JPH0351368B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a container used for transporting cut flowers.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, cut flowers are harvested by cutting the stems at the production site, then packed into cardboard boxes with the cut ends exposed in the air, and transported by truck to the fresh flower market.
After the auction, the items are transported directly to retail stores.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

For this reason, in retail stores, before displaying cut flowers in stores, it is necessary to re-cut many cut flowers one by one in water.
It requires a lot of effort and time. Additionally, if a number of days pass between harvesting and cutting back, the leaves and flowers will wilt, and air will become clogged in the pipes, making it impossible to land the fish even after cutting back, resulting in poor quality and having to be disposed of. Often there isn't.

On the other hand, recently, research has been carried out on chemical treatment methods to extend the lifespan of cut flowers and maintain their freshness. That is, after flower harvesting, pretreatment is performed by immersing the cut end in a pretreatment agent containing silver nitrate for a predetermined period of time.
Furthermore, a method has been proposed in which the product is post-treated by immersing it in a post-treatment agent consisting of a nutritional supplement at the retail store or consumer stage. However, even if the above method is used, cut flowers after pretreatment are still packaged in cardboard boxes with the cut ends exposed in the air and transported, so the above-mentioned cutting back work is required, and the number of harvests due to the passage of days. The issue of defects has not been resolved at all.

Therefore, the inventor has conducted various studies on a method of transporting cut flowers with the cut ends immersed in a mixture of the pre-treatment agent and post-treatment agent and water, and has found a way to reduce the quality of flowers such as wilting and falling. Although it was confirmed that deterioration could be prevented and the tedious cutting back work would be unnecessary, using ordinary, simple cylindrical containers for the above-mentioned transportation would lead to frequent accidents of falling over during transportation, and the containers would not be placed next to each other. It has been found that when a large number of cut flowers are transported at the same time, there are problems such as the cut flowers placed in containers being pressed together and damaged during transport.

This invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and is suitable for transporting cut flowers while immersed in a mixed solution containing a pre-treatment agent or post-treatment agent for cut flowers, or in water. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container for transporting cut flowers that can prevent damage to flowers.

[Means to solve the problem]

However, the container for transporting cut flowers of the present invention includes a box-shaped container main body having a bottom plate connected to the lower end of an inner wall that expands upward with a constant taper, and a box-shaped container main body having a bottom plate connected to the lower end of an inner wall that expands upward with a constant taper, and a container body with a bottom plate connected to the inner wall by folding the upper end of the inner wall outward. At the lower end of the outer wall that extends downward with substantially the same taper as the above-mentioned taper, a support leg formed by continuously extending a planar substantially rectangular edge frame is provided, and hand holes are provided in at least two opposing sides of the outer wall. It is characterized by being perforated.

The container of the present invention is preferably made of metal, such as stainless steel or aluminum, or plastic, which does not cause a chemical reaction with the cut flower pre-treatment agent or post-treatment agent placed in the container, and is inexpensive to manufacture and lightweight. In this respect, it is preferable to use plastic.

[Effect]

The container for transporting cut flowers of the present invention can be particularly suitably used in the method for transporting cut flowers described below.

After harvesting, the cut flowers are transported from a flower production area to a retail store via a fresh flower market with the cut ends of the cut flowers placed in a container and immersed in a mixture of water and a pretreatment agent for cut flowers.

After harvesting, the cut flowers are pre-treated with a pre-treatment agent for cut flowers and then immersed in a mixture of water and post-treatment agent for cut flowers in a container, or immersed in water, and the cut flowers are sold from the flower production area via the fresh flower market. Transport to the store.

When transporting the above-mentioned containers containing cut flowers, each container may be handled as a single unit, but for example, multiple containers may be arranged on a pallet, or on each shelf of a special cart with shelves. It is particularly preferable to transport a plurality of flowers placed next to each other to a fresh flower market or further to a retail store because loading and unloading and moving operations become easier.

The container for transporting cut flowers of the present invention is provided with an outer wall extending downward on the outside of the container body, and a square frame-shaped rim frame is connected to the lower end of the outer wall.
When the container body is filled with mixed liquid or water and a large number of cut flowers are inserted into one container, the container is supported in a stable state by the outer edge frame, thereby preventing it from falling over during transportation, etc. . Furthermore, when a plurality of containers containing cut flowers are lined up, a space corresponding to the taper of the outer wall and the thickness of the rim is formed between each container body with the rims adjacent to each other. This prevents cut flowers in adjacent containers from being pushed together and damaged. Furthermore, empty containers after use are
When multiple containers are stacked vertically, the tapered container bodies and the outer walls of the supporting legs fit together, reducing the height of the stacked products and reducing the space required for returning and storing empty containers. It's over.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the figure, 1 is a container for transporting cut flowers (hereinafter simply referred to as a container), which is a plastic molded product consisting of a container body 2 and supporting legs 3. The container main body 2 has a box shape (a rectangular tube shape with a bottom), with a bottom plate 5 connected to the lower end of an inner wall 4 that expands upward with a constant taper. In addition, the supporting leg 3 is
The outer wall 6 is formed by folding the upper end of the inner wall 4 downward, and an edge frame 7 having a substantially rectangular frame shape in plan view is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 6. The outer wall 6 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that widens downward with substantially the same taper as the inner wall 4, and its four corners bulge outward a little to form corner portions 8 in the shape of a partially conical shell. Reference numerals 9 and 10 indicate hand holes bored in the center of each surface of the outer wall 6. The center portions of the four sides of the edge frame 7 are bent into a trapezoidal shape and are provided with a narrow portion 7a having a dimension S, and lower handhold portions 11 and 12 are formed below the narrow portion 7a.

