JP7032332B2 - Storage container for groceries - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage container for foodstuffs, wherein the storage container is composed of at least one open substrate made of hard plastic, the substrate having at least one lid receiving edge. It is a cage and is divided into at least two partial deep dishes.

A container having a snap protrusion surrounding it, which can be sealed with a lid, and which has a snap side plate articulated to the lid, is shown, for example, in Patent Document 1. ing. It can be used in a wide variety of ways for storage in the home and also for the storage of watery or liquid foodstuffs. Such storage containers are provided in multiple sizes so that the appropriate container volume can be selected according to the size of the food to be packed. In this regard, each storage container is individually sealed with a lid made to fit its cross section.

In addition, deeply drawn disposable packages are known, in which two partial deep dishes are joined together along a defined break line, thus one partial deep dish to the other. It can be folded up against a partial deep dish, and the contents of the partial deep dish can be poured into the other partial deep dish, for example, museuri into yogurt or chocolate flakes into a quarkspeise. ) Can be poured.

From Patent Document 2, a storage container composed of a plurality of parts is known, and in this storage container, two partial containers are connected to each other so as to carry different foodstuffs. Each partial deep dish can be sealed with a special lid. That is, to open and close, two separate lids must be placed and sealed or removed again, respectively. Pouring the contents of a partial deep dish into each other by swirling one part high with respect to the other cannot be done with such a household storage container, because it is rigid and comparative. This is because it is made of thick, thermoplastic and is designed for a long service life, therefore no specified break line is taken into account.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/884464 German Patent Application Publication No. 102009032198

The object of the present invention is to provide at least two partial deep plates, the contents of one partial deep plate can be opened in the other partial deep plate, and a separate lid is individually provided for each partial deep plate. It is to present a storage container that is not needed.

This problem is solved by a storage container having the characteristics of claim 1.

According to the present invention, the partial deep plates are articulated, i.e., interconnected by so-called sleeve hinges. The area of the sleeve hinge is the break in the outer contour of the substrate. The upper lid receiving edge is certainly almost continuous, more specifically from the outside of one partial deep dish to the edge of the other partial deep dish collocated with it. However, the lid receiving edges are interrupted on both sides of the sleeve hinge, that is, in the area of both end faces. Moreover, the facing side walls of the partial deep dish are not as high as the outer side walls. The swivel of the partial deep dish, which runs around the perimeter and is also composed of rigid material components, is removed from the area of the sleeve hinges and is interconnected to both articulations. Is possible.

It is preferred that the sidewalls of the partial deep dish made of hard material have subsided edges and the sleeve hinges are located approximately at this lowered edge height. ..

The essence of the present invention is that the partial deep dish in the area of the sleeve hinge is formed so that only one lid can be used to cover the entire occupied area of both partial deep dishes together. be. By using a uniform lid, both partial deep dishes were supported within the area of their flexible joints, thus changing compared to known vessels if the storage vessel and lid were interconnected. It is unlikely that relatively large deformations will occur in this very area. Moreover, the substrate is formed identical to a known storage vessel with only dividers on either side of the sleeve hinge, except for each small break, thus utilizing existing lid elements. Closure locking and sealing at the substrate is done, in particular, through a snap side plate articulatedly joined to the lid element, as is known from current technology, where the snap side plate is the substrate. Snap fit under the locking protrusion formed on the outer circumference of the.

Further, in order to achieve airtightness and liquidtightness even in the divided substrate based on the present invention, each partial deep dish has an elastomeric sealing protrusion. It extends between the ends of the lid receiving edge, thus forming a continuous edge contour in each partial deep dish, from which at least one portion of this edge contour is from a rigid component. The other part, located in the area of the sleeve hinge, is composed of soft components. Therefore, when a lid having an endless sealing surface is placed on the lower surface thereof, the hard lid receiving edge of each partial deep dish abuts on the sealing surface in the surrounding main parts. Where there is not yet a short joint, a soft elastomeric encapsulating protrusion abuts on the underside of the lid in the area of the sleeve hinge to achieve complete sealing of the partial deep dish. At the extreme end, in the region of connection to the rigid lid receiving edge, the soft sealing protrusions also abut on the sealing surface on the underside of the lid, bridging the remaining spacing.

