JP4774033B2 - Instant food container for microwave oven - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an instant food container suitable for cooking in a microwave oven.

Instant foods suitable for cooking in a microwave oven, such as fried noodles and pasta, are becoming widespread, and various containers for containing them have been proposed. For example, an instant food container disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a cup-shaped container body and a lid that fits on the upper surface of the container, and a cap is fitted to the center of the lid. During cooking, the internal steam is discharged to the outside through the gap between the cap and the lid.
JP 2006-34665 A

  However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, when removing the lid, there is a possibility that steam leaked from the gap between the cap and the lid may touch the fingers. Further, since a thin sheet-like material is usually used for the lid, the surface temperature of the lid becomes high after cooking, and there is a problem that it is difficult to hold when removing the lid.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for reducing stress on the user due to heat when removing the lid after cooking.

An instant food container for a microwave oven according to the present invention includes a cup-shaped container body and a cup-shaped lid, and the lid is made of a sheet-shaped resin material and has an opening facing down. Fitted to the container body, the bottom of the lid does not have a vapor hole, and the bottom is provided with a number of protrusions toward the opening, and the lid is fitted to the container body. When heated in a heated state, at least a part of the water droplets condensed at the bottom of the lid is collected at the tip of the projection and dropped onto the instant food contained in the container body, and the outside of the projection Is hollow, and is narrowed to such an extent that the finger cannot reach from the outside of the lid to the region where the water droplets are collected in the tip of the projection .

  In this invention, since the bottom part of a cover body does not have a vapor | steam hole, the possibility that a vapor | steam may touch a finger in the case of removal of a cover body can be suppressed. In addition, the bottom of the lid is provided with a projection directed toward the opening of the lid, and water droplets condensed at the bottom of the lid are collected at the tip of the projection, so that the bottom of the lid other than the tip of the projection Is better cooled by the outside air, which makes it easier to hold the lid body during removal, reducing stress.

In the present invention, the outer side of the protrusion is narrowed so that a finger cannot reach from the outer side of the lid to the region where the water droplets are collected in the tip of the protrusion. For this reason , there is no possibility that the user's finger touches the high temperature tip of the protrusion of the lid during removal.

  Preferably, the peripheral wall portion of the lid body has an upper peripheral wall having a relatively large area surrounded in plan view and a lower peripheral wall having a relatively small area surrounded in plan view, and these upper peripheral walls. And the lower peripheral wall are connected by an inwardly facing middle shelf. In this case, a space formed by the middle shelf is formed between the container main body and the lid bottom, so that it is easy for fingers to enter the space and the lid is easily lifted.

  Preferably, the inner edge of the middle shelf is on a single plane, and the volume of the space defined by the inner edge of the middle shelf, the lower peripheral wall and the bottom surface is for cooking the instant food. Is equal to the amount of water required. In this case, the lid can be provided with a function of measuring the amount of water required for cooking. Irregularities may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower peripheral wall.

  A plurality of fitting portions for fitting to the outer peripheral edge of the lid body may be provided on the peripheral wall portion of the container main body at intervals. In this case, the container body and the lid body are distorted by pulling the two opposite lip portions of the container body outward, and at least one of the other fitting portions is fitted. The lid can be removed more easily. When the container body is substantially polygonal in plan view, it is preferable that the fitting portion is disposed at a part or all of the corner corresponding to the apex.

  It is preferable to set the height of the lid so that the bottom of the lid is accommodated in the container body when the lid is fitted. In this case, the container main body can be easily sealed by covering the opening of the container main body with a sheet-like upper lid.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an instant food container 1 for a microwave oven (hereinafter referred to as “container 1” as appropriate) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a container body 2 and a lid 3. The container main body 2 and the lid body 3 each have a substantially rectangular cup shape in plan view, particularly a substantially square cup shape.

  The container body 2 and the lid body 3 are formed by vacuum-forming or pressure-forming a sheet-like polypropylene (PP). The container body 2 and the lid body 3 may be made of other types of plastic resin materials such as polystyrene (PS), and particularly have flexibility that allows elastic deformation by hand and heat resistance that can withstand cooking. It is preferred to use. The container body 2 and the lid 3 may be opaque, or at least one of them may be transparent or translucent. In particular, when the lid 3 is translucent, the state of instant food during cooking, which will be described later, can be observed from the outside.

