JP7660880B2 - SN containers and container sets - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to SN containers and container sets.

Conventionally, SN containers are known that can be switched between a nesting state and a stacking state by stacking them with or without rotating them 180 degrees (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-296830 A (see Figs. 6 and 7)

There is a need to make it easier to distinguish the conventional SN containers mentioned above from other types of SN containers that can be stacked above and below them.

The first form of the invention made to achieve the above-mentioned object is an SN container which is box-shaped with an open top, has a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, and which can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container, and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut the upper surface of the side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.The SN container is provided with an interference portion which prevents the SN container from being placed in a nested state with another type of SN container which can be stacked above and below it.

A second form of the invention is an SN container as described in the first form , which is provided with a first interference portion that protrudes from the outer surface and interferes with the upper surface of the different type of SN container when the SN container is placed on top of the different type of SN container.

A third form of the invention is an SN container as described in the second form, wherein the leg has a side wall that bulges outward and narrows downward, the inside of the leg forms the vertical groove, and the leg has a wide portion that is stepped upward from a midpoint in the vertical direction, and the step portion at the lower end of the wide portion on the outer surface of the SN container forms the first interference portion.

A fourth form of the invention is an SN container described in any one of the first to third forms , which is provided with a second interference portion that protrudes from the inner surface and interferes with the bottom wall of the different type of SN container when the different type of SN container is placed on top of the SN container.

A fifth form of the invention is an SN container as described in the fourth form, in which a portion of the side wall of the SN container bulges inward and widens downward, and is provided with a grooved wall portion that opens into the bottom wall of the SN container, the upper end of the grooved wall portion being the second interference portion, and the grooved wall portions are each arranged at the same position in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction on a pair of inner surfaces of the SN container that face each other in a first horizontal direction .

A sixth form of the invention is an SN container described in any one of the first to fifth forms, wherein the interference portion interferes with the top surface or bottom wall of the other type of SN container at a certain vertical or horizontal position in the planar shape of the SN container, thereby tilting the SN container arranged above or the other type of SN container.

A seventh form of the invention is a container set including two types of SN containers, first and second, each having a box shape with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, wherein the SN containers of the same type are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or without rotating them 180 degrees, so that the container set can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of the SN container on the upper tier are received in the vertical grooves of the SN container on the lower tier and a stacking state in which the legs of the SN container on the upper tier abut against the upper surface of the side wall of the SN container on the lower tier, wherein the first and second SN containers can be stacked in a stacked state with respect to each other, and the container set is restricted from being in a nested state at least either when the second SN container is placed on top of the first SN container or when the first SN container is placed on top of the second SN container.

When an SN container of the first type is attempted to be nested with a different type of SN container that can be stacked above and below it, an interference part prevents the container from being nested, making it easier to recognize that the SN container is mixed with a different type of SN container and to easily distinguish it from the different types of SN containers.

When an SN container of the second type is placed on top of an SN container of a different type, a first interference portion protruding from the outer surface of the SN container interferes with the top surface of the SN container of the different type, preventing the two from being nested.

The first interference portion may be provided separately from the leg portion, or, like the third form of SN container, the leg portion may have a wide portion that is stepped upward from a midpoint in the vertical direction, and may be composed of a step portion at the lower end of the wide portion.

When a different type of SN container is placed on top of the fourth type of SN container, the second interference portion protruding from the inner surface interferes with the bottom wall of the different type of SN container, preventing them from being nested.

In the fifth form of SN container, a grooved wall portion having a second interference portion is disposed on each of a pair of side walls, making it easy to recognize from either side that it is an SN container and not a different type of SN container that does not have a grooved wall portion.

In the sixth form of SN container, when an SN container is nested with a different type of SN container, the upper container becomes tilted, making it easier to recognize that the SN container is mixed with a different type of SN container and easier to distinguish between different types of SN containers.

In the seventh type of container set, the first and second SN containers, which can be stacked on top of each other, are restricted from being nested, making it easier to recognize that the first and second SN containers are mixed together and to easily separate the first and second SN containers.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container set according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first container; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second container 1 is a bottom perspective view of a first container; 1 is a bottom perspective view of a second container; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which the first containers are stacked in a stacking state; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the second containers stacked in a stacked state; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which the first containers are stacked in a nested state; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the second container stacked in a nested state; FIG. 1 is a front view of a state in which a second container is placed on top of a first container FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a second container is placed on top of a first container. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a first container is placed on top of a second container; FIG. 1 is a front view of a state in which a first container is placed on top of a second container

Below, with reference to Figs. 1 to 13, a first container 10 (corresponding to the "SN container" in the claims) of this embodiment and a container set 100 including the first container 10 and a second container 40 (corresponding to the "different type of SN container" in the claims) will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the first container 10 and the second container 40 have substantially the same planar size and height, and can be used in combination.

