JP7497039B2 - Food Containers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food container made of synthetic resin for storing food.

Traditionally, it has been common for products to be sold with food placed in plastic food containers, and these products may come with eating utensils such as spoons and forks so that the consumer can eat the food immediately after purchase.

However, there is a risk that the unit price of products like those mentioned above will increase if eating and drinking utensils are included.

To address this issue, it may be possible to reduce manufacturing costs by manufacturing food containers and eating and drinking utensils at the same time.

For example, the food container in Patent Document 1 comprises a container that opens upward and can hold food, and a lid that covers the opening of the container, and detachable eating and drinking utensils are integrally formed on the bottom surface of the container.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-180044

However, if the eating and drinking utensils described above have a low rigidity structure, they can be difficult to use as the eater cannot easily remove food from the container while eating or drinking.

To address this issue, when manufacturing a food container, it is possible to increase the thickness of the entire food container to increase the rigidity of the eating utensil area, or to increase the thickness of only the eating utensil area to increase the rigidity of the eating utensil.

However, in the former case, the thickness of the separation area between the container and the eating utensils also increases, making it difficult to separate the eating utensils from the container. In the latter case, although it can be molded by injection molding, the manufacturing costs are relatively high.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a low-cost food container that allows easy separation of eating utensils from the food container and provides a comfortable feel for the eating utensils.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention is characterized by the fact that eating and drinking utensils can be folded for use.

Specifically, the target is a flexible food container that is integrally molded from synthetic resin and is equipped with a container capable of storing food, and eating utensils that are detachable from the container and have a food removal section on one longitudinal side for removing food stored in the container, while a gripping section for a person to hold is provided from the middle of the container to the other longitudinal end, and the following measures have been taken.

In other words, in the first invention, at least the grip portion of the eating utensil has a foldable node extending in a straight line, and is configured to be able to be folded starting from the node to overlap a first region on one side formed by dividing the eating utensil into two regions on the other side , and a recess is provided in the first region, and a convex portion is provided in the second region which fits into the recess by the folding action starting from the node .

A second invention is characterized in that in the first invention, the nodes, recesses and protrusions are shaped to extend along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil.

In a third invention , a flexible food container is provided which is integrally molded from synthetic resin and comprises a container capable of containing food, a food removal section on one longitudinal side which can be separated from the container and used to remove food contained in the container, and eating utensils which have a handle section extending from the middle of the container to the other longitudinal end for being held by the eater, wherein at least the handle section of the eating utensil has a foldable node which extends in a straight line and is configured so that a first region on one side can be superimposed on a second region on the other side which is defined by the node by folding the food removal section, and the food removal section has a tapered tip.

A fourth invention is any one of the first to third inventions, characterized in that the container and the eating utensils are molded from polypropylene.

In the first invention, when the eating utensils separated from the container are folded starting from the joints, the thickness of the eating utensils increases and their rigidity increases. This makes it easier for the eater to grasp the gripping portion of the eating utensils and remove food from the container with the food removal portion, improving the usability of the eating utensils. In addition, since there is no need to increase the overall thickness of the food container when molding the food container to improve the usability of the eating utensils, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the separation portion between the container and the eating utensils from increasing, making it difficult to separate the eating utensils from the container. Furthermore, there is no need to increase the thickness only in the area of the eating utensils when molding the food container in order to increase the rigidity of the eating utensils, so there is no need to mold the food container using a molding method such as injection molding, which has relatively high manufacturing costs, and a food container can be made at low manufacturing costs.

In the first invention, when the recess of the first region and the protrusion of the second region fit together, the eating utensil is maintained in a folded shape. This prevents the first region and the second region from suddenly separating when the eating utensil is used by a diner, which reduces the rigidity of the eating utensil, and allows the eating utensil to always be comfortable to use. In addition, the recess and the protrusion fit together when the eating utensil is folded around the joint, which simplifies the work that the diner must do before eating, and minimizes the time it takes for the diner to eat food.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the shape of the eating utensil in the folded state is elongated, making it easier for the user to operate the eating utensil. Also, the area where the recess and protrusion fit together is longer in the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil, making the eating utensil more rigid and comfortable to use.

In the third invention, the eater can pierce the food contained in the container with the food removal part and eat the food, making the eating utensil easy to use when eating foods that can be pierced.