  In FIG. 1, the container main body 2 includes a substantially rectangular tube-shaped main body peripheral wall 4, a substantially rectangular bottom 5 in a plan view, and a flange portion 6 that extends outside the upper end opening of the main body peripheral wall 4. The main body peripheral wall 4 is composed of a peripheral wall upper portion 4a that expands upward and a peripheral wall lower portion 4b in which the four walls are substantially vertical. The peripheral wall lower portion 4b may have an undercut shape slightly narrowed toward the upper side in order to hold the lid 3 well during fitting. A substantially horizontal step 4c extends from the lower end of the peripheral wall lower portion 4b, and the inner end of the step 4c and the bottom 5 are connected by a smooth curved surface.

  The peripheral wall upper part 4a in the vicinity of the four corners of the flange part 6 is bulged inward, whereby knob parts 6a1, 6a2, 6a3, 6a4 large enough to be pinched with fingers are formed. Note that the knob portion may be provided with an instruction mark such as a round shape or an arrow shape, or a non-slip uneven structure.

  At the four corners of the container main body 2, a set of two fitting portions 7 each including a projection 7a, 7a is provided. As a result of the container body 2 being substantially rectangular in plan view, the four fitting portions 7 are arranged at equiangular intervals, that is, at intervals of 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the fitting portion 7 is composed of a set of two projections, but each fitting portion may be composed of a single or three or more projections, or may be composed of a recess, Its structure is arbitrary.

  A gap h (see FIG. 3) is provided between the lower end of the fitting portion 7 and the upper surface of the stepped portion 4c, so that the flange portion 16 of the lid 3 is fitted during heating, which will be described later. It can be freely moved up and down between the joint portion 7 and the step portion 4c. On the bottom portion 5, upward ribs 8 in a plan view rectangle for reinforcement are formed.

  In FIG. 2, the lid body 3 has a lid body peripheral wall 14 that is widened upward in a posture with the opening portion upward, a lid body bottom part 15 that is rectangular in plan view with rounded corners, and an upper end of the lid body peripheral wall 14. A lid flange portion 16 extending outside the opening is provided. The lid flange portion 16 is flat, but may be slightly inclined so as to become higher toward the outside (that is, away from the bottom portion 15).

  The lid peripheral wall 14 includes an upper peripheral wall 14a having a relatively large area surrounded in plan view and a lower peripheral wall 14b having a relatively small area surrounded in plan view. The upper peripheral wall 14a and the lower peripheral wall 14b is connected by an inward middle shelf 14c. The middle shelf 14c is slightly inclined so as to become lower toward the inside. A number of protrusions or ribs 17 extending in the vertical direction are formed on the lower peripheral wall 14b at substantially equal intervals over the entire circumference. The interval between the ribs 17 is smaller than the thickness of the fingers, and when the lower peripheral wall 14b is gripped by fingers from the outside, the fingers exclusively touch the surface of the ribs 17, while the portions of the lower peripheral wall 14b other than the ribs 17 are almost or It is not touched at all.

  The lid bottom portion 15 does not have a steam hole, that is, a through hole through which steam passes during heating. A large number (15 in this embodiment) of protrusions 18 that are directed toward the opening of the lid 3 are arranged on the lid bottom 15 almost uniformly over the entire surface of the lid bottom 15 in the form of dots. . The protrusion 18 has a substantially conical shape, and its tip is rounded to an extent that facilitates molding (particularly mold release), and its base is smoothly connected to the lid bottom 15 by a curved surface. Since the lid 3 is formed from a sheet-like material, the back surface side, that is, the external side of the protrusion 18 is hollow as shown in FIG. The size of each protrusion 18 is narrowed so that the finger cannot reach the area A where water droplets, which will be described later, are collected at the tip of the protrusion 18 from the outside of the lid 3 (upper side in FIG. 3). .

  The inner end of the middle shelf portion 14c is on a single plane parallel to the bottom portion 15. The volume of the space defined by the inner end of the middle shelf portion 14c, the lower peripheral wall 14b and the lid bottom portion 15 is instant food. Is equal to the amount of water needed to cook.

