Terrarium container, and terrarium product using the terrarium container

Abstract

To provide a terrarium container and terrarium product which has a good appearance even if an amount of plants that can be cultivated in an internal space is small, and excellent workability of manufacturing and maintenance.SOLUTION: A terrarium container has: a downwardly open U-shaped upper member 10 in which a rectangular upper plate 11 and right / left plates 12,13 which extend downward from right / left both sides of the upper plate 11 are integrally formed of light-transmissive resin; an upwardly open U-shaped lower member 20 which has the same shape as the upper member 10 and in which a rectangular lower plate 21 and front / rear plates 22,23 which extend upward from front / rear both sides of the lower plate 21 are integrally formed of light-transmissive resin; an inner tray 40 which is inserted into a hollow box in which the upper member 10 is slidably fitted into the lower member 20, and is mounted on the lower plate 21; and a mirror member 30 which is installed to at least one of four sidewalls of the box while facing a mirror surface 31 toward an internal space side, where the mirror member 30 takes the mirror surface 31 from a planting surface PS to an area close to the top edge of a sidewall inner surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terrarium container and a terrarium product, and more particularly to a terrarium container and a terrarium product suitable for cultivating moss. [Background technology]

[0002] Terrarium is a technique for raising and cultivating living things in a transparent container such as a glass container for ornamental purposes. In recent years, terrarium products in which driftwood, stones, soil, sand, plants, etc. are arranged in the internal space of a transparent container have been distributed. Among them, terrariums in which moss plants (hereinafter referred to as "moss") are cultivated in a container are called moss terrariums or mossariums and are becoming increasingly popular.

[0003] In moss terrariums, a deep container with a narrow opening is used because it is necessary to prevent drying and maintain a high humidity environment inside the space (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1). For example, Patent Document 1 illustrates a bottle-shaped container with a lid as a terrarium container for cultivating moss (Figs. 2 and 4). Non-Patent Document 1 also describes bottle-shaped, test-tube-shaped, egg-shaped, and other containers (pp. 26-29). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-185897 A [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "My First Moss Interior: From Moss Terrariums to Moss Balls and Moss Bonsai" by Eisaku Ishikawa, published by Ie no Hikari Kyokai in 2023 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As a measure to further popularize moss terrariums, it is anticipated that they will be displayed on an office desk, where they will be in view for long periods of time, so that people can view the terrarium products from close up on a daily basis (hereinafter referred to as "desktop use").

[0007] However, for tabletop use, the container itself needs to be small in size since it will be displayed in a limited space such as an office desk, which reduces the amount of moss that can be grown in the internal space of the container, resulting in a somewhat unattractive appearance.

[0008] In addition, when making or maintaining a terrarium product, tools such as tweezers or scissors are inserted through the opening to plant or trim the moss, but in a deep container with a narrow opening, such as the bottle type described in Patent Document 1 or the test tube type and egg type described in Non-Patent Document 1, the angle and range of movement for inserting tweezers, scissors, etc. are limited, making it difficult to make or maintain. Furthermore, in tabletop use, the opening becomes smaller as the container becomes smaller, making it even more difficult to make and maintain. In particular, small, deep containers are very difficult to handle for beginners, who are the target of popularity for tabletop use.

[0009] Non-Patent Document 1 also discloses a petri dish-type container with a relatively wide opening, but even with a petri dish-type container, a certain degree of depth is required in a moss terrarium to avoid excessive drying, as shown in the photo on p. 29, and the angle and range of movement of tweezers, scissors, etc. are limited by the container wall. Therefore, a petri dish-type container does not fully solve the problems of planting and maintenance workability. In addition, the height of a petri dish-type container is very limited when the lid is closed, and it is not possible to cultivate upright mosses that stand up tall, so it is not used for moss terrariums with a high design.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a terrarium container that looks good even when the amount of plants that can be cultivated in the internal space is small, and that is easy to manufacture and maintain, and a terrarium product that uses said terrarium container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The terrarium container according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems has a characteristic configuration, which is a terrarium container that can be opened and closed freely and has an internal space for cultivating plants, and which has a downwardly opening U-shaped upper member formed of a rectangular upper plate and left and right plates extending downward from both left and right sides of the upper plate, which are integrally formed of a translucent resin; a lower member that is identical in shape to the upper member and has an upwardly opening U-shaped lower plate and has a rectangular lower plate and front and rear plates extending upward from both front and rear sides of the lower plate, which are integrally formed of a translucent resin; an inner tray that is inserted into a hollow box that can be opened and closed freely and is placed on the lower plate by slidably fitting the upper member into the lower member; and a mirror member that is attached to at least one of the four side walls of the box consisting of the left and right plates and the front and rear plates, with a mirror surface facing the internal space, and the mirror member forms a mirror surface from the planting surface where plants are planted in the internal space to the vicinity of the upper ends of the inner surfaces of the side walls.

