Container

Abstract

To provide a container that can improve usability in the way it is opened.SOLUTION: A container 1 that is formed by folding a sheet 2 consists of at least a bottom wall 3, side walls 4a, 4b, top walls 5a, 5b, and front and rear walls 6a, 6b; in the enclosed form, the top walls 5a, 5b are folded inward from the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b, by unfolding from the enclosed form via the front and rear walls 6a, 6b, the container becomes an opened form of a box shape that has an opening 12 at the top, and the side walls 4a, 4b make such a shape that the centers protrude upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container formed by folding a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, containers capable of accommodating items such as food or dishes include those that are formed by folding a single paper sheet.

[0003] One example of this type of container is a box-shaped container consisting of a bottom wall that is rectangular in plan view, four side walls extending in all directions from the bottom wall, a top wall extending from the top edges of the four side walls, and a folding section provided between adjacent side walls; when two opposing top walls of the four top walls are engaged with each other, the container assumes a rectangular parallelepiped enclosed form; and when the four top walls are folded outward from the enclosed form, the container assumes a box-like opened form that opens upward; when unfolded into the opened form, the container can be used as is like tableware (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP-A-11-105943 (page 4, figures 3-4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the container described in Patent Document 1, when opened, the bottom wall is surrounded by upright side walls, and if the upper opening is narrow, the chopsticks come into contact with the side walls, making it difficult to stir or grab the food or dish inside, and therefore there are problems with usability when opened.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a container which can improve usability in an opened state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the container of the present invention comprises: A container formed by folding a sheet, The container has at least a bottom wall, a side wall, a top wall, and an edge wall. In the enclosed configuration, the top wall is folded inwardly from an upper edge of the side wall; By unfolding the container from the enclosed state through the ear walls, the container is opened into a box-like opened state having an opening at the top, The side wall is characterized in that the center portion is shaped to protrude upward. According to this feature, when the upper wall is folded along the upper edge of the side wall, the upper wall bulges outward in a convex shape, so that when the upper wall is stood upright in the opened configuration, the upper opening expands, making it easier to handle the contained items, thereby improving usability in the opened configuration.

[0008] The upper edge of the side wall is characterized by an upwardly convex arc. According to this feature, the inwardly folded upper wall bulges in a curved shape, making it less likely to develop creases.

[0009] The lower edge of the side wall connected to the bottom wall is characterized in that the center of the side wall is shaped to protrude downward. According to this feature, since the top wall and the bottom wall bulge vertically in a convex manner in the enclosed state, the shape of the container is less likely to be crushed.

[0010] The lower edge of the side wall, which is continuous with the bottom wall, is characterized in that it forms a downwardly convex arc. According to this feature, the bottom wall bulges in a curved shape in the enclosed state, making it difficult for creases to form.

[0011] The upper wall and the edge wall are connected via a folded portion. According to this feature, by folding the edge wall, the upper wall changes in tandem from the enclosed state to the opened state, so that fingers can be prevented from touching the contents when opening.

[0012] The edge walls are characterized in that, in the enclosed state, they are folded toward the bottom wall from the boundary with the bottom wall. According to this feature, in the enclosed state, the upper wall is pulled toward the ear wall, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0013] The upper wall is composed of a pair of upper walls, A left-right dimension of one of the pair of left and right upper walls is longer than a left-right dimension of the other of the pair of left and right upper walls, In the enclosed state, the pair of right and left upper walls are partially overlapped with each other. According to this feature, when changing from the enclosed form to the opened form or from the opened form to the enclosed form, the pair of left and right upper walls always slide up and down to avoid hitting each other, allowing the container to be opened and closed smoothly.