In the fourth invention, less force is required to separate the eating utensils from the container than when the utensils are molded from polystyrene, so that the eater can easily separate the eating utensils from the container.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of the food container shown in cross section along line AA in FIG. 1. 2 is a diagram showing the state in which the eating utensils are separated from the container in FIG. 1 . 4 is a cross-sectional view of the eating utensils taken along line CC of FIG. 3, illustrating how the eating utensils are folded. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the eating utensils of FIG. 3 in a folded state. FIG. 6 is a view taken along the arrow D in FIG. 5 .

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description of the preferred embodiment is essentially merely exemplary.

Figure 1 shows a food container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The food container 1 is obtained by integrally forming a resin sheet made of polypropylene by vacuum forming, and is intended to contain food S1 when distributing the food S1.

The food container 1 has a substantially uniform thickness and is flexible throughout, and includes a container 2 capable of containing food S1 and eating utensils 3 that can be separated from the container 2.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the container 2 has a generally rectangular shape in plan view with four straight sides at the outer periphery, and includes a shallow, roughly bowl-shaped container section 21 with an opening 22 at the top, and a flange-shaped section 23 that extends outward from the periphery of the opening 22.

The four corners of the flange 23 are provided with anti-slip sections 25 that are roughly triangular or crescent-shaped in plan view.

The adhesion prevention portion 25 has a shape in which a concave portion that opens upward is formed on the upper surface side and a convex portion that corresponds to the concave portion is formed on the lower surface side, and is designed to prevent the food containers 1 from coming into close contact with each other and becoming difficult to separate when multiple food containers 1 are stacked, for example, during storage or transportation.

A ring-shaped wall 24 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the flange 23, and extends along the outer peripheral edge of the flange 23. The ring-shaped wall 24 protrudes downward from the outer peripheral edge of the flange 23 and has an L-shaped cross section that extends outward from the protruding end.

As shown in FIG. 1, the eating utensil 3 is provided continuously on the opposite side of the flange portion 23 of the annular wall portion 24, and is roughly strip-shaped and extends along one side of the outer periphery of the annular wall portion 24.

A fragile section 4 consisting of a perforated cut is formed linearly at the connecting portion between the eating utensil 3 and the annular wall section 24, and the eater can grasp the eating utensil 3 and pull it away from the container 2 to break the fragile section 4 and separate the eating utensil 3 from the container 2.

At one end of the eating utensil 3 in the longitudinal direction, there is a food removal section 34 that is tapered and has a mountain-like shape in plan view, with the width gradually narrowing toward the end, while the area extending from the middle of the longitudinal direction to the other end forms a gripping section 35 that can be held by the eater.

A joint 31 is provided in the widthwise center of the eating utensil 3, and extends linearly over the entire length of the eating utensil 3.

The eating utensils 3 have symmetrical shapes with respect to the joint 31, and the joint 31 defines one widthwise side of the eating utensils 3 (the side closer to the container 2) and the other widthwise side (the side farther from the container 2) into a first region 32 and a second region 33.

The area of the first region 32 corresponding to the food removal section 34 is formed with a first tapered region 32a that is approximately an isosceles triangle in plan view, while the area of the second region 33 corresponding to the food removal section 34 is formed with a second tapered region 33a that is approximately an isosceles triangle in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the joints 31 have a generally W-shaped cross section that opens upward and bends alternately in the width direction of the eating utensils 3. Five bend lines 31a to 31e are formed in sequence from the container 2 side along the length of the eating utensils 3, allowing them to be bent in the thickness direction.

In addition, on both longitudinal sides of the joint 31, there are narrower sections 31f and 31g whose cross-sectional shape gradually becomes smaller toward the ends.

In the area of the first region 32 corresponding to the gripping portion 35, a first recess 36a having a U-shaped cross section that opens upward is formed on the upper surface side, and a first protrusion 36b that protrudes downward and corresponds to the first recess 36a is formed on the lower surface side.

The first recess 36a and the first protrusion 36b are shaped to extend linearly along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil 3, and the width dimension of the first recess 36a is constant in the depth direction.