  The lid 3 can be fitted to the container main body 2 in a posture in which the opening is on the bottom, that is, in a lying posture. When the lid 3 is fitted to the container main body 2, the lid flange portion 16 of the lid 3 gets over the fitting portion 7 of the container main body 2. The height of the lid 3 is substantially equal to the height from the step 4 c to the upper end of the container body 2. Therefore, when the lid 3 is fitted to the container body 2, the bottom 15 of the lid 3 The height is substantially equal to the opening of the container body 2. By fitting the lid 3 to the container main body 2, a substantially closed space is formed between the container main body 2 and the lid 3.

  The operation of the container 1 configured as described above will be described. When distributing and selling, the container body 2 contains yakisoba noodles N (see FIG. 3), a pouch filled with a medicinal product and sauce is placed on it, and the lid 3 is placed from above. The container body 2 is internally fitted in a posture with the opening portion facing down. Then, the entire periphery of the sheet-like upper lid (not shown) is sealed by adhering to the flange portion 6. The entire container 1 may be further wrapped with a shrink film. The height of the lid 3 can be made smaller than that of the present embodiment, whereby a gunpowder or a pouch of sauce is placed on the lid body in a face-down position, and a sheet-like shape is formed thereon. It may be possible to seal with an upper lid.

The cooking procedure is as follows.
(1) The upper lid of the sheet is removed, and the lid 3 is removed from the container body 2.
(2) Open the pouch and apply the drug and sauce from the top of the yakisoba noodle N in the container body 2.
(3) With the lid body 3 facing upward, water is poured up to the height of the inner end of the middle shelf 14c, and the water thus measured is poured into the container body 2.
(4) The lid 3 is fitted to the container main body 2 in a posture with the opening portion down, and is heated in the state by a microwave oven for a predetermined time.
(5) After the heating is finished, the lid 3 is removed from the container body 2.
(6) Stir well with Yakisoba Noodles N, addiction and sauce and eat.

  During the cooking process, steam is actively generated in the substantially closed space between the lid 3 and the container body 2 in the process of heating by the microwave oven (4). The portion is discharged to the outside from between the flange portion 16 of the lid body 3 and the peripheral wall lower portion 4 b of the container body 2, but a part of the remaining steam condenses on the lower surface of the bottom portion 15 of the lid body 3. Most of the water droplets generated by the condensation are collected at the tip of the protrusion 18 by its own weight, and a part of the water droplet is retained by the surface tension in the region A of the tip of the protrusion 18 (the lower end in the posture during cooking). The remainder falls from the region A toward the upper surface of the noodles N being cooked. When the above-described lifting / lowering of the lid 3 during heating is performed, the drop of water droplets is promoted by the vibration at that time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the bottom of the lid 3 does not have a vapor hole, the vapor at the time of removing the lid 3 is exhausted exclusively from the outside of the flange portion 16, and the risk of the vapor touching the fingers is suppressed. it can.

  Also, the bottom 15 of the lid 3 is provided with a large number of projections 18 directed toward the opening of the lid 3, and water droplets condensed on the bottom 15 of the lid 3 are collected at the tip of the projection. The lid bottom portion 15 other than the tip 18 (region A) is cooled more effectively by the outside air because its heat capacity is smaller than the heat capacity of the water droplets. Can reduce stress.

  Further, the size of each projection 18 is so narrow that the finger cannot reach from the outside of the lid 3 to the area A where water droplets at the tip of the projection 18 are collected. Among them, there is no possibility that the user's finger touches the tip (the back side corresponding to the region A) that is at a high temperature due to the heat capacity of the water droplets.

  The peripheral wall 14 of the lid 3 includes an upper peripheral wall 14a having a relatively large area surrounded in plan view and a lower peripheral wall 14b having a relatively small area surrounded in plan view, and these upper peripheral walls. 14a and the lower peripheral wall 14b are connected by the inward middle shelf 14c, so that a space B (see FIG. 3) formed by the middle shelf 14c is formed between the container body 2 and the lid bottom portion 15. Therefore, a finger enters this space, and the lid 3 can be easily lifted.

  In addition, the inner end of the middle shelf 14c is on a single plane, and the volume of the space defined by the inner end of the middle shelf 14c, the lower peripheral wall 14b, and the bottom 15 is necessary for cooking instant food. Since the amount of water is equal to the amount of water, the lid 3 can be provided with a function of measuring the amount of water required for cooking. In addition, since the middle shelf 14c is slightly inclined, it is difficult for water droplets to accumulate on the middle shelf 14c during heating, and the amount of water exceeding the inner end can be accurately measured during measurement.

