JP7213519B2 - container - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a container in which foodstuffs and other items can be stored and transported in that state. More specifically, the present invention relates to a container that is open on the top side and is constructed so that a plurality of identical containers can be stacked vertically.

As a conventional container of this type, the one described in Patent Document 1 can be cited. FIG. 2 of the same document shows a state in which containers according to the idea of the same document are stacked. According to the figure, it can be seen that in the stacking state of the containers in the document, the bottom portion of the container in the upper stage partially bites into the opening of the container in the lower stage.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-4683

However, the conventional container described above has the following problems. First, the lateral displacement between the upper and lower containers tends to increase in a stacked state. The reason for this is that the dimensions of the container may shrink over time after the container is put into use. In order to cope with this expansion and contraction over time, a clearance is required between the dimensions of the convex portion on the bottom and the dimensions of the opening on the top side. In the container of Patent Literature 1, the clearance is defined as an appropriate ratio to the overall dimensions of the container. Therefore, the absolute value of the clearance must be considerably large. This increases the lateral displacement during stacking and reduces the stability of the stacking state itself.

Secondly, there is the problem of the narrow end-to-end width of the grounding area of the lowest container in the stack. The ground contact area is at most within the range of the convex portion of the bottom portion. This is, of course, because it is smaller than the opening on the top side. Therefore, when containers are stacked and the center of gravity of the entire container is relatively high, resistance to tilting due to lateral force is low. Therefore, when a line is conveyed in a stacked state, there is a possibility that the entire stacked state may overturn due to acceleration and vibration accompanying movement.

Thirdly, there is a problem that deformation resistance against stacking a large number of pieces is weak. Due to the configuration described above, the peripheral portion of the bottom of the lowest container is not grounded and is floating. For this reason, when a large load is applied by stacking multiple layers, that portion may be distorted downward. This strain may not recover even after the load is removed. In that case, if you try to stack the warped container on the upper tier, it will not fit well with the lower tiered container. Further use of such a container as the bottom tier of a stack may lead to failure of the container due to accumulated fatigue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional container described above. In other words, the problem is to provide a container that has excellent stability with little lateral slippage when stacked, and that can cope with individual differences and expansion and contraction over time. More preferably, the object is to provide a container that is also excellent in deformation resistance.

A container according to one aspect of the present invention is a container having a bottom portion and a side wall portion that stands upward from the edge of the bottom portion, and has an opening at the upper end level of the side wall portion. An upward flat flange surface is formed on the upper end, and a convex portion is formed on a part of the flange surface. A concave portion is formed to accommodate the convex portion of the lower container when the container is in the upper state . and the lower end of the hanging wall is positioned higher than the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall .

In the container in the above mode, the same containers can be stacked vertically. In the stacking state, the convex portion on the flange surface of the lower container is accommodated in the concave portion of the upper container. This prevents slippage between the upper and lower containers. Here, for the sizes of the protrusions and recesses, it is possible to set clearances in consideration of individual differences in containers and expansion and contraction over time. Since the protrusions and recesses are part of the overall shape of the container, the absolute value of the clearance may be very small. For this reason, the lateral shift that can occur between the stacked tiers is very small. Therefore, the stability of the stacking state is excellent.

Further, in the container of the above mode, the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall is the lowest point that becomes the grounding point when the container is placed on the floor, and the recess is formed by recessing upward from the level of the lowest point. is desirable. With this configuration, the wide width from the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall to the outer edge on the opposite side becomes the width from end to end of the ground area. Therefore, even if lateral force is applied to the stacked containers, they are unlikely to overturn. In addition, since the portion immediately below the side wall portion does not float except for the concave portion, deformation is unlikely to occur even under the load of multi-tiered stacking.

In a container in which the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall is the lowest point, the depth from the level of the lowest point of the recess is equal to or greater than the protrusion height from the flange surface of the protrusion, and the recess has an upper side It is more preferable that a hanging wall, which hangs down from the container, is formed in a direction parallel to the side wall so as not to interfere with the convex portion of the lower container when the upper container is stacked. Due to this, when the same containers are stacked vertically, the top of the convex portion will reach the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall of the upper container before it contacts the flange surface of the lower container. The hanging wall of the recess does not bottom out.