On the other hand, in the area of the second region 33 corresponding to the gripping portion 35, a second recess 37a having a U-shaped cross section that opens downward is formed on the underside, and a second protrusion 37b that protrudes upward and corresponds to the second recess 37a is formed on the upper side, and the second recess 37a and the second protrusion 37b are shaped to extend linearly along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil 3.

The width of the second protrusion 37b gradually increases toward the protruding end, and the width of the protruding end is set slightly larger than the width of the first recess 36a. The dimension of the second protrusion 37b in the protruding direction is also slightly smaller than the depth of the first recess 36a.

The eating utensil 3 can be folded at the joint 31 as shown in FIG. 4 to overlap the first region 32 with the second region 33.

When the eating utensil 3 is folded starting from the joint portion 31, the second convex portion 37b fits into the first concave portion 36a, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

In other words, the second protrusion 37b is configured to fit into the first recess 36a by folding the eating utensil 3 starting from the joint 31, and the eater can grasp the gripping portion 35 of the eating utensil 3 assembled by fitting the second protrusion 37b into the first recess 36a, and can insert the food removal portion 34 into the food S1 contained in the container 2 to remove the food S1 from the container 2.

Next, we will describe in detail what happens when a person eats the food S1 contained in the container 2 of the food container 1.

First, the eater picks up the food container 1 containing the food S1, and as shown in Figure 3, grasps the container 2 and the eating utensils 3, and applies force to the eating utensils 3 in a direction that pulls them away from the container 2, or twists the container 2 and the eating utensils 3 relative to each other to break the fragile part 4 and separate the eating utensils 3 from the container 2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the eater grasps the first and second regions 32 and 33 of the eating utensil 3, respectively, and folds the eating utensil 3 starting from the joint 31 to overlap the second region 33 with the first region 32. At this time, the eater pushes the second convex portion 37b of the second region 33 into the first concave portion 36a of the first region 32 with moderate force, so that the second convex portion 37b fits into the first concave portion 36a. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the eating utensil 3 takes on a shape resembling a long and thin fork or skewer, the thickness of the grip portion 35 doubles, and the cross-section of the eating utensil 3 is formed into a hat shape by the first concave portion 36a and the second convex portion 37b, and the shape is maintained. In addition, the narrowed portions 31f and 31g are folded back to form a tapered shape with a narrow tip.

In this way, when the eating utensils 3 of the food container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention are separated from the container 2 and folded at the joints 31, the thickness of the eating utensils 3 increases and the rigidity of the eating utensils 3 increases. This makes it easier for a person to grasp the gripping portion 35 of the eating utensils 3 and remove the food S1 from the container 2 using the food removal portion 34, improving the usability of the eating utensils 3.

In addition, in order to improve the usability of the eating utensils 3, there is no need to increase the overall thickness of the food container 1 when molding the food container 1, so it is possible to prevent the thickness of the separation area between the container 2 and the eating utensils 3 from increasing, which would make it difficult to separate the eating utensils 3 from the container 2. Furthermore, there is no need to increase the thickness of only the area of the eating utensils 3 when molding the food container 1 in order to increase the rigidity of the eating utensils 3, so there is no need to mold the food container 1 using a molding method such as injection molding, which has relatively high manufacturing costs, and a food container 1 can be produced at reduced manufacturing costs.

When the first recess 36a of the first region 32 of the eating utensil 3 and the second protrusion 37b of the second region 33 of the eating utensil 3 fit together, the eating utensil 3 is maintained in a folded shape. This prevents the first region 32 and the second region 33 from suddenly separating when the eater uses the eating utensil 3, which would reduce the rigidity of the eating utensil 3, and ensures that the eating utensil 3 is always kept in a comfortable state.

In addition, because the width dimension of the protruding end of the second convex portion 37b is set slightly larger than the width dimension of the first concave portion 36a, a large frictional force is generated between the first concave portion 36a and the second convex portion 37b, and the fit between the first concave portion 36a and the second convex portion 37b can be firmly maintained.

In addition, when the eating utensil 3 is folded at the joint 31, the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b fit together, simplifying the work that the eater must do before eating and minimizing the time it takes for the eater to eat the food S1.