[0012] According to the terrarium container of this configuration, at least one of the four side walls of the box body consisting of the left and right boards and the front and rear boards has a mirror member attached with its mirror surface facing the inner space, and the mirror member forms a mirror surface from the planting surface where the plants are planted in the inner space to the vicinity of the upper end of the inner surface of the side wall, so that the mirror member reflects the mirror image of the plants so that it is continuous with the plants grown in the inner space. As a result, even if the terrarium container is small and the amount of plants that can be grown in the inner space is small, the viewer can view a scene that includes more plants than the actual one, in which the plants grown in the inner space and the mirror image of the plants reflected in the mirror member are integrated. This type of view makes the terrarium container look good even when it is displayed in a small space on an office desk and viewed from diagonally above while sitting in a chair.

[0013] In addition, according to the terrarium container of this configuration, the inner tray is inserted into a hollow box that can be opened and closed by fitting the upper member slidably into the lower member, and is placed on the lower plate. This allows the terrarium product to be manufactured or maintained with the upper member removed or with the inner tray removed from the box. As a result, when the upper member is removed, the degree of freedom in the angle and range of movement of tweezers, scissors, etc. is increased. In particular, when the inner tray is removed from the box, there is no problem that the angle and range of movement of tweezers, scissors, etc. are limited by the position and size of the opening, and plants can be easily planted in the planting material such as potting soil placed in the inner tray. Furthermore, plants can be handled and planted directly with the fingers without using tweezers. In addition, since there is no problem that the position and size of the opening are limited, scissors can be used at any angle for trimming. In particular, since the terrarium container of this configuration can remove the inner tray even if it is small enough for tabletop use, the difficulty of manufacturing and maintenance does not increase depending on the size. Therefore, by using the terrarium container of this configuration, even beginners can easily make and maintain a terrarium.

[0014] In addition, the terrarium container of this configuration has a U-shaped upper member that opens downward and is formed by integrally forming a rectangular upper plate and left and right plates extending downward from both the left and right sides of the upper plate from a translucent resin, and a U-shaped lower member that opens upward and is the same shape as the upper member and is formed by integrally forming a rectangular lower plate and front and rear plates extending upward from both the front and rear sides of the lower plate from a translucent resin, so that when the upper member is slidably fitted into the lower member to form a hollow box that can be opened and closed, it is possible to prevent the internal space from drying out and maintain a high humidity environment. Therefore, the terrarium container of this configuration is a container suitable for a moss terrarium for cultivating moss that is sensitive to drying.

[0015] In the terrarium container of the present invention, the inner tray comprises a bottom plate having a shape roughly similar to the inner surface of the lower plate, and inner plates extending upward from each side of the bottom plate, the height from the top surface of the bottom plate to the upper ends of the inner plates is 5 to 25 mm, the left and right plates and the front and rear plates are formed with a slight inclination in the direction in which each opposing plate approaches each other toward the tip, and it is preferable that the sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates and the thickness of the mirror member is the same as or smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates.

[0016] According to the terrarium container of this configuration, the inner tray comprises a bottom plate having a shape similar to the inner surface of the lower plate, and inner plates extending upward from each side of the bottom plate, and the height from the upper surface of the bottom plate to the upper end of the inner plate is 5 to 25 mm, so that it is possible to store potting materials such as soil for planting moss and other plants inside the inner tray, while ensuring a well-balanced space above the inner tray for viewing the plants. Also, because the potting materials can be stored inside the inner tray, the potting materials will not spill out of the terrarium container even when the box body with the inner case inserted is opened or closed.

[0017] In addition, according to the terrarium container of this configuration, the left and right plates and the front and rear plates are formed so that the opposing plates are slightly inclined in the direction in which they approach each other toward the tip side, so that when the upper member is fitted into the lower member, the left and right plates and the front and rear plates are fastened to each other. As a result, when the upper member is slid vertically relative to the lower member, it will not fall down by itself unless a slight force is applied, and the upper member can be held at a desired vertical position relative to the lower member. With this configuration, by adjusting the state in which there is a slight gap between the upper plate of the upper member and the front and rear plates of the lower member, it is possible to achieve a slight degree of ventilation inside and outside the terrarium container. Therefore, the terrarium container of this configuration can be used as either a sealed container or a ventilated container suitable for a moss terrarium.

[0018] In addition, with the terrarium container of this configuration, the sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates and the thickness of the mirror member is equal to or smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates, so that the front and rear plates are not pushed open by the inner plates of the inner tray. Therefore, the planting area can be made as large as possible without compromising the function of holding the upper member at a desired position in the vertical direction relative to the lower member.

[0019] The characteristic configuration of the terrarium product of the present invention for solving the above problem is that in the above-mentioned terrarium container, planting material is placed in the inner tray and plants are planted in the planting material.