The sleeve hinge is made from, for example, TPE and is directly coupled to the wall of the rigid thermoplastic partial deep dish.

Further, the sleeve hinge can be formed as a film hinge, at least in one of multiple layers, which film hinge is made of the same rigid and thermoplastic plastic from which the partial container is also made.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, both partial containers are joined by such a film hinge, on which an additional soft elastic component is injection molded as a layer. In this case, it is advantageous that the sealing protrusions can be manufactured integrally with the elastomeric partial layer of the sleeve hinge. This, on the one hand, provides rigidity and restorative action with rigid components, such as preventing one of the sub-containers from sagging strongly when the user grabs each of the other sub-containers and lifts the storage container high. And, rigidity and restorative action are achieved such that further handling associated with lid placement and locking is easily possible. On the other hand, good flexibility in the area of the sleeve hinge is achieved so that one partial container can be swiveled or refracted with respect to the other partial container if necessary.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

It is a longitudinal sectional view of the starting state of the storage container by this invention. It is a longitudinal sectional view of the storage container according to the present invention in the pattern and the tilted position. It is a figure which shows the hermetic state of the storage container provided with the placed lid. The perspective from the top of the storage container without a lid is a loose perspective view. It is a perspective view from above the details of the storage container in the area of the sleeve hinge.

FIG. 1 shows a storage container 100 composed of two separate partial containers 10 and 20. The partial containers 10 and 20 are terminated upward at the lid receiving edges 12 and 22, respectively. The lid receiving edges 12 and 22 are in the same plane at the illustrated starting positions of both partial containers 10 and 20. Locking protrusions 11 and 21 are additionally molded on the outside of the partial containers 10 and 20. The partial containers 10 and 20 made of hard and thermoplastic are terminated by inner edges 13 and 23 running straight in the flat screen on the side facing each other, respectively. An elastic sleeve-shaped hinge 30 is additionally molded between the inner edges 13 and 23, and both partial deep plates 10 and 20 are articulated to each other via the sleeve-shaped hinge 30. Above the inner edges 13 and 23, the sleeve hinges 30 have elastomeric encapsulating protrusions 31 and 32 protruding upwards, respectively.

FIG. 4 shows the storage container 100 in the starting state as a perspective view with a loose perspective from the longitudinal side. The locking protrusions 11, 21 and the lid receiving edges 12, 22 can be clearly recognized. The lid receiving edges 12, 22 or locking protrusions 11, 21 certainly extend toward each other within the region of the sleeve hinge 30, but are also apparently interrupted there.

The sleeve hinge 30 has a bend line 35 formed, for example, by local material weakening. The bend line 35 is not centrally located between both partial deep plates 10 and 20, but is located closer to the large partial deep plate 10.

FIG. 2 shows the use position of the storage container 100, in which the small sub-container 20 is swiveling high, while the large sub-container 10 remains in its starting position. At that time, the sleeve hinge 30 is bent in the region of the bending line 35. Other areas of the sleeve hinge 30, specifically the sealing protrusions 31, 32, are not harmed by it. The sleeve hinge 30 is divided into a narrower portion 33 in the large sub-container 10 and a wider partial region 34 in the smaller sub-container 20 by a bend line 35 located off-center. By arranging the hinge wire or the bending wire 35 off the center, the upper edge of the sealing protrusion piece 32 swivels on a circular orbit extending above the sealing protrusion piece 31 when viewed in cross section. do. That is, the sealing protrusions 31 and 32 do not collide, so that one sub-container 20 can still be swiveled with respect to the other sub-container 10 not only at an angle of 90 degrees, but beyond it. As a result, the side wall 24 of the small partial container 20 facing the sleeve hinge 30 can be arranged so as to face diagonally downward. Thus, the foodstuff contained in the small partial container 20 can more easily fall off or flow out.

FIG. 3 is a further longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a complete storage container set consisting of a storage container 100 and a lid element 40 known per se. On the outside, the lid element 40 rests on the lid receiving edges 12 and 22 on its sealing surface 43. The snap side plates 41, 42 snap fit under the locking protrusions 11, 21, thereby pressing the lid 40 firmly onto the lid receiving edges 12, 22 in the area of the sealing surface 43. Has been caused.

