Carton and package

Abstract

To provide a carton which can easily store a plurality of objects to be stored whose shapes and sizes are different, especially an object to be stored having a substantially spherical shape such as a hen egg, while restricting their positions.SOLUTION: A carton includes: a cylindrical storage part 40 constituted by a bottom plate 12, four side walls 13-16 disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the bottom plate, and a top plate 18 disposed opposing to the bottom plate on the side walls, in an assembled state; a first restriction plate 22 extending toward the storage part from the side wall 15; and a second restriction plate 20 extending toward the storage part from the top plate. By an object to be stored being arranged between two adjacent restriction plate parts 42 in the storage part or between the restriction plate part 42 and other side walls, the position of the object to be stored is restricted by the restriction plate parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to cartons and packages. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to reduce the amount of plastic packaging materials used, development of alternative paper packaging materials is underway. Conventionally, containers for storing eggs have been made of synthetic resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polystyrene. As for paper containers, molded ones having a shape similar to the above-mentioned packs have been used.

[0003] Also, as a paper container, a carton is known that is assembled by folding cardboard, corrugated board, or the like along a "ruled line" that is arranged in advance. As an example of such a carton, Patent Document 1 describes "an egg pack that is integrally formed from either corrugated board, cardboard, or synthetic paper, and in which a container body and a lid body are connected to each other via a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed, the container body comprising a bottom plate, a body peripheral wall portion surrounding the outer periphery of the bottom plate, and a lower support plate disposed inside the bottom plate at a distance from the bottom plate and having one or more holes formed therein for holding eggs, and the lid body comprising a top plate, a lid body peripheral wall portion surrounding the outer periphery of the top plate, and a lower support plate disposed inside the top plate at a distance from the top plate and having multiple holes formed therein for holding eggs." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility model registration No. 3180498 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to store roughly spherical, fragile objects such as chicken eggs, a structure is required to regulate the position of the objects in the storage section so that they do not collide with each other and break during transportation, etc. In Patent Document 1, in order to regulate the position of the objects to be stored, which are chicken eggs, a "lower support plate with multiple holes formed therein" and a "lower support plate with multiple holes formed therein" are provided, which are configured so that "the eggs can be held by sandwiching them from above and below, preventing them from rotating or colliding with each other."

[0006] However, when the objects to be contained are chicken eggs or the like, their shapes and sizes may vary even if they should be contained in one package. When the shapes and sizes vary, problems may arise in a configuration in which the object is held by fitting it into a recess or hole that matches the outer shape of the object, as described above. If the diameter of the object is larger than the diameter of the hole, it cannot be contained, and conversely, if the diameter of the object is too small, the function of regulating the position is insufficient, and there is a risk that the object will move during transportation and be damaged.

[0007] In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a measure such as "if you wish to prevent eggs of various sizes and shapes from shaking, store one or more sheets of cardboard of different thicknesses inside the top or bottom plate." However, this is not considered desirable as it increases the number of parts and requires time and effort for storage.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a carton that can easily accommodate a plurality of objects of different shapes and sizes, particularly roughly spherical objects such as eggs, while regulating their positions. Another object of the present invention is to provide a package. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] As a result of intensive research by the present inventors to solve the above problems, they have found that the above problems can be solved by the following configuration.