[0014] The front-to-back dimension of the ear wall is longer than the left-to-right dimension of the upper wall. According to this feature, since a part of the ear wall is located above the upper wall in the opened state, the container can be operated without interfering with the upper wall. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a container in a sealed form according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from diagonally above the front right; FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing a container in an opened form, as viewed from diagonally above the front right. [Diagram 2] (a) is a developed view showing the sheet, (b) is a plan view showing the sheet folded so that the bottom wall and top wall overlap, (c) is a plan view showing the container in an enclosed form, and (d) is a bottom view. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1(a) is a front view showing the container in a sealed form, and FIG. [Figure 4]1A is a plan view showing the state in which the sheet is folded so that the bottom wall and the top wall overlap, FIG. 1B is a right side view of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a CC cross-sectional view of FIG. [Diagram 5] 13A is a plan view showing the state in which the front and rear walls are folded upward, FIG. 13B is a right side view of FIG. 13A, and FIG. 13C is a DD cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a container in an opened form, and FIG. 1B is an E-E cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a right side view showing the container in an opened state, and FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the container in an upright position for use. [Figure 9] 1A is a development view showing a modified sheet of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the sheet folded so that the bottom wall and the top wall overlap, and FIG. 1C is a plan view showing the container in an enclosed form. [Figure 10] (a) is a plan view showing the state in which the sheet is folded so that the bottom wall and the top wall overlap, (b) is a right side view of (a), and (c) is a plan view showing a container in an enclosed form as a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A container according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the following examples. EXAMPLES

[0017] A container as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, the diagonally lower left side of Figures 1(a) and (b) will be referred to as the front of the container, the diagonally upper right side of Figures 1(a) and (b) will be referred to as the rear of the container, the diagonally upper left side of Figures 1(a) and (b) will be referred to as the left side of the container, the diagonally lower right side of Figure 1(a) will be referred to as the right side of the container, and the upper side of Figures 1(a) and (b) will be referred to as the upper side of the container.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is capable of containing food (in this embodiment, natto) as an example of an object to be contained, and is configured to be changeable between a sealed form in which natto N (see FIG. 3) is sealed inside as shown in FIG. 1(a) and an open form in which the top opens, making it possible to handle the natto N contained inside as shown in FIG. 1(b).

[0019] In this embodiment, the container has been exemplified as containing natto N, which is a food, as an example of the contained object, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the contained object may be, for example, food other than natto, such as oatmeal or sweets, or a dish. Furthermore, the contained object may be not only a viscous food such as natto, but also a powdered food such as soybean flour or a semi-solid food such as jelly. It may also be a meal kit that includes ingredients and a recipe. Furthermore, it may be an item other than food or a dish (for example, an adhesive and a hardening accelerator, and it is particularly preferable that a container for mixing these is required), etc.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2(a), the container 1 is made of a single sheet 2 having a substantially square shape in plan view, and each wall surface is formed by folding the sheet along pre-defined creases. In this embodiment, the sheet 2 is made of cardboard, but it may be made water-resistant or oil-resistant by laminating a resin on the surface, or may be a sheet made of synthetic resin. In addition, the description of the unfolded state of the sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2(a) will be based on the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions when the container 1 is in the enclosed form.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2(a), in a state where the sheet 2 is opened with the inner surface in the enclosed form facing upward, each wall surface is formed by valley folding along the broken valley fold line (inner fold line) and mountain folding along the chain mountain fold line (outer fold line). In detail, a bottom wall 3 is provided in the center of the sheet 2, side walls 4a and 4b are provided on the left and right sides of the bottom wall 3, top walls 5a and 5b are provided on the left and right sides of the side walls 4a and 4b, and front and rear walls 6a and 6b are provided on the front and rear sides of the bottom wall 3. In addition, a folding portion 7a is provided between the top wall 5a and the front and rear walls 6a, a folding portion 7b is provided between the top wall 5b and the front and rear walls 6a, a folding portion 7c is provided between the top wall 5a and the front and rear walls 6b, and a folding portion 7b is provided between the top wall 5b and the front and rear walls 6b.

[0022] The side walls 4a, 4b are formed in a spindle shape with the center in the front-rear direction bulging out to the left and right and gradually tapering toward the front and rear ends. In this way, the side walls 4a, 4b protrude in a convex shape toward the bottom wall 3 and the upper walls 5a, 5b, so that the boundary edge between the bottom wall 3 and the side walls 4a, 4b is formed in an outward concave shape, and the boundary edge between the upper walls 5a, 5b and the side walls 4a, 4b is formed in an inward concave shape.

[0023] In addition, a cutout 8 (a region indicated by dots in FIG. 2(a)) is formed on the left side of the sheet 2 by cutting out a part of the top wall 5a and the front and rear folded parts 7a, 7c. As a result, the left-right dimension L2 of the top wall 5a from the boundary edge with the side wall 4a to the left edge is shorter than the left-right dimension L1 of the top wall 5b from the boundary edge with the side wall 4b to the right edge (L1>L2). In addition, the front-rear dimension L3 of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b from the boundary edge with the bottom wall 3 to the front and rear edges is longer than the left-right dimension L1 of the top wall 5b from the boundary edge with the side wall 4b to the right edge (L3>L1). In addition, the left-right dimensions L1, L2 of the top walls 5a, 5b and the front-rear dimension L3 of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b are longer than the up-down dimension L4 of the side walls 4a, 4b (L1>L4, L2>L4, L3>L4).