2 and 3, the first container 10 and the second container 40 are both box-shaped with rectangular top openings 10K and 40K, with a pair of long side walls 12 and 42 rising from the long sides of the rectangular bottom walls 11 and 41, and a pair of short side walls 13 and 43 rising from the short sides. These side walls 12, 13, 42 and 43 are inclined so that the openings are enlarged toward the upper side. The connecting portions between adjacent side walls 12, 13, 42 and 43 are rounded. In this embodiment, the short side direction of the first container 10 and the second container 40 (i.e., the direction in which the pair of long side walls 12 and 42 face each other) is appropriately referred to as the first horizontal direction H1, and the long side direction (i.e., the direction in which the pair of short side walls 13 and 43 face each other) is appropriately referred to as the second horizontal direction H2.

The side walls 12, 13, 42, 43 of the first container 10 and the second container 40 each have an upper flange wall 14, 44 that projects laterally from the upper end, and a hanging wall 15, 45 that hangs down from the outer periphery of the upper flange wall 14, 44. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the side walls 12, 13, 42, 43 and the hanging walls 15, 45 are connected by a plurality of vertical ribs 16, 46. Some of the vertical ribs 16, 46 are abutment ribs 16A, 46A that are arranged at both ends of each side wall 12, 13, 42, 43 and have lower ends that are located below the lower ends of the hanging walls 15, 45.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a pair of legs 20, 50 are formed on each of the short side walls 13, 43 of the first container 10 and the second container 40. The legs 20, 50 are formed by partially bulging outward from the short side walls 13, 43, and have a vertically extending rectangular groove structure with a gradually narrowing width toward the bottom. The lower ends of the legs 20, 50 are flush with the lower surfaces of the bottom walls 11, 41 (see Figures 4 and 5). The insides of the legs 20, 50 form vertical grooves 21, 51. The upper ends of the vertical grooves 21, 51 are open to the upper surfaces of the upper flange walls 14, 44, and the lower ends of the vertical grooves 21, 51 are closed by end walls 21A, 51A provided slightly above the bottom walls 11, 41.

In addition, each short side wall 13, 43 has a stacking abutment 25, 55 provided horizontally adjacent to each vertical groove 21, 51. The stacking abutment 25, 55 is formed by recessing a part of the inner edge of the upper end flange wall 14, 44 in a stepped shape.

In each of the short side walls 13, 43 of the first container 10 and the second container 40, the arrangement of the stacking abutments 25, 55, the legs 20, 50, and the vertical grooves 21, 51 differs between one and the other of the pair of short side walls 13, 43. That is, in the first short side wall 13A, 43A, which is one of the pair of short side walls 13, 43, the legs 20, 50 and the vertical grooves 21, 51 are arranged at both ends in the horizontal direction, and the stacking abutments 25, 55 are arranged slightly closer to the center than the vertical grooves 21, 51. In contrast, in the second short side wall 13B, 43B, which is the other of the pair of short side walls 13, 43, the stacking abutments 25, 55 are arranged at both ends in the horizontal direction, and the legs 20, 50 and the vertical grooves 21, 51 are arranged slightly closer to the center than the stacking abutments 25, 55.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when stacking containers 10, 40 of the same type, if the upper container 10, 40 is rotated 180 degrees relative to the lower container 10, 40 and stacked, the lower ends of the legs 20, 50 of the upper container 10, 40 come into contact with the stacking abutment parts 25, 55 of the lower container 10, 40, and the lower ends of the upper container 10, 40 fit into the top openings 10K, 40K of the lower container 10, 40. As a result, the containers 10, 40 are in a stacked state in which storage space is secured inside the lower container 10, 40.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, when stacking containers 10, 40 of the same type, if the upper container 10, 40 is stacked in the same orientation as the lower container 10, 40, the legs 20, 50 of the upper container 10, 40 are inserted into the vertical grooves 21, 51 of the lower container 10, 40, resulting in a nested state in which the containers 10, 40 fit together more closely. In this nested state, the abutment ribs 16A, 46A of the upper container 10, 40 abut against the upper flange walls 14, 44 of the lower container 10, 40, positioning the containers 10, 40 in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the leg 20 of the second short side wall 13B of the first container 10 is formed with a wide portion 20H that is stepped upward from a midpoint in the vertical direction. The wide portion 20H protrudes toward the center (i.e., the opposite side to the stacking abutment portion 25) relative to the lower portion of the leg 20, and has a stepped portion 20D (corresponding to the "first interference portion" in the claims) at its lower end. The stepped portion 20D is inclined upward toward the center. The inside of the wide portion 20H of the leg 20 forms the wide portion 21H of the vertical groove 21.