[0010] [1] A carton configured to be able to accommodate a plurality of items arranged side by side, which in an assembled state comprises a cylindrical storage section consisting of a bottom plate, four side walls arranged to surround the outer periphery of the bottom plate, and a top plate arranged on the side walls facing the bottom plate, and a regulating plate section consisting of a first regulating plate extending from at least one of the side walls toward the storage section, and a second regulating plate extending from the top plate toward the storage section, wherein the first regulating plate is formed by cutting into one of the side walls, and is supported at a first base end edge relative to one of the side walls so as to be freely rotatable with respect to the one of the side walls, with the first base end edge being a fold line, and the second regulating plate is formed by cutting into one of the side walls, and is supported at a first base end edge relative to the one of the side walls so as to be freely rotatable with respect to the other of the side walls, and the second regulating plate is formed by cutting into one of the side walls, and is supported at a first base end edge relative to the other of the side walls, with the first base end edge being a fold line. a plate is formed by cutting into the top plate, and is supported at its second base end edge so as to be freely rotatable relative to the top plate with the second base end edge as a fold, the first and second regulating plates are folded toward the storage section and overlap each other to form the regulating plate portion, and both of the first and second regulating plates are formed smaller than the contained item, and the contained item is placed between two adjacent regulating plate portions in the storage section, or between the regulating plate portion and another side wall perpendicular to the side wall, thereby regulating the position of the contained item by the regulating plate portion. [2] The carton described in [1], wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the top plate and one of the side walls has a break line for tearing. [3] The carton described in [2], wherein the break line extends from at least one selected from the group consisting of the first base end edge and the second base end edge and is arranged to reach the outer periphery of the top plate or one of the side walls. [4] The carton described in [2], wherein the break line is arranged from at least one end selected from the group consisting of the first base end edge and the second base end edge to reach the outer periphery of the top plate or one of the side walls, and further extends along the outer periphery after reaching the outer periphery. [5] A carton described in any of [2] to [4], wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the top plate and one of the side walls between two adjacent regulating plate portions is cut along the break line, and one of the contained items is removed. [6] A package comprising the carton according to any one of [1] to [4] and the object contained in the carton. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a carton that can easily accommodate a plurality of objects of different sizes, particularly substantially spherical objects such as eggs, while regulating their positions. Also, according to the present invention, there is provided a package. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package including a carton according to one embodiment of the present invention and chicken eggs (contained items) contained in the carton. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional end view taken along line AA. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a method for storing chicken eggs. [Diagram 5] 13 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before an insertion piece of the other bottom plate is inserted into a notch of the bottom plate. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described in detail below. The following description of the components may be based on a representative embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In this specification, a numerical range expressed using "to" means a range that includes the numerical values ​​before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits.

[0014] The embodiment shown below is an example that embodies the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention does not limit the materials, shapes, structures, and arrangements of the components to the following embodiment. The drawings are schematic. Therefore, the relationship and ratio between thickness and planar dimensions may differ from the actual ones, and the relationship and ratio between dimensions may differ between the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package including a carton according to one embodiment of the present invention and chicken eggs (contents) contained in the carton. The package 100 is composed of a carton 10 and eggs 1 contained in the carton 10. The carton 10 is made by assembling a single cardboard sheet into a box shape, and the carton 10 in Fig. 1 is in an assembled state. Five eggs 1 are contained side by side in the carton 10 for each package 100. In addition, axes and their directions are shown in each drawing for the purpose of explanation, and these will be referred to appropriately below.

[0016] The carton 10 has a cylindrical storage section 40 composed of a bottom plate 12, four side walls arranged to surround the bottom plate 12, and a top plate 18. In Fig. 1, the front side wall 15 and the left side wall 16 are shown, but in addition to the above, the carton 10 also has a rear side wall and a right side wall that face the side walls 15, 16, respectively, and is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0017] Five eggs 1 are stored in the storage section 40 in a row along the longitudinal direction of the carton 10. The storage section 40 is divided into five individual storage chambers 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 by two adjacent regulating plates 42, and one egg 1 is stored in each of the individual storage chambers 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65. The egg 1 stored in the rightmost individual storage chamber 65 is placed between the regulating plate 42 and the right side wall (not shown). As a result of the above, the regulating plate 42 made of the same material (cardboard) as the carton 10 is sandwiched between the eggs 1, so that the eggs 1 do not come into contact with each other. Furthermore, the position of each egg 1 is regulated by the regulating plate 42 (details will be described later), and the eggs 1 hardly move even during transportation of the package 100.