[0020] According to the terrarium product of this configuration, the mirror member reflects the mirror image of the plants so that it is continuous with the plants grown in the internal space. As a result, even if the terrarium container is small and the amount of plants that can be grown in the internal space is small, the viewer can appreciate a scene that includes more plants than the actual one, in which the plants grown in the internal space and the mirror image of the plants reflected in the mirror member are integrated. This type of appearance makes the terrarium container look good even when it is displayed in a small space on an office desk and viewed from diagonally above while sitting in a chair.

[0021] In addition, according to the terrarium product of this configuration, when performing maintenance, the upper member can be removed or the inner tray can be removed from the box body. As a result, the plant can be touched directly with the fingers without using tweezers, and the plant can be trimmed using scissors at any angle without being restricted by the position or size of the opening. In particular, since the inner tray can be removed even for a small terrarium product suitable for tabletop use, the size does not increase the difficulty of maintenance. Therefore, even beginners can easily perform maintenance on the terrarium with the terrarium product of this configuration.

[0022] In addition, with the terrarium product of this configuration, when the upper member is slidably fitted into the lower member to form a hollow box that can be opened and closed, the internal space can be prevented from drying out and a high humidity environment can be maintained. Therefore, the terrarium product of this configuration is suitable for a moss terrarium in which moss that is sensitive to drying is cultivated.

[0023] In the terrarium product of the present invention, it is preferable that the lower plate and the bottom plate of the inner tray arranged opposite the inner surface of the lower plate are square, and two characteristic areas which create spatial characteristics in the vertical direction due to their height difference are arranged near two adjacent corners of the bottom plate when viewed from above.

[0024] According to the terrarium product of this configuration, the two characteristic areas that bring about spatial characteristics in the height direction due to the difference in height between them are arranged near two adjacent corners of the bottom plate when viewed from above, so that in the four arrangement patterns in which the inner tray is rotated 90° with respect to the mirror member, the scenes that include the two characteristic areas and the mirror images of the two characteristic areas reflected in the mirror member are all different, without being in line symmetry or point symmetry with each other. Therefore, the terrarium product of this configuration can be enjoyed like four different terrarium products with different arrangements of the characteristic areas, simply by changing the orientation of the inner tray with respect to the mirror member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a terrarium container according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a terrarium container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a sealed state of the terrarium product according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the ventilation state of a terrarium product according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating four different scenes in which the orientation of the inner tray with respect to the mirror member is changed in the terrarium product according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the terrarium container and terrarium product of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described below or the configurations shown in the drawings. In addition, the components constituting the terrarium container of the present invention are shown in the drawings, but the thicknesses of the components are appropriately exaggerated / modified for ease of explanation, and do not necessarily accurately reflect the relative size (scale) of the thicknesses of the components in the actual terrarium container. In addition, in each drawing, the perspective view is expressed with the lower left of the paper as the front side and the upper right of the paper as the back side.

[0027] <Terrarium container> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a terrarium container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) being a perspective view and (b) being a cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the terrarium container 1.

[0028] In this embodiment, the terrarium container 1 is a small terrarium container that can be displayed in a small space such as an office desk, and has an upper member 10, a lower member 20, a mirror member 30, and an inner tray 40.

[0029] The upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are members that constitute the outer case of the terrarium container 1. When these are combined, they form a hollow box that can be opened and closed freely and has an internal space for cultivating plants. The size of the box that will be the outer case of the terrarium container 1 is preferably in the range of 4 to 20 cm in length on each side, assuming that the terrarium container 1 will be used for displaying and appreciating in a small space such as an office desk.

[0030] The upper member 10 is made up of a square flat upper plate 11 arranged horizontally, and left and right plates 12, 13 (left plate 12, right plate 13) extending substantially vertically downward from the left and right sides of the upper plate 11, and is U-shaped with an opening downward. In this embodiment, the left and right plates 12, 13 are made into a square shape similar to the upper plate 11.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 2, the outer edge of the upper member 10, i.e., the front and rear end faces 11a, 11b of the upper plate 11, the front and rear end faces 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b and the lower end faces 12c, 13c of the left and right plates 12, 13, are preferably inclined at an angle of 45 degrees toward the inside of the upper member 10. In a configuration in which the outer edge is an inclined surface, the front and rear end faces 11a, 11b of the upper plate 11 are inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the upper surface of the upper plate 11 so as to approach each other toward the lower side. In addition, the front and rear end faces 12a, 12b of the left plate 12 are inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the outer surface of the left plate 12 so as to approach each other toward the right plate 13 side, and the lower end face 12c of the left plate 12 is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the outer surface toward the upper plate 11 as it moves from the outer surface side to the inner surface side. Furthermore, the front and rear end faces 13a, 13b of the right plate 13 are inclined at a 45 degree angle with respect to the outer surface of the right plate 13 so as to approach each other toward the left plate 12, and the lower end face 13c of the right plate 13 is an inclined surface that inclines at a 45 degree angle with respect to the outer surface toward the upper plate 11 as it moves from the outer surface side to the inner surface side. It is preferable that the left and right plates 12, 13 are formed so as to be slightly inclined in the direction in which they approach each other as they approach the tips.