In a container in which the outer edge of the lower end of the side wall portion is the lowest point, a reinforcing rib that reaches the level of the lowest point is formed at a position inside the inner edge of the recess on the back surface of the bottom portion, hanging from the upper side. It is also preferable that the back surface of the bottom portion, other than the reinforcing ribs, be at a level higher than the lowest level. This reinforcing rib can reduce the reduction in strength of the container due to the provision of the recess.

According to this configuration, a container is provided that has excellent stability with little lateral slippage in a stacked state, and that can cope with individual differences and expansion and contraction over time. In addition, depending on the mode, a container with excellent deformation resistance is provided.

1 is a perspective view showing a container according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1; FIG. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the container of Figure 1 upside down; 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which two containers of FIG. 1 are stacked; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a side view of the stacked state of FIG. 5; 1. It is a perspective view (1) which shows the container of FIG. 1 in the state cut|disconnected. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the stacked containers of FIG. 5 in a cut state; FIG. 2 is a perspective view (part 2) showing the container of FIG. 1 in a cut state;

Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment embodies the present invention as a container 1 shown in FIG. The container 1 in FIG. 1 is a container that looks like a rectangle as a whole when viewed from above. The container 1 has a rectangular bottom portion 2, and short side wall portions 3 and long side wall portions 4 standing upward from the edges thereof. In the container 1, the upper end levels of the short side wall portion 3 and the long side wall portion 4 are openings.

In the container 1 , flange surfaces 5 are formed on the upper ends of the short side wall portions 3 and the long side wall portions 4 . The flange surface 5 is an upward plane. Projections 6 and 7 are formed on a part of the flange surface 5 . In this embodiment, protrusions 6 are formed on part of the short-side sidewalls 3 and protrusions 7 are formed on parts of the long-side sidewalls 4 . A recessed portion 8 is formed at the lower end of the short side wall portion 3, and a recessed portion 9 is formed at the lower end of the long side wall portion 4, respectively. The concave portion 8 is formed directly below the convex portion 6, and the concave portion 9 is formed directly below the convex portion 7, respectively.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by "A" in FIG. In FIG. 2, the projections 7 and the recesses 9 on the long side wall 4 are visible. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the container 1 is turned upside down. Two recesses 8 and two recesses 9 are visible in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by "B" in FIG. Also in FIG. 4, the projections 7 and the recesses 9 on the long-side sidewalls 4 are visible.

The container 1 is capable of stacking the same containers vertically. FIG. 5 shows how two containers 1 are stacked. In FIG. 5, of the two containers 1, the upper one is indicated as "1U" and the lower one as "1L". In the stacking state shown in FIG. 5, the upper container 1U and the lower container 1L are stacked with their long sides and short sides aligned. Of course, the front and back are aligned. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by "C" in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a side view of what is shown in FIG. 5 as seen from the line of sight of arrow D in FIG. In the stacking state, as can be seen from FIG. 6, in the long side wall portion 4, the convex portion 7 of the lower container 1L enters the concave portion 9 of the upper container 1U. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 7, even in the short side wall portion 3, the convex portion 6 of the lower container 1L enters the concave portion 8 of the upper container 1U.

In the stacking state described above, the convex portions 6 and 7 of the lower container 1L are accommodated in the concave portions 8 and 9 of the upper container 1U. As a result, the stacking state is stabilized. The stability of the stacking state means that lateral slippage between the upper and lower containers 1 is less likely to occur. The ease and difficulty of lateral displacement depend on the clearance between the protrusions 6 and 7 and the recesses 8 and 9 . A clearance is a horizontal dimensional difference between the protrusions 6 and 7 and the recesses 8 and 9 . The concave portions 8 and 9 are formed larger than the convex portions 6 and 7 in order to enable the above storage, and the dimensional difference between them is the clearance. The larger the clearance, the more likely it is that lateral slip will occur, and the less stable it will be. On the other hand, if the clearance is small, stacking may not be possible due to individual differences in products and expansion and contraction over time.