  In addition, since a large number of ribs 17 extending in the vertical direction are formed on the lower peripheral wall 14b of the lid 3, it is possible to suppress the area where the fingers touch the lid 3 when the lid 3 is removed, and to the user due to heat. Can reduce stress. Further, the interval between the ribs 17 is made smaller than the thickness of the fingers, so that the fingers during removal exclusively touch the surface of the ribs 17 while little or not touching the portion of the lower peripheral wall 14b other than the ribs 17. The stress on the user due to heat can be particularly preferably reduced.

  Further, when removing the lid 3 in (5) above, the user pinches two opposing knobs 6a1 to 6a2 (for example, 6a2 and 6a4) of the container body 2 to separate them from each other. When pulled in the direction (arrow P2-P4 direction in FIG. 1), the container body 2 and the lid 3 are elastically deformed (the lowering of two portions corresponding to the knob portions 6a2 and 6a4 in the fitting portion 7 of the container body 2), and Corresponding to the two knob portions 6a2 and 6a4 by raising two points corresponding to the knob portions 6a2 and 6a4 in the corners of the lid flange portion 16 of the lid body 3 when the knob portions 6a1 and 6a3 are approached. After the fitting of the two fitting portions 7 is released and the traction is released, the corner of the lid flange portion 16 of the corresponding lid 3 is moved onto the fitting portion 7. It stabilizes at. Therefore, the user can easily remove the lid 3.

  In addition, when the lid flange portion 16 is slightly inclined so as to increase toward the outside (that is, away from the bottom portion 15), water droplets do not easily accumulate on the lid flange portion 16 during heating. It is possible to further reduce the user's stress due to the heat of the water droplets when the lid 3 is removed.

  In the above embodiment, the shape of the protrusion 18 is substantially conical, but other shapes such as a pyramid shape can be arbitrarily adopted. For example, the protrusions are scattered, but may be a continuous shape such as a stripe shape (parallel ridge shape), a lattice shape, a meandering shape, a concentric circle shape, or a spiral shape. Scattered protrusions may be provided. In the above embodiment, yakisoba is taken as an example of instant food, but the present invention can also be applied to other instant foods such as pasta. Further, in the above embodiment, the container body and the lid are substantially square in top view, but the present invention is also applicable to containers having other planar shapes such as other polygons such as rectangles and octagons, circles and ellipses. Such a configuration is also included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the container main body in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a cover body. It is a side view which shows the use condition of the instant food container for microwave ovens of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instant food container 2 for microwave ovens Container body 3 Cover body 4 Main body peripheral wall 4c Step part 5 Bottom part 6 Main body flange part 7 Fitting part 14 Cover body peripheral wall 14a Upper peripheral wall 14b Lower peripheral wall 14c Middle shelf part 15 Cover body bottom part 16 Cover body Flange 18 Protrusion N Yakisoba Noodle

Claims (4)

It has a cup-shaped container body and a cup-shaped lid,
The lid is made of a sheet-like resin material and is fitted to the container main body with the opening facing down, the bottom of the lid does not have a vapor hole, and the opening at the bottom Protrusion toward the part side is provided,
When the lid is heated in a state of being fitted to the container main body, at least a part of the water droplets condensed at the bottom of the lid is collected at the tip of the protrusion, and instant food stored in the container main body Dripping on the
The outside of the protrusion is a cavity, and is narrowed so that a finger cannot reach from the outside of the lid to a region of the tip of the protrusion where the water droplets are collected. Instant food container for the range. An instant food container for a microwave oven according to claim 1 ,
The peripheral wall portion of the lid has an upper peripheral wall having a relatively large area surrounded in a plan view and a lower peripheral wall having a relatively small area surrounded in a plan view, and the upper peripheral wall and the lower peripheral wall. Is an instant food container for a microwave oven, characterized by being connected by an inward middle shelf. An instant food container for a microwave oven according to claim 2 ,
The inner edge of the middle shelf is on a single plane, and the volume of the space defined by the inner edge of the middle shelf, the lower peripheral wall, and the bottom surface is the water required to cook the instant food. Instant food container for microwave oven characterized by being equal in quantity. An instant food container for a microwave oven according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
An instant food container for a microwave oven, wherein a plurality of fitting portions for fitting to the outer peripheral edge of the lid body are provided at intervals on the peripheral wall portion of the container body.

Images