[0032] The lower member 20 is made up of a horizontally disposed square flat lower plate 21 and front and rear plates 22, 23 (front plate 22, rear plate 23) extending substantially vertically upward from the front and rear sides of the lower plate 21 relative to the lower plate 21, and is U-shaped with an upward opening. Specifically, the lower member 20 has the same shape as the upper member 10, and is disposed in a state in which the upper member 10 is upside down and rotated 90 degrees horizontally.

[0033] The upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are each made of a translucent resin and are integrally formed in a U-shape by injection molding. The upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are preferably made of a material such as acrylic resin or polystyrene resin. In this embodiment, they are integrally formed from reinforced polystyrene resin, and each of the members 10, 20 is colorless and transparent or colored and transparent. Since they are integrally formed from resin, the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 have sufficient elasticity.

[0034] A cubic hollow box can be formed by combining the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 having such a configuration. As shown in Fig. 2, the left and right plates 12, 13 of the upper member 10 are disposed between the front and rear plates 22, 23 of the lower member 20, respectively. Then, while abutting the front and rear end faces 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b of the left and right plates 12, 13 of the upper member 10 with the left and right end faces 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b of the front and rear plates 22, 23 of the lower member 20, i.e., while abutting the inclined surfaces against each other, the upper member 10 is slid downward relative to the lower member 20, and the upper member 10 is fitted into the lower member 20, thereby forming a cubic box.

[0035] When the upper member 10 is completely fitted into the lower member 20, the front and rear end faces 11a, 11b of the upper plate 11 of the upper member 10 abut against the upper end faces 22c, 23c of the front and rear plates 22, 23 of the lower member 20, and the left and right end faces 21a, 21b of the lower plate 21 of the lower member 20 abut against the lower end faces 12c, 13c of the left and right plates 12, 13 of the upper member 10. At this time, the front and rear edges of the upper plate 11 of the upper member 10 coincide with the upper edges of the front and rear plates 22, 23 of the lower member 20, and the left and right edges of the lower plate 21 of the lower member 20 coincide with the lower edges of the left and right plates 12, 13 of the upper member 10.

[0036] The thicknesses of the plates 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23 of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are the same, and the end faces 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 12c, 13a, 13b, 13c of the upper member 10 and the end faces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 22c, 23a, 23b, 23c of the lower member 20 are inclined at 45 degrees, so that when the upper member 10 is completely fitted into the lower member 20 (hereinafter, this state is referred to as the "sealed state"), the boundary line between the upper member 10 and the lower member 20, that is, the joint, is almost invisible. Therefore, the outer case of the terrarium container 1 of this embodiment is visually recognized as an integral hollow cube.

[0037] In addition, the left and right plates 12, 13 and the front and rear plates 22, 23 are formed with an inclination in the direction approaching each other, so that when the upper member 10 is fitted into the lower member 20, the inclined surfaces of the left and right plates 12, 13 and the front and rear plates 22, 23 come into contact with each other, and the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are fastened to each other. Therefore, when the upper member 10 is slid downward relative to the lower member 20, it will not fall downward by itself unless a slight force is applied. In other words, the upper member 10 can be held at a desired position in the vertical direction relative to the lower member 20. Therefore, the terrarium container 1 can be used in a state where a gap of about 1 to 3 mm is provided between the front and rear end faces 11a, 11b of the upper plate 11 of the upper member 10 and the upper end faces 22c, 23c of the front and rear plates 22, 23 of the lower member 20 without adding other members such as spacers (hereinafter, this state is referred to as an "air-permeable state").

[0038] It is preferable that an anti-fogging agent is applied to the inner surface of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20. In general, in a closed terrarium, condensation is likely to occur on the inner surface of the container, which is a major problem that this condensation hinders viewing. However, in the terrarium container 1 according to this embodiment, the occurrence of condensation can be easily suppressed by applying an anti-fogging agent to the inner surfaces of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20. In the deep-shaped containers that have been used for terrariums up to now, it is difficult to apply an anti-fogging agent to the inner surface of the container, so this problem has not been solved. In addition, even if an anti-fogging agent can be applied to the inner surface of a conventional deep-shaped container before the production of a terrarium product by some method, the effect of the anti-fogging agent that is usually used is not permanent, so the effect is limited to a short-term one. On the other hand, in the terrarium container 1 according to the present embodiment, since the upper member 10 is simply fitted into the lower member 20, the outer case can be easily separated into the U-shaped upper member 10 and the lower member 20, and the anti-fogging agent can be easily reapplied to the inner surfaces of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 in the separated state, i.e., the entire inner surface of the outer case, without leaving any areas uncoated. In particular, in the terrarium container 1 according to the present embodiment, as described later, plants such as moss are not directly planted in the box body composed of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20, but are planted inside the inner tray 40, so that even after the terrarium product is manufactured, the inner tray 40 can be taken out each time the anti-fogging effect weakens, and the anti-fogging agent can be repeatedly applied to the inner surfaces of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 in the separated state. In addition, since the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 are made of resin, the occurrence of condensation can be suppressed easily and at low cost by using a widely used anti-fogging agent for plastic lenses of glasses.