[0018] Although five eggs 1 are housed in the package 100, the package of the present invention is not limited to the above and may house two or more eggs 1. The number of regulating plate portions 42 provided in the carton 10 is adjusted based on the number of eggs 1 to be housed. Specifically, "(the number of eggs 1 to be housed)-1" number of regulating plate portions 42 are provided. Furthermore, although chicken eggs 1 are contained as the contained object in the package 100, the carton 10 of this embodiment can also be used to contain objects other than chicken eggs 1. In particular, the carton 10 can be used to efficiently contain contained objects that would be damaged by contact with each other and / or contained objects that are approximately spherical.

[0019] The restricting plate portion 42 is configured by overlapping a first restricting plate 22 and a second restricting plate 20. Of these, the first restricting plate 22 is formed by cutting the side wall 15 along the arc 24a and the side 24b, and bending the first base end side 24d as a fold line toward the storage portion 40 side. The first restricting plate 22 is supported at the first base end side 24d so as to be rotatable relative to the side wall 15 with the first base end side 24d as a fold line. The first restricting plate 22 is bent at the first base end side 24d with the side 24b and the arc 24a as cutting lines, resulting in a sector shape.

[0020] Edge 24b is located on ruling line 4s (see FIG. 3) shared by side wall 15 and bottom plate 12 (more specifically, bottom plate 12b described later). When first restricting plate 22, which is cut out along edge 24b, rotates at first base end edge 24d, at least a portion of first restricting plate 22 comes into contact with bottom plate 12 (bottom plate 12a). Therefore, friction (static friction force) occurs between first restricting plate 22 and bottom plate 12 (bottom plate 12a).

[0021] The first restricting plate 22 is formed smaller than the chicken egg 1. Specifically, the window 24c created by cutting out the first restricting plate 22 is formed to have an area smaller than the area occupied by the chicken egg 1 when viewed from the front. In this way, the chicken egg 1 is prevented from escaping to the outside of the storage section 40 through the window 24c.

[0022] The shape of the first regulating plate 22 is not limited to a sector shape. It may be a square, a triangle, or another polygon. It is preferable that the first base end edge 24d is approximately parallel to the side wall 16, since it is easier to regulate the position of the egg 1 more efficiently. It is also preferable that the edge 24b is formed on the ruling line 4s (see FIG. 3) shared by the side wall 15 and the bottom plate 12 (bottom plate 12a), since friction (static friction force) can be generated between the first regulating plate 22 and the bottom plate 12 (bottom plate 12a). When friction occurs between the first regulating plate 22 and the bottom plate 12, the egg 1, which is pushed in by the restoring force generated by bending the second base end edge 23c of the second regulating plate 20, is received on the opposite side (by the adjacent regulating plate portion 42), making it easier to regulate its position.

[0023] In this regard, the shape of the first restricting plate 22 may be a sector including the first base end side 24d and the side 24b serving as the cutting line, or may be a triangle, a rectangle, or another polygon including these. Among these, the sector shape and triangle shape are preferred because they make it easier to reduce the cutout area, make it easier to maintain the rigidity of the assembled carton 10, and make it easier to regulate the position of the eggs 1 by friction (produce friction with the bottom plate 12). The sector shape is particularly preferred because it makes it easier for the eggs 1 and the second regulating plate 20, which will be described later, to come into contact with each other. By making the first regulating plate 22 sector-shaped, it can accommodate a wider range of sizes of contained objects (eggs 1).

[0024] The second restricting plate 20 is formed by cutting the top plate 18 along the cut line 23a and folding the second base end side 23c as a fold line toward the storage section 40. The second restricting plate 20 is supported at the second base end side 23c so as to be rotatable relative to the top plate 18 with the second base end side 23c as a fold line. The second restricting plate 20 is defined by the second base end side 23c and the cut line 23a and has a substantially rectangular shape. The top plate 18 is cut along the cut line 23a and folded inward (towards the storage section 40) at the second base end side 23c.

[0025] The second restricting plate 20 is formed to be smaller than the chicken egg 1. In other words, in a plan view, the window 23b created by cutting out the second restricting plate 20 is formed to have an area smaller than the area occupied by the chicken egg 1. In this way, the chicken egg 1 is prevented from escaping to the outside of the storage section 40 through the window 23b.

