nonwoven fabric or paper, and can be placed on the groove bottom portion of the guide groove portion 15 in the support guide plate 2.
[0015]
The heating body 3 to which the support guide plate 2 is fixed via the holding plate 17 is shown in FIG. 3 by inserting the insertion pieces 21 and 21 of the holding plate 17 into the insertion holes 26 and 26 of the guide sleeve 4. As described above, the heating body 3 is integrated with the guide sleeve 4 in a state in which the heating body 3 is stored in the storage chamber 23. In this state, the guide sleeve 4 is inserted into the holding cylinder 5, the lower end edge of the holding cylinder 5 is fitted to the unit plate 6, and includes a cassette container 7 that can be attached to and detached from the unit plate 6, thereby constituting the catalyst heater unit 30. To do.
[0016]
In the case of the illustrated example, the ear 31 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the guide sleeve 4 is configured to be fitted into the notch 32 of the holding cylinder 5 with the guide sleeve 4 inserted into the holding cylinder 5. A lower flange 33 of the guide sleeve 4 inserted from the lower end of the cylinder 5 is detachably fitted to the peripheral edge of the center hole 34 of the unit plate 6.
[0017]
The unit plate 6 is formed in a substantially annular shape, and forms a rib 35 extending concentrically with the center hole 34, and is formed so that the detachable holes 36, 36 arranged facing the diametric direction face the rib 35. An inclined surface 37 is formed on the upper surface of the rib 35 adjacent to the attachment / detachment holes 36. On the other hand, the cassette container 7 is provided with an open mouth edge 38 facing the center hole 34 and is removably inserted into the attachment / detachment holes 36 and 36 around the open mouth edge 38. Almost L-shaped flanges 39, 39 are erected. Therefore, when the cassette container 7 is rotated forward about the axis with the flanges 39 and 39 inserted into the attachment / detachment holes 36 and 36, the flanges 39 and 39 rise along the inclined surfaces 37 of the ribs 35. The cassette container 7 is fixed to the unit plate 6 so as not to be detached, and the open mouth edge 38 is communicated with the storage chamber 23 of the guide sleeve 4. From this state, when the cassette container 7 is rotated around the axis, the flanges 39 and 39 descend along the inclined surface 37 of the rib 35 and escape from the attachment / detachment holes 36 and 36, whereby the cassette container 7 is removed from the unit plate. 6 to be removable. A large number of through holes 40 are formed in the annular portion of the unit plate 6.
[0018]
The cassette container 7 contains a reaction agent 41 such as alcohol therein, and is configured, for example, by impregnating a sponge body provided therein with liquid alcohol and opened by a cap 7a as shown in FIG. 1 during storage. The lip 38 is sealed. Although not shown in the figure, when a portable storage container for storing a reactant made of liquid alcohol is prepared and the reactant 41 in the cassette container 7 is deficient, the cassette container 7 is optionally turned into the interior of the cassette container 7. It is possible to replenish reactants.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 4, the catalyst heater unit 30 configured as described above is inserted into the inside from the bottom opening of the container body 1 and fixed by the fixing ring 9. That is, when the screw portion 8 of the fixing ring 9 is screwed into the bottom opening edge of the container body 1, the peripheral edge of the unit plate 6 is sandwiched between the fixing ring 9 and the inner peripheral step portion 42 of the container body 1.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the container main body 1 has a wide opening 43 formed in the vicinity of the upper end including the upper opening, and the inner diameter and the outer diameter are increased by the wide opening 43. When the food container 44 is inserted into the container body 1 from the upper opening, the food container 44 is supported by the support guide plate 2 at the bottom, and in this state, the outer peripheral surface of the food container 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the container body 1 A sufficient air gap 45 is formed therebetween. An air introduction hole 46 is formed in the vicinity of the bottom opening edge of the container body 1, that is, in the peripheral wall portion located below the support guide plate 2. In the example shown in the figure, the air introduction holes 46 extending in the circumferential direction of the container body 1 are shown. However, the air introduction holes 46 may be configured by arranging small holes in the circumferential direction of the container body 1. good.