[0039] In addition, sprays are generally used to water moss terrariums, but in conventional deep containers, it is difficult to wipe off water droplets near the bottom, and there is also the problem that scale-like dirt remains after long-term use. In the terrarium container 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the outer case can be easily separated into the U-shaped upper member 10 and lower member 20, and the inner surfaces of the upper member 10 and lower member 20 can be wiped in the separated state, so scale-like dirt does not occur from water droplets caused by watering.

[0040] The mirror member 30 is a plate-like member with one surface being a mirror surface 31, and is attached to at least one surface of the left and right plates 12, 13 and the front and rear plates 22, 23 that form the four side walls of the box, with the mirror surface 31 facing the internal space. In this embodiment, the mirror member 30 is made of a polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET) plate material with a reflective film formed on one surface by aluminum deposition processing and an adhesive applied to the other surface, and this mirror member 30 is attached to the inner surface of the rear plate 23, which is a side wall of the box, with the adhesive.

[0041] The mirror member 30 may have a size and shape that allows it to be attached to the inner sidewall of the box, but it is preferable that the margin of the inner sidewall when attached is as small as possible. In particular, when attached to the sidewall of the box, the mirror member 30 may have a size that at least provides a mirror surface 31 from the planting surface PS to the vicinity of the upper end of the inner sidewall of the box, but in order to facilitate positioning when attaching to the side of the box, it is preferable that the mirror surface 31 is provided from the vicinity of the lower end to the vicinity of the upper end of the inner sidewall. The planting surface PS refers to the surface of the planting material such as potting soil arranged in the inner tray 40, and plants are planted here in the internal space. In addition, when the planting material is arranged so that the surface is inclined or uneven, the horizontal plane including the lowest position on the surface of the planting material is the planting surface PS. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the planting material is arranged up to the upper end of the inner plate 42 of the inner tray 40, and the height of the upper end of the inner plate 42 is the planting surface PS. Since at least the planting surface PS to the vicinity of the upper end of the inner sidewall of the box is the mirror surface 31, when a viewer looks at the mirror surface 31 diagonally upward (for example, at an angle of 30 to 50° from the horizontal plane) from outside the terrarium product 1 through the front panel 22 or the top panel 11, the inner tray 40 inserted in the box is reflected in the mirror member 30, and the actual plant planted in the inner tray 40 and its mirror image appear to be continuous. A situation in which the terrarium container 1 is viewed diagonally upward from 30 to 50° is assumed to be, for example, a situation in which the terrarium container 1 is displayed on a desk and viewed while sitting in a chair. Therefore, since at least the planting surface PS to the vicinity of the upper end of the inner sidewall of the box is the mirror surface 31 by the mirror member 30, the terrarium container 1 looks good when used on a table. In addition, when the inner tray 40 is transparent, if the planting material is arranged up to the middle of the inner tray 40, the plant planted in the planting material also passes through the inner tray 40, and the actual plant and its mirror image appear to be continuous. Furthermore, when the mirror member 30 is attached to the side wall of the box body, the height H from the planting surface PS to the top end of the mirror member 30 is mirror It is more preferable that the height is 35 to 200 mm. If the mirror surface 31 is from the planting surface PS to a height of 35 to 200 mm, the actual plants and their mirror images will look impressive.

[0042] The width of the mirror member 30 is preferably equal to or smaller than the difference between the width of the inner sidewall of the box to which the mirror member 30 is attached and the thickness of the mirror member 30. When the width of the mirror member 30 satisfies the above condition, the two mirror members 30 can be attached to each of the two adjacent inner sidewalls of the box without contacting each other. If the width of the mirror member 30 is larger than the above condition, when the upper member 10 is fitted into the lower member 20, the two mirror members 30 attached to the adjacent inner sidewalls may interfere with each other, making it impossible to close the box without gaps, or the left and right plates 12, 13 and the front and rear plates 22, 23 may become loosely fastened to each other, making it impossible to maintain ventilation.