In this embodiment, if the maximum horizontal dimension (dimension at the lowest position) of the projections 6 and 7 and the recesses 8 and 9 is set to 30 mm, for example, and the clearance is set to 2% of the maximum dimension, the absolute clearance The value is 0.6 mm. In this case, even if 11 layers are stacked, the total lateral shift amount remains at 6 mm. Therefore, at least about 30 layers can be stacked without any problem.

On the other hand, if the entire bottom surface of the upper container fits into the entire opening of the lower container as in the prior art, the amount of lateral slippage will be greater. For example, assume that the overall dimensions of the container are about 800 mm long and 1200 mm wide. In this case, even if the clearance ratio is the same as above, the absolute values are about 16 mm in length and 24 mm in width. In this case, the total amount of lateral deviation when stacking 11 layers will be 160 mm in length and 240 mm in width at maximum. In comparison with this, in this embodiment, the stability of the stacking state is much higher than that of the conventional similar type. On the other hand, if there is a clearance of 2%, even if individual differences and expansion and contraction over time are taken into consideration, it is rare that stacking is not possible.

The container 1 of this embodiment also has the advantage that the grounding area is wide when the bottom of the stack is reached. This will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the container 1 of this embodiment is cut vertically along the line DD in FIG. The hatched portions in FIG. 8 are cut surfaces that appear after cutting. The arrows DD in FIG. 1 indicate the cutting position with respect to the level of the flange surface 5 in the container 1 (the same applies to the arrows EE).

As can be seen from FIG. 8, in the container 1, the lowermost outer edge 10 of the long side wall portion 4 is at the lowest position. There is no position lower than this outermost end 10 in the entire container 1 . Therefore, the entire area from the left outermost end 10 to the right outermost end 10 in FIG. 8 of the back surface of the bottom portion 2 of the container 1 is the width from end to end of the ground area. Note that the center portion 11 of the back surface of the bottom portion 2 is slightly higher than the outermost edge 10 and is not grounded, but this does not affect the width from end to end of the ground area.

Also, although FIG. 8 shows the direction parallel to the short side wall portion 3, the same can be said for the direction parallel to the long side wall portion 4. As shown in FIG. This means that the width of the grounding area of the container 1 is set as large as the maximum vertical and horizontal dimensions when the container 1 is viewed from directly above. For this reason, the container 1 has excellent stability when subjected to a lateral force in a state in which a large number of containers are stacked. This is because even if a lateral force is applied in the stacking state, the center of gravity of the stack as a whole is unlikely to deviate from the wide range from the left outermost end 10 to the right outermost end 10. . Therefore, the stability is high when carrying out line transportation in a stacking state.

Moreover, the fact that the width from one end to the other of the ground contact area is wide in this way means that the deformation resistance of the container 1 against the load is high. In particular, when stacking a large number of tiers, a considerably large load is applied to the lowest tier container 1L. Most of the load from the upper container 1U is applied to the short side wall portions 3 and the long side wall portions 4 of the lowermost container 1L. However, the lower ends of the short side wall portion 3 and the long side wall portion 4 are grounded up to the outermost end 10 except for the concave portions 8 and 9 as described above. Therefore, there is no place where a large load is applied from above while floating above the floor. Therefore, deformation of the container 1 is unlikely to occur even if the containers are stacked in multiple stages.

FIG. 9 shows a similar cut-away perspective view for the stacked state. FIG. 9 shows the state of cutting at FF in FIG. Arrows FF in FIG. 5 indicate cutting positions with respect to the level of the flange surface 5 in the lower container 1L. It can also be seen from FIG. 9 that the left outermost end 10 and the right outermost end 10 are at the lowest positions in the lower container 1L. It can also be seen from FIG. 9 that both the left outermost end 10 and the right outermost end 10 of the upper container 1U are in contact with the flange surface 5 of the lower container 1L. The wide width from end to end of the contact point between the tiers also contributes to the stability of the stacking state.