When transporting cut flowers by immersing them in a mixture of water and a pretreatment agent for cut flowers using the container 1 described above, in the production area of cut flowers, the container body 2 of the container 1 having the above structure must be filled with water and a pretreatment agent for cut flowers. A suitable amount of the pre-treatment agent mixture 15 is added, the lower part of the cut flower 16 after being harvested is inserted into the container body 2, and the cut end 17 is immersed in the mixture 15. This soaking may be carried out by the flower producer near the greenhouse or the like, or may be carried out at the time of collecting the flowers at the collection point. The container 1 containing a large number of cut flowers 16 and the liquid mixture 15 is transported as it is by truck or the like to a fresh flower market, sorted and auctioned, and then transported as it is to a retail store. During the entire transportation process (including temporary storage at the fresh flower market), the pretreatment agent for cut flowers in the mixed liquid 15 prevents the cut flowers 16 from wilting and falling, and maintains a good landing. Cutback is not necessary. and cut flowers 16
is transferred to the container itself or to another water container (it is even better if a post-treatment agent is added), displayed at a store, and sold at retail. When transporting container 1 containing flowers,
The bag can be easily carried during auctions or loading/unloading by hooking the hand through the handle hole or 10.

A plurality of used containers 1 at a retail store or unused containers 1 at a production site can be stacked vertically, and at this time, by fitting the tapered container body 2 and the outer wall 6 (see FIGS. 4 and 4). Fifth
(see figure), a large number of containers 1 can be stacked with a small stacking height. Also, as shown in Figure 5,
At this time, in the stacked state, the handle holes 9 and 10 are hidden by the containers 1 stacked on top, so it is not possible to lift multiple containers 1 at once using these handle holes, but the upper and lower By inserting your fingers between the narrow width portions 7a of the edge frames 7 adjacent to each other and lifting the lower handhold portions 11 or 12, it is possible to lift a desired plurality of containers 1 at once, which is convenient.

Mixed solution 1 consisting of silver thiosulfate aqueous solution with a concentration of 0.2mM is placed in the above container 1 (inner volume of container body 2 = 7).
5, and 50 cut carnation flowers 16 that had been harvested for 5 minutes were inserted into the container body 2 with the cut ends 17 immersed in the mixed solution 15. This flower container was transported by truck for 2 hours to the fresh flower market, and after being temporarily stored and auctioned at the fresh flower market (total time required 16 hours), the flower container was transported by truck for 30 minutes.
It was shipped separately to a retail store. The above-mentioned flower vase did not fall over during transportation, and the cut flowers 16 did not wilt and were in good condition, and they remained in good condition even if they were transferred to a regular water container without being cut back and displayed at a store for 15 days. Quality status was maintained.

Next, an example will be described in which cut flowers are transported while being immersed in a mixed solution of water and a post-treatment agent for cut flowers using the container described above.

First, a mixture 15 of the same pretreatment agent as in the above example is placed in a separate container, and the cut carnation flowers 16, which have been harvested for 5 minutes, are immersed at the producer's place in the pretreatment agent mixture 15 for 20 hours. I processed it. Next, in the same container 1 as in the above example, put a mixture of 50 g of a post-treatment agent (trade name: Carnation Chrysal) containing 8-hydroxyquinoline, sulfate, and sugar as the main components and 2 parts of water. Fifty treated carnation cut flowers 16 were inserted into the container body 2 with the cut ends 17 immersed in the above-mentioned post-treatment agent mixture. When this flower vase was transported to a retail store over the same transportation route and time as in the above example, there was no accident of the flower vase falling over during transportation, and the cut flowers did not wilt and were in good condition. Good quality was maintained even when the product was displayed for 20 days in the mixed liquid in the container 1 without being returned.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the outer wall 6 is flush with the corner portion 8, the edge frame 7 is straight bar-shaped and is not bent into a trapezoid shape, and the outer wall 6 is flush with the corner portion 8. The only difference from the previous embodiment is that the hanging holes 9 and 10 are small holes, and the same or corresponding parts as in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2.
This container 21 for transporting cut flowers is also used in the same manner as in the previous embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments; for example, the lower handhold portion provided on the edge frame may be omitted. Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the hand holes 9 and 10 are bored on the four sides of the outer wall 6, but the hand holes may be formed on at least two opposing sides of the outer wall. The container of the present invention can also be used to transport cut flowers with the cut ends of the cut flowers immersed in ordinary water.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the container of the present invention,
Since the edge frame at the lower end of the supporting legs protrudes outward from the container body, the container containing cut flowers and a mixture containing a pre-treatment agent or post-treatment agent for cut flowers, or water.
This prevents containers from falling over during transportation, and when containers containing cut flowers are placed side by side, a space is formed between the container bodies, which prevents cut flowers inserted into adjacent container bodies from being pushed together and damaged during transportation. Further, by fitting the tapered container body and the outer wall, a useful container for transporting cut flowers is provided, which has advantages such as empty containers do not take up much space when stacked.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container for transporting cut flowers showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B--A in Fig. 2.
5 is a front view of the stacked empty containers, and FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Container for transporting cut flowers, 2... Container body, 3... Support legs, 4... Inner wall, 5... Bottom plate, 6... Outer wall, 7... Edge frame,
9...Hand hole, 10...Hand hole, 15...Mixed liquid, 16
...Cut flowers, 17. Cuts, 21. Containers for transporting cut flowers.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A box-shaped container body consisting of a bottom plate connected to the lower end of an inner wall that expands upward with a constant taper, and a bottom plate connected to the inner wall with the upper end of the inner wall folded outward and tapered downward in substantially the same manner as the above. A method for transporting cut flowers, characterized in that the lower end of a tapered outer wall is provided with a support leg formed by connecting a planar substantially rectangular edge frame, and hand holes are bored in at least two opposing sides of the outer wall. container.