In addition, the first container 10 has a groove-shaped wall portion 30 formed on each of a pair of long side walls 12. The groove-shaped wall portion 30 is formed by bulging inward at the center of the long side wall 12 in the second horizontal direction H2, forming a rectangular groove extending in the vertical direction, and gradually widening in width as it extends downward. The groove-shaped wall portion 30 opens to the bottom wall 11, and its upper end is closed by an upper end closing wall 30A (corresponding to the "second interference portion" in the claims). The upper end closing wall 30A is located below the stacking abutment portion 25.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the first containers 10 are stacked in a nested state, the wide portion 20H of the leg portion 20 of the upper first container 10 is received in the wide portion 21H of the vertical groove 21 of the lower first container 10, and the grooved wall portion 30 of the lower first container 10 is received inside the grooved wall portion 30 of the upper first container 10. As shown in FIG. 6, when the first containers 10 are stacked in a stacked state, the step portion 20D of the leg portion 20 of the upper first container 10 is located above the upper end flange wall 14 of the lower first container 10, and the upper end closing wall 30A of the lower first container 10 is located below the bottom wall 11 of the upper first container 10. These wide portions 20H, 21H and the grooved wall portion 30 are not provided in the second container 40.

2 and 3, the arrangements of the stacking abutment portions 25, 55, the legs 20, 50, and the vertical grooves 21, 51 are substantially the same in the first container 10 and the second container 40. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, when the second container 40 is rotated 180 degrees and stacked on top of the first container 10 (so that the first short side wall 43A of the second container 40 is placed on top of the second short side wall 13B of the first container 10), the lower ends of the legs 50 of the second container 40 abut against the stacking abutment portions 25 of the first container 10, resulting in a stacked state. Similarly, when the first container 10 is rotated 180 degrees and stacked on top of the second container 40 (so that the second short side wall 13B of the first container 10 is placed on top of the first short side wall 43A of the second container 40), the lower end of the leg 20 of the first container 10 abuts against the stacking abutment portion 55 of the second container 40, resulting in a stacked state.

However, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, when attempting to stack the second container 40 on top of the first container 10 in the same orientation (so that the first short side wall 43A of the second container 40 is placed on top of the first short side wall 13A of the first container 10), the bottom wall 41 of the second container 40 abuts against the upper end closing wall 30A of the grooved wall portion 30 of the first container 10. This prevents the second container 40 from fitting more deeply into the first container 10, and restricts them from becoming nested. At this time, the center of the second container 40 in the second horizontal direction H2 abuts against the upper end closing wall 30A of the first container 10, and one end of the second container 40 enters the first container 10 and becomes tilted.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, when the first container 10 is stacked on the second container 40 in the same orientation (so that the first short side wall 13A of the first container 10 is placed on the first short side wall 43A of the second container 40), the step portion 20D of the first container 10 abuts against the upper flange wall 44 of the second short side wall 43B of the second container 40. This prevents the first container 10 from fitting more deeply into the second container 40, and restricts the first container 10 from becoming in a nested state. At this time, one end of the first container 10 in the second horizontal direction H2 abuts against the upper flange wall 44 of the second container 40, and the other end enters the first container 10, resulting in a tilted state.

In other words, the first container 10 and the second container 40 of the container set 100 can be stacked on top of each other, but the step portion 20D and the upper end closing wall 30A of the first container 10 interfere with the second container 40, restricting stacking in a nested state.

The above is the configuration of the container set 100 of this embodiment. Next, the effects of the container set 100 will be described. The container set 100 of this embodiment is used, for example, as follows. That is, different contents are stored separately in the first container 10 and the second container 40, and then these are mixed and stacked in a stacked state for storage or transportation. Then, after the contents are removed, the first container 10 and the second container 40 are stacked in a nested state for storage or transportation.