The convex portions 6, 7 and the concave portions 8, 9 will be further explained. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the container 1 of this embodiment is cut vertically at EE in FIG. A cut surface (hatched surface) of the container 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the inside of the recess 9 appears in FIG. The inside of the concave portion 9 appears in FIG. 4 as well. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 4, in the concave portion 9, a hanging wall 12 located at the outermost position within the range of the thickness of the long side wall portion 4 hangs down from above and is parallel to the long side wall portion 4. formed in the direction However, the lower end of the hanging wall 12 is located higher than the outermost end 10 described above. Therefore, when viewed from the outside, the recessed portion 9 looks like a shape that is recessed from bottom to top (FIG. 2, etc.). The height of the lower end of the hanging wall 12 from the outermost end 10 , that is, the depth of the recess 9 is greater than or equal to the height of the protrusion 7 protruding from the flange surface 5 . Therefore, during stacking, the top of the projection 7 does not touch the hanging wall 12 of the recess 9 before the outermost end 10 of the upper container 1U contacts the flange surface 5 of the lower container 1L. .

A horizontal ceiling wall 13 is provided inside the recess 9 from the hanging wall 12 . The ceiling wall 13 is positioned higher than the lower end of the hanging wall 12 . For this reason, it is possible to insert a finger or some kind of hook-shaped member from the outside into the inner surface of the hanging wall 12 and hook it. In this state, by pulling the hanging wall 12, the container 1 or the entire stacked state can be moved.

Further inside the ceiling wall 13, an inner edge wall 14 parallel to the hanging wall 12 is formed. The lower end of the inner edge wall 14 is at the same level as the outermost end 10 described above. A reinforcing hanging wall 18 is formed between the hanging wall 12 and the inner edge wall 14 so as to hang down from the upper ceiling wall 13 (FIG. 4). The reinforcing hanging wall 18 is formed in a direction crossing the long side wall portion 4, which is the side wall portion in which the recess 9 is formed. The lower end of the reinforcing depending wall 18 does not protrude below the lower end of the depending wall 12 . Therefore, the reinforcing hanging wall 18 does not interfere with the projecting portion 7 of the container 1L on the lower stage when the container 1L is stacked on the upper stage. Further, the reinforcing hanging wall 18 reinforces the part where the concave portion 9 is formed at the lower end of the long side wall portion 4 . Therefore, in the container 1 of this embodiment, the decrease in strength due to the formation of the concave portion 9 is very small.

Furthermore, as can be seen from FIGS. 10 and 8, reinforcing ribs 15 are provided on the rear surface of the bottom portion 2 inside the inner edge wall 14 at the same height level as the outermost end 10 . However, as shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcement ribs 15 are provided to the same height level as the outermost end 10 only in the vicinity of the range where the recesses 9 are formed. At other locations, the ribs on the back surface of the bottom surface portion 2 are formed only up to a level higher than the outermost edge 10 as described above as the "central portion 11". This means that the edge portion of the bottom portion 2 is reinforced by the reinforcing ribs 15 in the vicinity of the range where the recess 9 is formed. Also in this respect, the container 1 is prevented from being weakened due to the formation of the concave portion 9 . Regarding the hanging wall 12, the ceiling wall 13, the inner edge wall 14, the reinforcing hanging wall 18 and the reinforcing rib 15, not only the concave portion 9 of the long side wall portion 4 but also the concave portion 8 of the short side wall portion 3 have the same structure. It is