[0024] To fold the sheet 2 into an enclosed form, first, as shown in Fig. 2(a), the top wall 5a and the front and rear folded portions 7a, 7c on the left side of the bottom wall 3 are folded inward along the valley fold line f1 facing in the front-rear direction, and then the top wall 5b and the front and rear folded portions 7b, 7d are folded inward along the valley fold line f2 facing in the front-rear direction. As a result, the side walls 4a, 4b stand up, the top walls 5a, 5b overlap and space above the bottom wall 3, and the left edges of the top wall 5b and the front and rear folded portions 7b, 7d overlap and contact the top of the right edges of the top wall 5a and the front and rear folded portions 7a, 7c (see Fig. 2(b)). Then, the front and rear walls 6a and the front edge portions 9a of the folding portions 7a, 7b, and the front and rear walls 6b and the rear edge portions 9b of the folding portions 7c, 7d are fixed together by a fixing means such as adhesive, double-sided tape, a stapler, or the like, to prevent the folded folding portions 7a to 7d from floating up.

[0025] Next, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the front and rear walls 6a and the folded portions 7a, 7b overlapping thereover are folded downward along the mountain fold line f3 facing in the vertical direction, and then the front and rear walls 6b and the folded portions 7c, 7d overlapping thereover are folded downward along the mountain fold line f4 facing in the vertical direction. As a result, the front and rear walls 6a and the folded portions 7a, 7b, and the front and rear walls 6b and the folded portions 7c, 7d overlap below the bottom wall 3 to form an enclosed shape (see Figs. 2(c) and (d)). The edges of the front and rear walls 6b and the folded portions 7c, 7d may be sealed with a seal 10 or the like.

[0026] 1(a) and 3(a) and (b), the container 1 is configured in a spindle cylinder box shape with a bottom wall 3 forming the bottom surface, upper walls 5a and 5b forming the upper surface, and side walls 4a and 4b forming the left and right side surfaces, with front and rear walls 6a and 6b and folding portions 7a to 7d folded below the bottom wall 3. The bottom wall 3 curves in a downwardly convex arc along the lower edges of the side walls 4a and 4b in a side view, and the upper walls 5a and 5b curve in a upwardly convex arc along the upper edges of the side walls 4a and 4b in a side view.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3(b), the front and rear edges of the bottom wall 3 and the top walls 5a, 5b are in contact with each other without the side walls 4a, 4b (although in this embodiment they are in contact with each other, they may be in close proximity), forming a box shape in a generally normal direction in a plan view, which is made up of four surfaces, the bottom wall 3, the side walls 4a, 4b, and the top walls 5a, 5b. As shown in Fig. 2(c), the left side wall 4a is formed concavely facing left in a plan view, and the right side wall 4b is formed concavely facing right in a plan view.

[0028] Next, a method of developing the container 1 from the sealed state to the opened state will be described. In the following, for the sake of convenience, illustration of the natto N contained in the container 1 will be omitted.

[0029] As shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), first, in the enclosed state, the front and rear end edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded parts 7a to 7d (see the two-dot chain line in Figure 4(b)) folded below the bottom wall 3 are grasped and spread out approximately horizontally in the front and rear direction along the valley fold lines f5, f6 facing the left and right direction of the boundary between the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the bottom wall 3. Here, when the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded parts 7a to 7d are folded downward, the upper walls 5a, 5b are pulled toward the front and rear sides by the front and rear walls 6a, 6b to generate tension, so that the edges of the upper walls 5a, 5b are maintained in a state of being in contact with each other and overlapping each other without floating up, improving the sealing performance (see the left diagram in Figure 4(c)).

[0030] If the inside is filled with natto N, the upper walls 5a, 5b are tensioned and a reaction force is applied from the inside, so that the upper walls 5a, 5b come closer to each other and the sealing condition is improved. By improving the sealing property in this way, it is no longer necessary to provide a film or the like to prevent drying, which is provided in general natto containers.