[0026] The shape of the second regulating plate 20 is not limited to a rectangle. It may be a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon. From the viewpoint of being able to regulate the position of eggs 1 of various sizes, it is preferable that the second regulating plate 20 is longer in the left-right direction. On the other hand, by making the area smaller (the cut-out area becomes smaller), the rigidity of the carton 10 in the assembled state is more likely to be maintained high, and the escape of the eggs 1 is more likely to be prevented. In this respect, the shape of the second restricting plate 20 is preferably approximately rectangular, and more preferably approximately oblong. In particular, an approximately rectangular shape with the second base end side 23c as the short side is preferable, and the ratio of the length of the long side to the length of the short side is preferably 1.1 or more, more preferably 1.3 or more, and even more preferably 1.5 or more. There is no particular upper limit, but it is preferably 2.0 or less.

[0027] 2 is a partial cross-sectional end view taken along line AA. The egg 1 is contained in the containment section 40, in a regulating plate section 42 consisting of the first regulating plate 22 and the second regulating plate 20, and in an individual containment chamber 61 between the adjacent regulating plate section 42. The egg 1 is pushed rightward mainly by a restoring force generated from the bent portion of the second regulating plate 20, and is pressed against the first regulating plate 22 constituting the adjacent regulating plate section 42, thereby restricting its position. At this time, a frictional force (static frictional force) acts between the first restricting plate 22 and the bottom plate, so that the position can be restricted more reliably.

[0028] The first and second restricting plates 22 and 20 generate restoring forces at the first base end edge 24d and the second base end edge 23c, respectively, but because a frictional force (static frictional force) acts between the first restricting plate 22 and the floor plate, the force pushing the egg 1 to the right is more likely to be stronger for the second restricting plate 20. Also, in terms of receiving the egg 1 pushed in from the left by the second restricting plate 20, the first restricting plate 22, which receives a frictional force (static frictional force), is more suitable. Therefore, the regulating plate portion 42 is preferably arranged in the order of the first regulating plate 22, the second regulating plate 20 from left to right. In other words, it is preferable to arrange the regulating plate portions 42 in the order of the first regulating plate 22, the second regulating plate 20, and the egg 1 in the direction in which the restoring force acts. Note that the order of the first regulating plate 22 and the second regulating plate 20 may be reversed from that described above, or may be different for each individual storage chamber.

[0029] Returning to Fig. 1, the side wall 15 has perforated break lines 27a, 27b for cutting. The break lines 27a, 27b are used to take out and use a desired number of eggs 1 from the package 100. The break line 27a is provided so as to extend the first base end edge 24d, on the outer periphery of the side wall 15, and to reach the outer periphery (ruled line 3s) on the top plate 18 side. When removing an egg 1 from the left end (individual storage chamber 61), the side wall 15 is broken along the breaking line 27a, and then the egg 1 can be removed by using this as a clue to break the narrow portion 50 of the top plate 18.

[0030] Originally, the side wall 15 and the top plate 18 have narrow portions due to the first restricting plate 22 and the second restricting plate 20 being cut out, and the provision of the break line 27a as described above makes these portions easier to break, making it easier to take out the desired eggs 1. The carton 10 has the break line 27a extending the first base end edge 24d to the side wall 15, but in addition to the above, the top plate 18 may have a break line extending the second base end edge 23c. In this case, it is preferable that the break line extends from the second base end edge 23c toward the side wall that has the first restricting plate 22 (side wall 15 in the carton 10). This break line may reach the ruling line 3s. Alternatively, both of these may be provided.

[0031] A break line 27b is disposed from the first base end edge 24d of the second left window 24c toward the outer periphery of the side wall 15 (the ruling line 3s shared with the top plate 18) so as to extend from the first base end edge 24d at an angle in the opposite direction to the window 24c to which the base end edge belongs. The break line 27b extends from the end of the first base end edge 24d to the outer periphery of the side wall 15, and after reaching the outer periphery (the ruling line 3s), extends along the outer periphery (the ruling line 3s) in the opposite direction to the window 24c to which the base end edge belongs, as viewed from the first base end edge 24d.