[0043] The inner tray 40 is a member for storing planting materials to prevent the planting materials such as potting soil from spilling out of the terrarium container 1 when the box is opened or closed. The inner tray 40 is inserted into a hollow box that can be opened and closed by slidingly fitting the upper member 10 into the lower member 20, and placed on the lower plate 21. As shown in FIG. 2, when the upper member 10 is removed from the lower member 20, the inner tray 40 can be slid left and right to be removed. The inner tray 40 has a bottom plate 41 that is approximately similar in shape to the inner surface of the lower plate 21, and an inner plate 42 that extends upward from each side of the bottom plate 41. In this embodiment, the bottom plate 41 is formed in the same square shape as the lower plate 21. The inner tray 40 is formed of resin by, for example, injection molding, vacuum molding, layered molding, acrylic plate processing, etc., so as to have watertightness that prevents the planting materials and water during watering from leaking. The material of the inner tray 40 is preferably polylactic acid resin (PLA), acrylic resin, styrene resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), vinyl chloride, etc. Also, the inner tray 40 does not necessarily have to be transparent, but if a translucent material is used for the inner tray 40, the inner tray 40 and the box body will be visually recognized as if they were integrally formed when inserted.

[0044] The height from the top surface of the bottom plate 41 to the top end of the inner plate 42 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "height of the inner plate 42") is preferably in the range of 5 to 25 mm. Since moss does not take deep roots, if the height of the inner plate 42 is in the above range, a sufficient amount of planting material for planting moss can be accommodated inside the inner tray 40. Furthermore, if the height of the inner plate 42 is in the above range, when the height of the terrarium container 1 is in the range of 4 to 20 cm, a space for appreciating plants can be secured in a balanced manner above the inner tray 40 in the internal space of the terrarium container 1. From the viewpoint of securing a balanced space above the inner tray 40, it is more preferable that the height of the inner plate 42 is in the range of 10 to 35% of the internal height of the box body.

[0045] The suitable size of the inner tray 40 is determined by the interrelationship between the size of the box body consisting of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 and the size of the mirror member 30. Specifically, it is preferable that the sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates 42 and the thickness of the mirror member 30 is equal to or smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates 22, 23. By satisfying this condition, the front and rear plates 22, 23 are not pushed open by the inner plates 42 when the inner tray 40 is placed on the lower plate 21, so that the function of holding the upper member 10 at a desired position in the vertical direction relative to the lower member 20 is not impaired while keeping the planting area of ​​the inner tray 40 as large as possible. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates 42 and the thickness of the mirror member 30 is smaller by 0.01 to 1.5 mm than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates 22, 23. By satisfying this condition, when the inner tray 40 is placed on the upper surface of the lower plate 21, a gap g is created as shown in Figure 1 (b), so that the planting area of ​​the inner tray 40 for plants can be made as large as possible while preventing scratches on the front and rear plates 22, 23 and the mirror member 30 due to contact with the inner tray 40. Furthermore, even if condensation on the inner surface of the box flows down the wall surface due to the gap g, the liquid is sucked into the gap g by capillary action. Therefore, ingredients such as surfactants contained in the anti-fogging agent applied to the inner surface of the box do not contaminate the planting material such as potting soil placed inside the inner tray 40. If the sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates 42 and the thickness of the mirror member 30 is smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates 22, 23 by more than 1.5 mm, excessive rattling may occur when the inner tray 40 is inserted.

[0046] <Terrarium products> Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a sealed state of the terrarium product 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a ventilated state of the terrarium product 100.

[0047] The terrarium product 100 is a small terrarium product that can be displayed in a narrow space such as an office desk. A potting material S such as potting soil is arranged inside the inner tray 40 of the terrarium container 1, and moss is planted in the potting material S. A mirror image MI of the moss is reflected on the mirror member 30 so as to be continuous with the moss that is actually planted. Therefore, even if the terrarium product 100 is small and the amount of moss that can be cultivated in the internal space is small, the viewer can view a scene containing more moss than the actual moss, in which the moss cultivated in the internal space and the mirror image of the plant reflected on the mirror member 30 are integrated. This type of appearance makes the terrarium product 100 look good even when it is displayed in a narrow space on an office desk and viewed from diagonally above while sitting on a chair.

[0048] The terrarium product 100 can be easily changed from the sealed state shown in Fig. 3 to the ventilated state shown in Fig. 4 without adding any other members such as spacers, by simply sliding the upper member 10 slightly upward. Therefore, moss suitable for cultivation in a sealed container and moss suitable for cultivation in a ventilated container can be suitably cultivated in each of the sealed and ventilated states of the terrarium product 100. In addition, in the ventilated state, efficient ventilation is achieved by opening the openings O in two opposing positions above the front and rear panels 22, 23, so that when condensation occurs on the inner surface of the sealed terrarium product 100, the condensation can be easily and quickly eliminated by temporarily switching to the ventilated state, thereby realizing a suitable viewing environment.