[0021]
The operation of the warmer according to the above embodiment is shown in FIG. The reactant 41 accommodated in the cassette container 7 rises while vaporizing from the open mouth edge 38 toward the storage chamber 23 of the guide sleeve 4 as shown by an arrow F <b> 1, and passes through the heating body 3. At this time, the gas in the vaporized state undergoes an oxidation exothermic reaction by the catalyst of the heating element 3 and rises as hot air. The rising hot air is blocked from rising by the bottom of the food and drink container 44. However, since the support guide plate 2 is provided with the guide groove 15, the diameter direction along the guide groove 15 is indicated by the arrow F2. And a hot air passage 47 reaching the ventilation gap 45 is formed to generate a hot air flow 47a that rises through the ventilation gap 45 as shown by an arrow F3 in the drawing. Therefore, since the escape of hot air from the upper opening of the container body 1 is good, the increase in the vaporization of the reactant 41 from the cassette container 7 is promoted, and the catalyst heater unit 30 is almost closed inside the container body 1. Nevertheless, heating by a good oxidation exothermic reaction becomes possible.
[0022]
In the case of the illustrated example, since the guide groove 15 of the support guide plate 2 is disposed above the upper surface of the heating body 3 by a distance S, the hot air immediately after passing through the heating body 3 is the lower surface of the support guide plate 2. As shown by an arrow F4 in the figure, the support guide plate 2 rises through a large number of through holes 13 and merges with the hot airflow 47a. Further, the hot air that has entered the guide groove portion 15 as described above also spreads toward the lower surface of the support plate portion 14 through the through hole 13 provided in the side wall of the guide groove portion 15, and passes through the through hole 13 of the support plate portion 14. And merges with the hot airflow 47a. Therefore, the hot airflow 47a is formed over the entire peripheral surface of the food / beverage container 44, and heats and heats the food / beverage container 44 from the outer periphery. And since the support guide plate 2 is also heated with the heating body 3, the bottom part of the food-and-drink container 44 is heat-retained.
[0023]
The increase in vaporization of the reactant 41 from the cassette container 7 is promoted by taking external air into the container body 1. As indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. 5, the air that has entered from the air introduction hole 46 escapes toward the hot airflow 47a through the through hole 13 of the support guide plate 2. Further, the air that has entered from the periphery of the cassette container 7 as shown by the arrow A2 in the figure rises through the through hole 40 of the unit plate 6 and moves toward the hot air flow 47a through the through hole 13 of the support guide plate 2. Exit. In this way, the flow of hot air toward the upper opening of the container body 1 is promoted, and as a result, the storage chamber 23 of the guide sleeve 4 is sucked and negative pressure is generated, and air is discharged from the numerous small holes 28 provided in the guide sleeve 4. Since it pulls in, the vaporization rise of the reaction agent 41 from the cassette container 7 is accelerated | stimulated.
[0024]
At this time, if the food container 44 is not preheated, dew condensation occurs at the beginning of heating by the catalyst heater unit 30. Such condensation is dripped downward as water droplets. Water droplets dropped toward the support plate portion 14 of the support guide plate 2 fall downward through the through holes 13 and are discharged. Since the water drop dripping toward the guide groove portion 15 is absorbed by the moisture absorbent sheet 29, it is prevented from entering toward the heating body 3. When the hygroscopic sheet 29 is formed of a material having excellent air permeability, the upper part of the heating element 3 may be covered as shown in FIG. 3, but when formed of a material that is not very excellent in air permeability, FIG. You may divide as shown and you may comprise so that the upper part of the heating body 3 may be open | released.