[0031] However, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the tension is reduced by the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded portions 7a to 7d expanding substantially horizontally in the front and rear direction, the upper walls 5a, 5b and the folded portions 7a to 7d are folded along the valley fold lines f7 to f10 formed diagonally in advance in the folded portions 7a to 7d and rise upward (see the right diagrams in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c)). Also, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the upper wall 5a is located below the upper wall 5b, and the left-right dimension L2 of the upper wall 5a is shorter than the left-right dimension L1 of the upper wall 5b. Therefore, the upper wall 5a always opens below the upper wall 5b, but is less likely to come into contact with the upper wall 5b due to its short dimension, so that it can be opened smoothly.

[0032] Next, as shown in Fig. 5(a)-(c), the front and rear walls 6a, 6b are folded upward along the valley fold lines f5, f6. As a result of this folding of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b, the folded portions 7a-7d are folded along the valley fold lines f7-f10 formed diagonally on the folded portions 7a-7d, so that the upper walls 5a, 5b stand up while expanding outwardly to the left and right, and the side walls 4a, 4b are inclined to the left and right. In other words, the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the upper walls 5a, 5b are connected to each other via the folded portions 7a-7d, so that the upper walls 5a, 5b stand up in conjunction with the folding of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b. As a result, the left and right side edges of the upper walls 5a, 5b and the folded portions 7a-7d expand to the left and right, and the upper opening 12 becomes larger.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6(a), (b) and Fig. 7(a), (b), when the front and rear walls 6a, 6b are in a substantially upright state, the folding parts 7a-7d are folded on the inner side of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b, so that the folding parts 7a-7d do not protrude above the bottom wall 3 and do not come into contact with the natto N. In addition, the upper walls 5a, 5b are in a substantially upright state together with the front and rear walls 6a, 6b. As a result, a box body is formed with an opening 12 of a substantially square shape in a plan view formed upward by the bottom wall 3, the upper walls 5a, 5b and the front and rear walls 6a, 6b, and the box body is in an openable state that can be used as tableware.

[0034] Further, the upper walls 5a and 5b are folded inward along the upper edges of the side walls 4a and 4b, causing the upper walls 5a and 5b to bulge outwardly convex (see Fig. 6(a)). When the upper walls 5a and 5b stand up, the left and right side edges of the upper opening 12 expand. This makes it difficult for the chopsticks to come into contact with the upper walls 5a and 5b, making it easier to handle the natto N with the chopsticks. Also, when the upper walls 5a and 5b stand up, the left and right side walls 4a and 4b tilt outward by about 45 degrees, causing the bottom surface of the accommodating portion to expand laterally, making it even easier to handle the natto N (see Fig. 7(b)). At this time, when the left and right side walls 4a and 4b tilt outward by about 45 degrees, the separation distance between the upper walls 5a and 5b is longer than the left and right dimensions of the bottom wall 3 (see Fig. 7(b)). Also, when the left and right side walls 4a and 4b tilt by about 45 degrees between the upper walls 5a and 5b and the bottom wall 3, the corners around the bottom wall 3 become obtuse angles rather than right angles, making it easier to take out the natto N. Therefore, the inside of the container 1 can be effectively used widely up to the corners.

[0035] Also, the front - rear dimension L3 of the front - rear walls 6a and 6b is longer than the left - right dimensions L1 and L2 of the upper walls 5a and 5b (L1, L2 < L3). When changing to the opened form by gripping the front - rear edge portions of the front - rear walls 6a and 6b, it becomes difficult for the fingers to come into contact with the upper walls 5a and 5b, preventing the folding operation of the front - rear walls 6a and 6b from being affected. Incidentally, after taking out the natto N in the opened form, by simply folding the front - rear walls 6a and 6b back down to the lower side of the bottom wall 3, it is possible to easily return from the opened form to the enclosed form. Therefore, when changing from the enclosed form to the opened form or from the opened form to the enclosed form, it is possible to open and close without getting the fingers dirty by touching the natto N.

[0036] Also, the vertical dimensions (left - right dimensions L1 and L2) of the upper walls 5a and 5b and the vertical dimensions (front - rear dimension L3) of the front - rear walls 6a and 6b, which are substantially upright in the opened form, are longer than the vertical dimension L4 of the side walls 4a and 4b in the enclosed form. In the opened form, the depth is greater than in the enclosed form. In this way, in the enclosed form, the natto N can be sealed compactly, while in the opened form, when stirring the natto N in the container 1, it is less likely for the natto N to spill or the hands to get dirty by touching, improving usability.