In this embodiment, when an attempt is made to stack the first container 10 on top of the second container 40 in a nested state, the step portion 20D of the first container 10 interferes with the upper end flange wall 44 of the second container 40, preventing the nested state from being formed. Conversely, when an attempt is made to stack the second container 40 on top of the first container 10 in a nested state, the bottom wall 41 of the second container 40 interferes with the upper end closing wall 30A of the first container 10, preventing the nested state from being formed.

This makes it easier to recognize that the first container 10 and the second container 40 are mixed together, and makes it easier to separate the first container 10 and the second container 40. Furthermore, because the first container 10 and the second container 40 are separated in advance, work efficiency is improved when storing the contents in the first container 10 and the second container 40 again.

In addition, if the first container 10 and the second container 40 are stacked in a nested state, the upper container 10, 40 will be tilted, making it easier to recognize that the nesting state is restricted, that is, that the first container 10 and the second container 40 are mixed together, and making it easier to separate the first container 10 and the second container 40.

Furthermore, grooved wall portions 30 that restrict the second container 40 from being stacked in a nested state on top of the first container 10 are arranged on both of the pair of long side walls 12 of the first container 10, so that the first container 10 can be recognized as such when viewed from either side of the pair of long side walls 12, making it easy to distinguish between the first container 10 and the second container 40 at a glance.

In addition, since the second container 40 has a simple structure including legs 50 and vertical grooves 51, and the first container 10 has a stepped portion 20D and an upper end closing wall 30A, the container set 100 of this embodiment can be made by manufacturing a first container 10 including the stepped portion 20D and the upper end closing wall 30A to match the shape of an existing SN container (second container 40). Also, the first container 10 can be manufactured by attaching parts for the wide portions 20H, 21H and the grooved wall portion 30 to the manufacturing mold for the second container 40, making it possible to reuse part of the manufacturing mold.

In addition, the upper end closing wall 30A is located below the stacking abutment portion 25, so that when the second container 40 is stacked on top of the first container 10, the bottom wall 41 of the second container 40 does not abut against the upper end closing wall 30A of the first container 10. If the bottom wall 41 of the second container 40 were to abut against the upper end closing wall 30A of the first container 10, it is conceivable that the second container 40 would rattle when the bottom wall 41 of the second container 40 is distorted downward due to the weight of the contents, etc., but this embodiment prevents such a situation.

[Other embodiments]
(1) The leg 20 may not be provided with a wide portion 20H, and instead, an auxiliary leg portion and an auxiliary groove portion extending from the upper end flange wall 14 to the middle portion in the vertical direction may be formed protruding from the outer surface of the side walls 12, 13, separate from the leg 20 and the vertical groove 21.

(2) The wide portion 20H (and the step portion 20D) may be provided on both the leg portion 20 of the first short side wall 13A and the leg portion 20 of the second short side wall 13B (the first container 10 placed on the second container 40 may be supported horizontally and the fitting depth may be smaller than in the normal nesting state). Also, the wide portion 20H may protrude to the side rather than toward the center from the lower portion of the leg portion 20.

(3) In the above embodiment, the grooved wall portion 30 is disposed in the center of the long side wall 12 of the first container 10, but it may be disposed in another position (for example, a lateral end). Also, a plurality of grooved wall portions 30 may be disposed on one long side wall 12 (the second container 40 disposed on the first container 10 may be supported horizontally, and the fitting depth may be smaller than that in the normal nesting state). Also, the grooved wall portion 30 may be disposed on only one of a pair of long side walls 12. Also, the grooved wall portion 30 may be provided on the short side wall 13.

(4) A configuration may be adopted in which only one of stacking the second container 40 in a nested state on top of the first container 10 and stacking the first container 10 in a nested state on top of the second container 40 is restricted.

Note that although specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken separately.

[Additional Notes]
This specification includes the following features:

[Feature 1]
An SN container is an open-top container having a plurality of legs on an outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on an inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against an upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
An auxiliary protrusion that protrudes inward or outward from the side wall and does not interfere with the upper and lower SN containers in the stacked state;
An SN container having an auxiliary receiving portion that recesses a side wall inward or outward and receives the auxiliary protrusion of another SN container in the nested state.