[0049] The terrarium product 100 further includes a region C1 (hereinafter referred to as the "first feature region") in which the tallest feature is arranged in the internal space of the terrarium container 1, near one of two adjacent corners of the bottom plate 21 when viewed from above, and a region C2 (hereinafter referred to as the "second feature region") that provides a spatial feature in the height direction due to a difference in height with the first feature region C1, preferably near the other corner. Examples of features arranged in the first feature region C1 include tall moss, tall stones, figures, etc. Examples of tall moss include upright mosses such as sedum, polytrichum, and scutellaria, and sedum and sedum with tall secondary stems from primary stems. In particular, sedum is preferred as the moss to be planted in the first feature region C1 because of its ease of acquisition and management. The second characteristic region C2 is provided by configuring the layout of the terrarium so that this region is the lowest in the internal space of the terrarium container 1. In the example of Figures 3 and 4, the second characteristic region C2 is provided by laying gravel so that it is lower than the surface of the surrounding planting material S, without arranging the planting material S only in the vicinity of the corner adjacent to the first characteristic region C1. As another example, the second characteristic region C2 may be provided by arranging the planting material S approximately horizontally over the entire inner tray 40, exposing the planting material S only in the region that will become the second characteristic region C2, and planting moss in all other regions so that it is higher than the surface of the planting material S, i.e., the second characteristic region C2. In areas that are neither the first characteristic area C1 nor the second characteristic area C2, it is preferable to plant, for example, Polytrichum commune, Polytrichum formosum, and Polytrichum formosum, which are upright but do not stand up tall, or Polytrichum formosum, which are creeping plants, and of these, it is more preferable to plant Polytrichum commune and Polytrichum formosum, which are easy to obtain and manage.

[0050] 5 is a diagram illustrating four different scenes when the orientation of the inner tray 40 relative to the mirror member 30 is changed in the terrarium product 100. In this diagram, the thick-framed squares represent the terrarium product 100 projected onto a horizontal plane with the lower side of the paper as the front side (front panel 22 side) and the upper side of the paper as the rear side (rear panel 23 side), and the thin-lined squares represent the mirror image MI reflected on the mirror member 30 projected onto a horizontal plane.

[0051] The upper row, A1 to A4, show four arrangement patterns in which the inner tray is rotated 90° with respect to the mirror member 30 in a terrarium product 100 in which the first feature region C1 and the second feature region C2 are respectively arranged near two adjacent corners of the bottom plate 21 when viewed from above. In the arrangement patterns A1 to A4, the scenes including the two actual feature regions and the mirror images of the two feature regions in the mirror image MI reflected on the mirror member 30 are all different, without being in either line symmetry or point symmetry with each other.

[0052] Meanwhile, B1 to B4 in the lower row show four arrangement patterns in which the inner tray is rotated 90° with respect to the mirror member 30 in the terrarium product 100 in which the first feature region C1 and the second feature region C2 are respectively arranged near two diagonal corners of the bottom plate 21 when viewed from above. In the arrangement patterns B1 and B2, the scenes including the two actual feature regions and the mirror images MI of the two feature regions reflected on the mirror member 30 are line-symmetric and similar. Similarly, the arrangement patterns B3 and B4 also show similar scenes that are line-symmetric to each other.

[0053] In this way, when the terrarium product 100 has the first characteristic area C1 and the second characteristic area C2 located near two adjacent corners of the bottom plate 21 when viewed from above, simply by changing the orientation of the inner tray 40 relative to the mirror member 30, the arrangement of the two characteristic areas will appear completely different, and the product can be enjoyed as if it were four different terrarium products.

[0054] The terrarium container 1 and terrarium product 100 constructed as described above, even if they are small and the amount of plants that can be cultivated in the internal space is small, allows the viewer to appreciate a scene that contains more plants than the actual one, in which the plants cultivated in the internal space are integrated with the mirror images of the plants reflected in the mirror member 30. This type of appearance also looks good when the terrarium container is displayed in a small space on an office desk and viewed from diagonally above while sitting in a chair.

[0055] In addition, when making or maintaining a terrarium product, the upper member 10 can be removed or the inner tray 40 can be taken out from the box body to perform the work. As a result, the plant can be touched directly with the fingers without using tweezers, and the plant can be trimmed using scissors at any angle without being restricted by the position or size of the opening. In particular, since the inner tray 40 can be taken out even for a small product suitable for tabletop use, the difficulty of making or maintaining the product does not increase depending on the size. Therefore, the terrarium container 1 and the terrarium product 100 of this configuration allow even a beginner to easily make and maintain a terrarium.

[0056] Furthermore, the terrarium container 1 and terrarium product 100 of this configuration are less likely to tip over because they have a hexahedral outer shape, and even if they do tip over, they are made of resin and will not break like a glass container, making them ideal for tabletop use as they are safe and have excellent decorative properties.

[0057] (Modification) In the above embodiment, the left and right panels 12, 13 and the front and rear panels 22, 23 are square shaped like the upper panel 11 and lower panel 21, but the terrarium container and terrarium product may also be configured so that the left and right panels 12, 13 and the front and rear panels 22, 23 are rectangular and the outer case is a vertically elongated rectangular prism.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the mirror member 30 is attached to the rear panel 23 of the lower member 20, but the mirror member 30 may also be attached to other side walls of the box body formed by the upper member 10 and the lower member 20, such as the left panel 12 of the upper member 10.