In the region of the sleeve hinge 30 that divides the substrate, the seal is not by the additional elastomeric sealing surface of the underside of the lid, but by the elastomeric encapsulating protrusion 31 within the region of the sleeve hinge 30. , 32 is caused. These are deformed and firmly pressed against the smooth lower surface of the lid 40 by the existing pressing force, and therefore there is also an airtight and liquidtight bond there.

With respect to tightness, on the container side, the elastic sealing surface at the transition between the soft sealing protrusions 31 and 32 and the hard lid receiving edges 12 and 22 and at the outside of the lid. Special attention is paid to the transition between the surface and the smooth lid surface on the inside. In FIG. 5, the boundary of the elastic sealing surface 43 of the lid is suggested by the alternate long and short dash line. It can be recognized that the sealing surface 43 is clearly wider than the lid receiving edge as usual. This is necessary to achieve a secure seal by simply placing the lid 40 and without complicated alignment. That is, in the small transition region, the elastic sealing protrusions 31 and 32 abut on the similarly elastic sealing surface 43 of the lid 40, so that the respective sealing protrusions 31 and 32 are strictly. A slight upslope is formed within this region, which always presents an oversize and crushes the elastic component when locking the lid 40 to achieve a secure seal.

From FIG. 5, it can be further seen that the sleeve hinges include the lower layer 37 and the upper layer 36. The upper layer 36 is preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer and bonds both sealing projection pieces 31 and 32 to each other. The lower layer 37, on the other hand, is a bridge made of hard and thermoplastic, which joins both subvessels 10 and 20 and is formed as a film hinge in the region of the bend line 35. ing.

Claims (11)

A grocery storage container (100), composed of at least one open substrate made of hard plastic, said substrate having at least one surrounding lid receiving edge (12, In a storage container (100) having 22) and divided into at least two partial deep dishes (10, 20).
-The partial deep plates (10, 20) are rotatably coupled to each other via a sleeve hinge (30).
-The lid receiving edges (12, 22) extend along the common perimeter of the interconnected partial deep dishes (10, 20) and are interrupted at the end faces of the sleeve hinges (30), respectively. is being done,
-Each partial deep dish (10, 20) has at least one elastomeric encapsulating protrusion (31, 32) between the ends of the interrupted lid receiving edges (12, 22). Conservation characterized by being formed and said partial deep pans (10, 20) each having an inner edge (13, 23) of a lowered side wall on their side facing each other. Container (100). The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve hinge (30) is formed as a film hinge, and the film hinge is made of the same plastic as the partial deep dish (10, 20). (100). The storage container (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve-shaped hinge (30) is made of an elastomeric material. The storage container (100) according to claim 3, wherein the elastomeric sealing protrusion pieces (31, 32) are additionally molded on the sleeve-shaped hinge (30). The sleeve hinge (30) consists of a lower layer and an upper layer, the lower layer being formed as a film hinge, the film hinge being the same plastic as the partial deep dish (10, 20). The storage container (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the upper partial layer is made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The storage container (100) according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the elastomeric sealing projection piece (31, 32) is mounted on the inner edge (13, 23). The sleeve-shaped hinge (30) has a bending line (35), and the bending line (35) is the sleeve-shaped hinge (30) arranged in the center between the inner edges (13, 23). The storage container (100) according to any one of claims 1, 5, or 6, characterized in that it runs off the central axis of the above. The storage container (100) according to claim 7, wherein the wall thickness of the sleeve hinge (30) is reduced along the bending line (35). The substrate is divided into a large partial deep dish and a small partial deep dish (10, 20), and the bending line (35) is described from the inner edge (23) of the small partial deep dish (20). The storage container (100) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it runs near the inner edge (13) of the large partial deep dish (10). A storage container set comprising the storage container (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a lid (40) covering both partial deep dishes (10, 20), wherein the lid is provided. (40) has at least one endless sealing surface (43) on its lower surface, and the sealing surface (43) abuts on the lid receiving edge (12, 22). A storage container set that is possible and has the sealing surface (43) abutting on the sealing projections (31, 32) and having a flat lower surface to form a seal . At least one locking protrusion (11, 21) on the outer circumference of the partial deep dish (10, 20) meshes with the snap side plate (41, 42) articulated to the lid (40). The storage container set according to claim 10, wherein the storage container set is formed for the purpose of.

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