[0025]
By the way, when using a warmer outdoors, such as a coastal zone or a forested area, if a strong cross wind is received, the amount of air entering from the air introduction hole 46 and the wind force are strong, so the gas vaporized from the reactant 41 is It is blown off, making it difficult for the catalyst heater unit 30 to generate heat. In this case, the user may use the incubator with the protective ring 10 attached to the container body 1.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 1, the protective ring 10 includes an inner ring adapted to be fitted to the lower end step portion 43 a of the wide mouth portion 43 at the lower end edge of the ring portion 48 and the lower end edge of the ring portion 48. An orientation flange 49 is provided, and is configured to be slidable in the vertical direction along the outer peripheral surface of the container body 1. Engaging / disengaging means for holding the protective ring 10 in a state where it is positioned on the outer periphery of the wide opening 43 is provided. In the example shown in the figure, the escape groove 50a extending upward from the lower end step of the wide opening 43 Engaging / disengaging means is constituted by groove means 50 extending substantially in an L shape having a locking groove 50b extending in the circumferential direction from the groove 50a, and a protrusion 51 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the protective ring 10 and fitted into the groove means 50. are doing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the protection ring 10 can be held on the outer periphery of the wide opening 43 with the projection 51 locked in the locking groove 50a. When the protective ring 10 is rotated and the protrusion 51 is positioned in the escape groove 50a, the protective ring 10 descends along the container body 1 as shown in FIG. 46 can be shielded from the outside. Since the inward flange 49 of the protective ring 10 is formed to have an inner diameter along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion lower than the wide-mouthed portion 43 of the container main body 1, it guides the vertical sliding of the protective ring 10. At the same time, a gap 52 is formed between the ring portion 48 and the outer peripheral surface of the container body 1. Accordingly, as indicated by an arrow A3 in FIG. 6B, only the air that detours and enters the gap 52 among the cross winds received from the outside is allowed to pass through the air introduction hole 46. Therefore, the air volume and wind force of the air entering toward the catalyst heater unit 30 housed in the container body 1 are controlled, and the oxidation exothermic reaction of the catalyst heater unit 30 during outdoor use is set to the optimum condition. In order to return the protective ring 10 to the original state as shown in FIG. 6A, the protective ring 10 is lifted along the container body 1, the protrusion 51 is inserted into the escape groove 50a, and then the protective ring 10 is moved. The protrusion 51 may be fitted into the locking groove 50b by rotating in the direction opposite to the arrow R. Note that the ascending position and the descending position of the protective ring 10 are indicated by chain lines in FIG. 4 in addition to FIGS.
[0027]
In order to enable the heat insulation container in a vehicle such as an automobile, a holding holder 11 and / or a holding holder 12 are prepared as attachments.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 1, the holding tool 11 for suspension is provided with a holding ring 53 having an inner diameter along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion lower than the wide-mouthed portion 43 of the container main body 1, and is protruded from the holding ring 53. The holding claw means 55 is detachably attached to the bracket 54. Therefore, as shown in the right column of FIG. 7, the holding ring 53 is extrapolated from the lower end of the container body 1, and the holding ring 53 is attached to the holding ring 53 while being locked to the lower end stepped portion 43 a of the wide opening 43. The claw means 55 can be removably attached to a louver in an air conditioner outlet of an automobile or the like. That is, since the holding ring 53 is fixed by inserting the holding claw means 55 into the louver of the air conditioner outlet, the container body 1 can be held with respect to the holding ring 53 in a freely detachable manner. And the food / beverage container 44 like the can 44a and the bottle 44b can be inserted / removed with respect to the container main body 1 hold | maintained at the holding ring 53. FIG. Since the cassette container 7 is detachable from the lower side of the container body 1 as shown in the figure, the reagent can be replenished at any time.
[0029]
The mounting holder 12 includes a cylindrical body 57 provided with a screw portion 56 as shown in FIG. As is well known, a so-called cup holder made of a tube receiving member is provided in the interior of a vehicle such as an automobile. The inner diameter of the cup holder is designed according to the outer diameter of the can 44a and the bottle 44b. For this reason, the container body 1 formed in a large diameter so as to form the ventilation gap 45 in the food and drink container 44 as in the present invention cannot be inserted into the cup holder. For this reason, the cylindrical body 57 constituting the mounting holder 12 is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the can 44a and the bottle 44b so as to be freely inserted into the cup holder, and is detachably attached to the lower portion of the unit plate 6. Installed. In the case of the illustrated example, as shown by a chain line in FIG. 4, the mounting portion 12 is mounted by detachably screwing the screw portion 56 with respect to the screw cylinder portion 58 protruding from the lower side of the unit plate 6. Is fixed to the container main body 1 and protrudes downward from the container main body 1, but the mounting holder 12 may be configured to be attached to and detached from the fixing ring 9. In this way, as shown in the left column of FIG. 7, the mounting holder 12 that protrudes from below the container body 1 can be inserted into the cup holder. The food and drink container 44 such as 44a and the bottle 44b can be inserted and removed. Since the cassette container 7 is detachable from the lower side of the container body 1 as shown in the figure, the reagent can be replenished at any time.