[0059] Furthermore, the mirror member 30 may be attached to two or more side walls of the box body instead of only one. For example, two mirror members 30 may be attached to the rear panel 23 and the left panel 12, respectively. With a configuration in which mirror members 30 are attached to two adjacent side walls in this way, the scene including actual plants and their mirror images appears as if the plants are planted in an area four times larger than the actual area, which can further improve the ornamental quality of small terrarium products.

[0060] The box body consisting of the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 may be inscribed with a product name, company name, logo, etc. The inscription on the upper member 10 and the lower member 20 made of a resin material can be performed by printing such as silk screen printing or by attaching a sticker such as a transfer sticker. It is preferable to set the position and size of the inscription so that it fits within the area overlapping with the inserted inner tray 40 near the lower ends of the left and right boards 12, 13 and the front and rear boards 22, 23. By inscribing the name so that it fits within this area, it is possible to clearly indicate the product name, company name, logo, etc. and improve the design without affecting the aesthetic appeal of the planted plants.

[0061] The terrarium container according to the present invention is also suitable for use in cultivating small plants that prefer a high humidity environment and have shallow roots, such as the Venus flytrap violet Pinguicula exeriana and Pinguicula wessar. It can also be used to grow seedlings of plants for use in paludariums.

[0062] In addition, the features of being able to be used as either a sealed container or a vented container and being easily switched between a sealed state and a vented state, that the angle and range of movement of tweezers, scissors, etc. are not limited during production and maintenance by removing the upper member or taking out the inner tray, and that the upper member can be removed to very easily repeatedly apply anti-fogging agent to the inner surface of the outer case, do not necessarily require a mirror member. Therefore, even terrarium containers and terrarium products that do not include a mirror member and that include an upper member, a lower member, and an inner tray will have superior effects compared to conventional deep containers. [Industrial Applicability]

[0063] The terrarium container and terrarium product of the present invention can be used as a terrarium for cultivating plants such as moss, and can be particularly suitably used as a small-sized terrarium for tabletop use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Terrarium Container 10 Upper member 11 Upper Plate 11a,11b Front and rear end faces 12 Left board 12a,12b Front and rear end faces 12c Lower end surface 13 Right plate 13a,13b Front and rear end faces 13c Lower end surface 20 Lower member 21 Lower plate 21a, 21b Left and right end faces 22 Front panel 22a, 22b Left and right end surfaces 22c Top surface 23 Rear plate 23a, 23b Left and right end surfaces 23c Top surface 30 Mirror material 31 Mirror surface 40 Inner Tray 41 Bottom plate 42 Inner plate 100 Tabletop Terrarium Products MI mirror image C1 First feature area C2 Second feature area PS planting surface S Planting material O opening

Claims

1. A terrarium container that can be opened and closed and has an interior space for growing plants, a U-shaped upper member having an opening downward, the upper member being formed integrally with a rectangular upper plate and left and right plates extending downward from the left and right sides of the upper plate, the left and right plates being made of a light-transmitting resin; a U-shaped lower member having an upward opening, the lower member having the same shape as the upper member, the lower member being formed integrally with a rectangular lower plate and front and rear plates extending upward from both front and rear sides of the lower plate, the front and rear plates being made of a translucent resin; an inner tray that is inserted into a hollow box that can be opened and closed by slidably fitting the upper member into the lower member and that is placed on the lower plate; a mirror member attached to at least one of the four side walls of the box body consisting of the left and right plates and the front and rear plates with a mirror surface facing the internal space; having The mirror member forms a mirror surface from a planting surface on which plants are planted to a vicinity of an upper end of an inner surface of the side wall in the internal space. A terrarium container.

2. The inner tray includes a bottom plate having a shape substantially similar to the inner surface of the lower plate, and an inner plate extending upward from each side of the bottom plate, The height from the top surface of the bottom plate to the top end of the inner plate is 5 to 25 mm; The left and right plates and the front and rear plates are formed so that the opposing plates are slightly inclined in a direction in which they approach each other toward the tip ends, The sum of the distance between the outer surfaces of the two opposing inner plates and the thickness of the mirror member is equal to or smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces at the base ends of the front and rear plates.

2. The terrarium container of claim 1.

3. 3. A terrarium product according to claim 1, wherein a planting material is disposed within the inner tray, and a plant is planted in the planting material.

4. The lower plate and the bottom plate of the inner tray arranged to face the inner surface of the lower plate are square. The terrarium product according to claim 3, wherein two characteristic areas each of which provides a spatial characteristic in the height direction due to a difference in height between them are arranged near two adjacent corners of the bottom plate when viewed from above.

Images