In addition, because the joints 31 on the eating utensils 3 extend along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensils 3, the width of the eating utensils 3 in the folded state is elongated and half the width before folding, making it easier for the user to remove the food S1 from the container 2. Furthermore, because the area with a large section modulus and an approximately hat-shaped cross section where the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b fit together is set long along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensils 3, the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b also function as so-called ribs, further increasing the rigidity of the entire eating utensils 3 and improving the feel of use.

In addition, because the food removal part 34 of the eating utensil 3 has a tapered tip, the eater can pierce the food S1 contained in the container 2 with the food removal part 34 and eat it, which is convenient when eating pierceable food S1.

In addition, the joints 31 of the eating utensils 3 have multiple bend lines 31a-31e, so that the bending stress generated when the eating utensils 3 are folded is distributed to each of the bend lines 31a-31e, preventing breakage at the joints 31 of the eating utensils 3.

In addition, because the food container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is made of polypropylene, less force is required to separate the eating utensils 3 from the container 2 compared to when the food container 1 is made of polystyrene, allowing the eater to easily separate the eating utensils 3 from the container 2.

In addition, the outer peripheral edge of the container 2 has a continuous, uninterrupted annular wall 24 connected to the eating utensils 3 via the fragile portion 4, forming a roughly L-shaped cross section with a large section modulus. This gives the annular wall 24 a certain degree of rigidity, making it difficult for the container 2 to deform due to the annular wall 24 when the eating utensils 3 are pulled away from the container 2. This makes it easier for stress to concentrate at the fragile portion 4, allowing the eater to easily separate the eating utensils 3 from the container 2.

In this embodiment, the folded shape of the eating utensil 3 is maintained by the engagement between the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b. However, in order to maintain the folded shape, for example, a structure may be used in which an engagement claw is engaged with an engagement hole, or other structures may be applied to maintain the folded state.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b are configured to extend along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil 3, but, for example, the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b may be provided at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction, or the first recess 36a and the second protrusion 37b may be provided in a limited, narrow range.

In addition, in this embodiment, the node portion 31 has five bend lines 31a to 31e, but the number of bend lines in the node portion 31 may be four or less or six or more.

In addition, in this embodiment, the joint portion 31 extends along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil 3, but it may also be configured to extend in the width direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, the joints 31 are provided over the entire longitudinal area of the eating utensil 3, but for example, the joints 31 may be provided only in the area of the gripping portion 35, so that the food removal portion 34 does not fold, i.e., has a spoon-like shape.

Furthermore, the food removal section 34 may be provided on both sides of the eating utensil 3 in the longitudinal direction, and the specific shape may be changed as appropriate depending on the application.

The present invention can be applied to any food container made of synthetic resin that holds food.

Reference Signs List 1 Food container 2 Container 3 Eating utensils 31 Joint portion 32 First region 33 Second region 34 Food removal portion 35 Grip portion 36a First recess 37b Second protrusion

Claims (4)

A flexible food container is provided which is integrally molded from a synthetic resin and includes a container capable of containing food, and eating utensils which are detachable from the container and have a food removal section on one side in the longitudinal direction for removing food contained in the container, and a gripping section for a person to hold is provided from the middle of the container to the other end in the longitudinal direction,
At least the grip portion of the eating tool has a linearly extending foldable joint portion, and is configured to be folded around the joint portion so that a first region on one side of the eating tool can be overlapped with a second region on the other side of the eating tool, the first region being defined by the joint portion .
The first region is provided with a recess,
A food container characterized in that the second region is provided with a convex portion that fits into the concave portion by a folding action starting from the node portion . The food container according to claim 1 ,
A food container characterized in that the nodes, recesses and protrusions are shaped to extend along the longitudinal direction of the eating utensil. A flexible food container is provided which is integrally molded from a synthetic resin and includes a container capable of containing food, and eating utensils which are detachable from the container and have a food removal section on one side in the longitudinal direction for removing food contained in the container, and a gripping section for a person to hold is provided from the middle of the container to the other end in the longitudinal direction,
At least the grip portion of the eating tool has a linearly extending foldable joint portion, and is configured to be folded around the joint portion so that a first region on one side of the eating tool can be overlapped with a second region on the other side of the eating tool, the first region being defined by the joint portion.
A food container, wherein the food removal portion has a tapered tip. The food container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A food container, wherein the container body and the eating and drinking utensils are molded from polypropylene.