[0037] In addition, when the container 1 is in the enclosed state, the left and right sides of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded portions 7a-7d are positioned below the side walls 4a, 4b, and the container 1 is positioned outside the side walls 4a, 4b. Although the left and right side edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded portions 7a-7d are curved downwardly convexly, they are provided to extend linearly in the front and rear direction in a plan view. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the right side wall 4b (or the side wall 4a) is faced downward, and the left and right side edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folded portions 7a-7d are placed on the floor surface, so that the container 1 can be set upright.

[0038] [Actions and Effects] As described above, the container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a container 1 formed by folding the sheet 2, and is configured to have at least the bottom wall 3, the side walls 4a, 4b, the upper walls 5a, 5b, and the front and rear walls 6a, 6b. In the enclosed form, the upper walls 5a, 5b are folded inward from the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b, and the container is opened from the enclosed form via the front and rear walls 6a, 6b to form a box-like opened form having an opening 12 at the top, and the side walls 4a, 4b have a shape in which the center protrudes upward. According to this, when the upper walls 5a, 5b are folded along the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b, the upper walls 5a, 5b bulge outwardly in a convex shape, and when the upper walls 5a, 5b are erected in the opened form, the upper opening 12 expands, making it easier to handle the natto N, and thus improving usability in the opened form.

[0039] Furthermore, the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b form an upwardly convex arc, so that in the opened state, the upper walls 5a, 5b are folded inward and bulge in a curved shape, making it difficult for creases to form.

[0040] In addition, the lower edges of the side walls 4a, 4b connected to the bottom wall 3 are shaped so that the center protrudes downward, so that when the container is sealed, the upper walls 5a, 5b and the bottom wall 3 bulge upward and downward in a convex manner, making the shape of the container 1 less likely to be crushed.

[0041] Further, the lower edges of the side walls 4a and 4b connected to the bottom wall 3 form a downwardly convex arc, so that in the enclosed form, when the bottom wall 3 bulges in a curved shape, it is difficult to form creases.

[0042] Also, the upper walls 5a and 5b and the front and rear walls 6a and 6b are connected via folding portions 7a to 7d as folding parts. By folding the front and rear walls 6a and 6b, the upper walls 5a and 5b change in conjunction from the enclosed form to the opened form, so that it is possible to prevent fingers from touching the natto N when opening. Also, by simply performing the simple operation of folding the front and rear walls 6a and 6b once, it is possible to easily change from the enclosed form to the opened form or from the opened form to the enclosed form. In the opened form, the volume is larger than in the enclosed form, so not only the usability when grasping and taking out the natto N from the container 1, but also the usability when adding one more step such as stirring or adding seasonings such as tare or karashi is improved.

[0043] Also, in the enclosed form, the front and rear walls 6a and 6b are folded toward the bottom wall 3 side from the boundary with the bottom wall 3, so that in the enclosed form, the upper walls 5a and 5b are pulled by the front and rear walls 6a and 6b, thereby enhancing the sealing performance.

[0044] The upper wall consists of a pair of left and right upper walls 5a and 5b. The left - right dimension L2 of the upper wall 5a is shorter than the left - right dimension L1 of the other upper wall 5b (L1>L2). In the enclosed form, a part of each of the pair of left and right upper walls 5a and 5b overlaps vertically. When changing from the enclosed form to the opened form or from the opened form to the enclosed form, the pair of left and right upper walls 5a and 5b always move vertically, so that contact is avoided, and thus it can be opened and closed smoothly.

[0045] Also, the front - rear dimension L3 of the front and rear walls 6a and 6b is longer than the left - right dimensions L1 and L2 of the upper walls 5a and 5b (L1,L2<L3). In the opened form, a part of the front and rear walls 6a and 6b is located above the upper walls 5a and 5b, so that it can be operated without interfering with the upper walls 5a and 5b.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, the left and right side edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b are connected to the folding parts 7a to 7d when the seat 2 is unfolded as shown in FIG. 2(a), but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9(a), a cutout 20 having substantially the same shape as the side walls 4a, 4b may be formed between the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the left and right folding parts 7a to 7d. In other words, the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the left and right folding parts 7a to 7d do not necessarily have to be connected to each other. In addition, by making the cutout 20 into a spindle shape having substantially the same shape as the side walls 4a, 4b, when the folding parts 7a to 7d are folded toward the front and rear walls 6a, 6b as shown in FIG. 9(b), the left and right side edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding parts 7a to 7d become concave arcs toward the left and right sides.