[Feature 2]
An SN container as described in feature 1, in which when an SN container is placed on top of another type of SN container that is the same size as the SN container and can be stacked above and below the SN container, with the legs of the SN container and the vertical grooves of the other type of SN container aligned in the vertical direction, a first auxiliary protrusion that interferes with the upper surface of the side wall of the other type of SN container is formed to protrude from the outer surface.

[Feature 3]
An SN container as described in feature 1 or 2, in which when a different type of SN container of the same size as the SN container and which allows the SN container to be stacked above and below is placed on top of the SN container with the legs of the different type of SN container and the vertical grooves of the SN container aligned in the vertical direction, a second auxiliary protrusion that interferes with the bottom wall of the different type of SN container is formed to protrude from the inner surface.

10 First Container (SN Container)
12 Long side wall 13 Short side wall 14 Upper end flange wall 20 Leg portion 20D Step portion (first interference portion)
20H: Wide portion 21: Vertical groove 21H: Wide portion 30: Groove-shaped wall portion 30A: Upper end closing wall (second interference portion)
40 Second Container (another type of SN container)
41 Bottom wall 44 Upper end flange wall 50 Leg 51 Vertical groove 100 Container set

Claims (6)

An SN container is a box-shaped container with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against the upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
a first interference portion that protrudes from an outer surface and interferes with an upper surface of a different type of SN container when the SN container is placed on top of another type of SN container that can be stacked above and below the SN container, as an interference portion that prevents the SN container from being nested;
The leg portion has a side wall that bulges outward and narrows downward,
The inner side of the leg portion is the longitudinal groove,
An SN container having a wide portion that is stepped upward from a vertical midpoint of the leg, and the step portion at the lower end of the wide portion on the outer surface of the SN container constitutes the first interference portion. An SN container is a box-shaped container with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against the upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
a second interference portion that protrudes from an inner surface and interferes with a bottom wall of a different type of SN container when the SN container is placed on top of another type of SN container that can be stacked above and below the SN container as an interference portion that prevents the SN container from being nested;
A part of the side wall of the SN container is bulged inward and widened downward, and is provided with a grooved wall portion that opens into the bottom wall of the SN container, and an upper end of the grooved wall portion is the second interference portion,
The groove-shaped wall portions are arranged at the same positions in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction on a pair of side walls opposing each other in a first horizontal direction of the SN container. An SN container is a box-shaped container with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against the upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
The SN container is provided with an interference portion that prevents another type of SN container from being nested with another type of SN container that can be stacked above and below the SN container;
The interference portion interferes with the top or bottom wall of the other type of SN container at a certain vertical or horizontal position in the planar shape of the SN container, thereby tilting the SN container or the other type of SN container arranged above. An SN container is an open-top container having a plurality of legs on an outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on an inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against an upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
An auxiliary protrusion that protrudes inward or outward from the side wall and does not interfere with the upper and lower SN containers in the stacked state;
and an auxiliary receiving portion that receives the auxiliary protrusion of another SN container in the nested state by recessing a side wall inward or outward,
An SN container in which, for a different type of SN container capable of being stacked above and below an SN container, when either the SN container or the different type of SN container is rotated 180 degrees from the stacked state, the auxiliary protrusion interferes with the different type of SN container, causing the SN container placed above or the different type of SN container to tilt. A container set including two types of SN containers, first and second, each having a box shape with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, wherein the SN containers of the same type are stacked with or without being rotated 180 degrees, so that the container set can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of the SN container on the upper tier are received in the vertical grooves of the SN container on the lower tier and a stacking state in which the legs of the SN container on the upper tier abut against the upper surface of the side wall of the SN container on the lower tier,
The first and second SN containers are capable of being stacked on top of each other, and when the second SN container is placed on top of the first SN container or when the first SN container is placed on top of the second SN container, the first or second SN container placed on top is prevented from tilting and entering a nested state. An SN container is a box-shaped container with an open top, a plurality of legs on its outer surface and a plurality of vertical grooves on its inner surface, and can be changed between a nesting state in which the legs of an upper container are received in the vertical grooves of a lower container and a stacking state in which the legs of an upper container abut against the upper surface of a side wall of a lower container, depending on whether the containers are stacked by rotating them 180 degrees or not.
An SN container capable of being stacked above and below the SN container, and having an interference portion that prevents the SN container placed above or the other type of SN container from being tilted and placed in a nested state when either the SN container or the other type of SN container is rotated 180 degrees from a stacked state relative to a different type of SN container having the same planar shape size as the SN container.

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