As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, both ends of the convex portion 7 in the longitudinal direction (the direction parallel to the long side wall portions 4) are inclined surfaces 16. As shown in FIG. For this reason, the convex portion 7 has a trapezoidal shape that is shorter upward. The concave portion 9 is also formed with an inclined surface 17 and has a trapezoidal shape matching the convex portion 7 . Therefore, when the containers 1 are stacked, the corners of the projections 7 are less likely to get caught in the entrances of the recesses 9, resulting in good workability. In the stacked state, the inclined surface 16 of the lower convex portion 7 and the inclined surface 17 of the upper concave portion 9 come into contact with each other. In this respect as well, lateral displacement between stages is suppressed. The rising angle of the inclined surface 16 from the flange surface 5 is preferably within the range of 60° to 85°. As for the inclined surfaces 16 and 17, not only the convex portion 7 and the concave portion 9 but also the convex portion 6 and the concave portion 8 can be said in the same manner.

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the upper ends of the short side wall portion 3 and the long side wall portion 4 of the container 1 are formed as the flange surface 5, and the projections 6 and 7 are provided on a portion of the flange surface 5. As shown in FIG. Concave portions 8 and 9 are provided immediately below the convex portions 6 and 7 . As a result, the convex portions 6 and 7 of the lower stage are accommodated in the concave portions 8 and 9 of the upper stage during stacking. Therefore, even if the sizes of the protrusions 6 and 7 and the recesses 8 and 9 are set with a clearance that takes into consideration individual differences and expansion and contraction over time, the amount of lateral displacement during stacking is minimized. In this way, the container 1 is realized which has little lateral slippage when stacked and is excellent in stability, and which can cope with individual differences and expansion and contraction over time. Moreover, the deformation resistance of the container 1 is also improved.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the overall shape of the container 1 viewed from above is not limited to a rectangle, but may be a square or other shape. Further, the number of protrusions and recesses in the short side wall portion 3 and the long side wall portion 4 is not limited to one, and may be plural. In addition, the presence or absence of the protrusions and recesses and the positions of the protrusions and recesses do not necessarily have to match between the opposite sides. A configuration in which the projections 7 and the recesses 9 are formed on the long side wall portions 4 but the projections 6 and the recesses 8 are not formed on the short side wall portions 3 may be employed. The opposite is also possible. Moreover, the position of the hanging wall 12 does not necessarily have to be the outermost position within the range of the thickness of the long side wall portion 4 . As long as it is within the range where the convex portion 7 is formed, it may be positioned slightly inward from the outermost position.

1 Container 2 Bottom 3 Short side wall 4 Long side wall 5 Flange surface 6 Projection 7 Projection 8 Recess 9 Recess 10 Outermost end 11 Central portion 12 Hanging wall 15 Reinforcing rib

Claims (4)

A container having a bottom portion and a side wall portion rising upward from the edge of the bottom portion, wherein an upper end level of the side wall portion serves as an opening,
An upward flat flange surface is formed on the upper end of the side wall portion, and a convex portion is formed on a part of the flange surface,
A concave portion is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion at a position immediately below the convex portion so that the convex portion of the lower container can be accommodated when the same containers are stacked on the upper tier ,
The concave portion is provided with a hanging wall located at the outermost position within the range of thickness of the side wall portion and hanging from the upper side and formed in a direction parallel to the side wall portion,
A container , wherein the lower end of said hanging wall is positioned higher than the outer edge of the lower end of said side wall . A container according to claim 1, comprising:
The outer edge of the lower end of the side wall is the lowest point that becomes a grounding point when the container is placed on the floor,
A container, wherein the recess is recessed upward from the lowest level. A container according to claim 2, comprising:
The depth from the lowest level of the recess is greater than or equal to the height of the projection from the flange surface,
A hanging wall that hangs down from the upper side and does not interfere with the convex portion of the container on the lower stage when the container is stacked on the upper stage is formed in the recess in a direction parallel to the side wall. A container characterized by A container according to claim 2 or claim 3,
A reinforcing rib extending to the level of the lowest point is formed at a position inside the inner edge of the recess on the back surface of the bottom surface, and is suspended from above,
A container according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the rear surface of the bottom portion other than the reinforcing rib is at a level higher than the lowest portion.

Images