[0048] As a result, as shown in Figure 9 (c), when the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a-7d are folded downwardly over the bottom wall 3, the left and right side edges of the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a-7d follow the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b, thereby preventing the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a-7d from protruding to the left or right of the side walls 4a, 4b. This prevents the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a-7d from bending due to contact.

[0049] In addition, in the above embodiment, in the enclosed form, the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a to 7d are folded below the bottom wall 3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), in the enclosed form, the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a to 7d may be folded above the bottom wall 3 (see the dashed double-dashed line in Figure 10(b)).

[0050] In the above embodiment, the side walls 4a, 4b are generally spindle-shaped in side view, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as at least the center of the upper edge continuing to the upper walls 5a, 5b is shaped to protrude upward, the side walls do not necessarily have to be generally spindle-shaped in side view. In addition, the upper edges of the side walls 4a, 4b are generally arc-shaped with an upward convex shape, but as long as the center is shaped to protrude upward, the shape does not necessarily have to be an arc, and the side walls may be generally triangular or generally convex.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the box is formed in a spindle cylinder shape consisting of four walls, the bottom wall 3, the side walls 4a, 4b, and the top walls 5a, 5b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as the box has at least a bottom wall, a side wall, a top wall, and edge walls, it does not necessarily have to have four walls, and may be formed into a box having five or more walls. The shape and size of each wall are also arbitrary and can be changed in various ways.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the left-right dimension L2 of the upper wall 5a is shorter than the left-right dimension L1 of the upper wall 5b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the left-right dimension L2 of the upper wall 5a may be longer than the left-right dimension L1 of the upper wall 5b, or the left-right dimension L2 of the upper wall 5a and the left-right dimension L1 of the upper wall 5b may be the same. Furthermore, the upper wall is formed of a pair of left and right upper walls 5a, 5b connected to the left and right side walls 4a, 4b, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper wall may be formed of a single upper wall folded inward from one of the left and right side walls 4a, 4b.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the container 1 is sealed with only natto N, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, seasonings such as sauces and mustard, instructions, etc. may be sandwiched between the bottom wall 3 and the front and rear walls 6a, 6b and the folding portions 7a to 7d (see FIG. 3(b)). In this way, the seasonings, instructions, etc. can be checked from the side, and the tension generated in the upper walls 5a, 5b can be adjusted, for example, by increasing the tension.

[0054] In addition, in the above embodiment, the container 1 is exemplified as being formed by folding one sheet 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the container may be formed by combining and folding two or more sheets. [Industrial Applicability]

[0055] The container of the present invention can be used to store foods other than natto, such as rice cakes, soybean flour, oatmeal, sweets, and ice cream, as well as prepared dishes and other dishes, meal kits, adhesives, sealants, small toys, stationery, coins, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 container 2 seats 3 Bottom wall 4a,4b side wall 5a,5b Upper wall 6a,6b Front and rear walls (ear walls) 7a~7d Folding section 8 Notch cutout 9a,9b Trailing edge 10 Seal 12 aperture 20 Notch N Natto (contained item)

Claims

1. A container formed by folding a sheet, The container has at least a bottom wall, a side wall, a top wall, and an edge wall. In the enclosed configuration, the top wall is folded inwardly from an upper edge of the side wall; By unfolding the container from the enclosed state through the ear walls, the container is opened into a box-like opened state having an opening at the top, The container is characterized in that the side wall has a shape in which the center protrudes upward.

2. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the upper edge of the side wall forms an upwardly convex arc.

3. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the lower edge of the side wall connected to the bottom wall has a shape in which the center protrudes downward.

4. 4. The container according to claim 3, wherein a lower edge of the side wall connected to the bottom wall forms a downwardly convex arc.

5. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the upper wall and the edge wall are connected via a folded portion.

6. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the edge wall is folded toward the bottom wall from a boundary with the bottom wall in the enclosed state.

7. The upper wall is composed of a pair of upper walls, A left-right dimension of one of the pair of left and right upper walls is longer than a left-right dimension of the other of the pair of left and right upper walls, 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein in the enclosed state, the pair of left and right upper walls partially overlap each other vertically.

8. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the front-to-rear dimension of the edge wall is longer than the left-to-right dimension of the upper wall.

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