[0030]
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and various design changes are possible. Furthermore, it will be convenient to provide a bag, bag or case for carrying the incubator of the present invention.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention includes a cylindrical container body 1 having an upper opening that allows a food container 44 such as a can 44a and a bottle 44b to be removably inserted, and a support that supports the bottom of the food container 44 inside the container body 1. It comprises a guide plate 2 and a catalyst heater 30 provided below the support guide plate 2, and is configured to form a ventilation gap 45 between the outer peripheral surface of the food and drink container 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the container body 1. The catalyst heater 30 includes a heating body 3 in which a number of through holes provided with a catalyst at least on the surface are formed in a vertically penetrating manner, and oxidation heat generated by the catalyst when passing through the heating body 3 in a vaporized state. The support guide plate 2 is composed of a heat conducting plate, and supports the bottom portion of the food and drink container 44, and the support plate portion 14. Recessed downward The guide groove 15 extending in the diametrical direction is formed, and the hot air passage 47 extending from the heating body 3 of the catalyst heater 30 to the ventilation gap 45 through the guide groove 15 is formed. It can be used safely, and there is an effect that the food and drink container 44 can be kept warm at an appropriate temperature for a long time.
[0032]
In particular, according to the present invention, the hot air generated by the oxidation exothermic reaction of the heating element 3 in the catalyst heater 30 is blocked from rising by the bottom of the food and drink container 44, but by providing the guide groove portion 15 in the support guide plate 2, Since the hot air passage 47 that flows in the diametrical direction along the guide groove portion 15 to reach the ventilation gap 45 is formed, a hot air flow 47 a that rises suitably along the ventilation gap 45 can be formed. Accordingly, since the escape of hot air from the upper opening of the container body 1 is good, it is possible to promote the increase in vaporization of the reactant 41 from the cassette container 7, and the catalyst heater 30 is almost closed inside the container body 1. In spite of this, it is extremely excellent as a device that enables the desired effective heating.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B show a part of a catalyst heater unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view showing a heating element and a support guide plate, and FIG. 2B is a combination of the heating element and the support guide plate; It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an appendage together with a moisture absorption sheet and a guide sleeve.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a catalyst heater unit.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a warmer.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the operation.
6A and 6B show a usage example of the protection ring 10, in which FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing a storage state of the protection ring, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing a usage state of the protection ring.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of use of a holding holder and a mounting holder as attachments.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Support guide plate 3 Heating body 4 Guide sleeve 5 Holding cylinder 6 Unit plate 7 Cassette container 9 Fixing ring 10 Protective ring 11 Holding holder 12 Mounting holder 13 Through-hole 14 Support plate part 15 Guide groove part 16 Window hole 17 Holding plate 29 Hygroscopic sheet 30 Catalytic heater unit 41 Reactant 43 Wide mouth portion 44 Eating and drinking container (beverage container)
44a can 44b bottle 45 ventilation gap 46 air introduction hole 47 hot air passage 47a hot air flow

Claims (1)

A cylindrical container body (1) having an upper opening that allows a food container (44) such as a can and a bottle to be inserted and removed, and a support guide plate (2) that supports the bottom of the food container inside the container body. A warmer configured to form a ventilation gap (45) between the outer peripheral surface of the food and drink container and the inner peripheral surface of the container body, comprising a catalyst heater (30) provided below the support guide plate. Yes,
The catalyst heater (30) is an oxidative exothermic reaction by the catalyst when passing through the heater in a vaporized state, with the heater (3) having a number of through-holes formed at least on the surface so as to pass through the catalyst. A cassette container (7) holding the reactant (41),
The support guide plate (2) is composed of a heat conductive plate, and a support plate portion (14) that supports the bottom of the food and drink container, and a guide groove portion that is recessed downward from the support plate portion and extends in the diameter direction ( 15) is formed , and a window hole (16) for allowing the upper portion of the heating element (3) to face the guide groove (15 ) is opened ,
An incubator for a food and drink container comprising a hot air passage (47) extending from a heating element (3) of a catalyst heater (30) to the ventilation gap (45) through the guide groove (15).

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