[0032] By using the breaking line 27b configured in this manner, when removing the second or subsequent egg 1 from the left, by hooking a finger on the first restricting plate 22 and pulling it forward, the side wall 15 will partially break along the breaking line 27b, allowing the egg 1 to be removed. The breaking line 27b is more useful when removing the eggs 1 contained in the second individual containment chamber from the left onwards.

[0033] The material of the carton 10 is not particularly limited, and may be paper material such as cardboard, thick paper, synthetic paper, etc. The carton 10 is used by assembling one flat sheet of paper material. Next, a method of assembling and using the carton 10 will be described.

[0034] 3 is a development view of the carton 10. The arrangement of each part will be described with reference to the top plate 18. Note that up, down, left, and right in the following description refer to up, down, left, and right in FIG. 3, and are different from the front, back, left side, and right side in the assembled state.

[0035] First, the top plate 18 has a cut line 23a. The top plate 18 is cut along the cut line 23a, and the portion surrounded by this cut line and the second base end edge becomes the second restriction plate 20. A side wall 13 is disposed on the left side of the top plate 18, with a ruling line 2s in between. A bottom plate 12a is disposed on the left side of the side wall 13, with a ruling line 1s in between.

[0036] A side flap 14b is disposed on the upper side of the side wall 13 via a ruling line 10s. A side flap 16b is disposed on the lower side of the side wall 13 via a ruling line 5s.

[0037] Further, a side wall 15 is disposed on the right side of the top plate 18 via a ruling line 3s. A cut line consisting of an arc 24a and a side 24b is disposed on the side wall 15. The side wall 15 is cut along this cut line to form a first restricting plate 22.

[0038] A bottom plate 12b is disposed on the right side of the side wall 15 via a ruling line 4s. Two insertion pieces 25 are disposed on the outer periphery of the bottom plate 12b. During assembly, the insertion pieces 25 are inserted into slits 26 disposed along the ruling line 1s.

[0039] A side flap 14c is disposed on the upper side of the side wall 15 via a ruling line 12s. A side flap 16c is disposed on the lower side of the side wall 15 via a ruling line 7s.

[0040] Also, above the top plate 18, a first header plate 14a is arranged via a ruling line 11s, a gusset portion 14e is arranged via a ruling line 13s, and a second header plate 14d is arranged via a ruling line 14s. Further, below the top plate 18, a first header plate 16a is arranged via a ruling line 6s, a gusset portion 14e is arranged via a ruling line 8s, and a second header plate 14d is arranged via a ruling line 14s. Further, the second header plates 14d and 16d are each provided with an insertion piece 29. During assembly, the insertion piece 29 is inserted into an insertion hole 30 that is arranged along the ruling lines 11s and 6s.

[0041] Next, a method for assembling the carton 10 will be described. First, the side wall 13, the first header plate 14a, the side wall 15, and the first header plate 16a are mountain-folded along the ruling lines 2s, 6s, 3s, and 11s around the top plate 18. Next, the side flaps 14b and 16b are mountain-folded along the score lines 10s and 5s, respectively, and the side flaps 14c and 16c are mountain-folded along the score lines 12s and 7s.

[0042] With the first header plate 14a and the side flaps 14b, 14c overlapping, they are folded at the ruling lines 13s, 14s, the gusset portion 14e is overlapped from above, and the insertion piece 29 of the second header plate 14d is inserted into the insertion hole 30. This forms the right side wall. Similarly, the left side wall 16 is formed.

[0043] Next, the first regulating plate 22 is folded at the first base end side 24d toward the storage section 40. Similarly, the second regulating plate 20 is folded at the second base end side 23c toward the storage section 40. When this state is reached, the object to be stored (egg 1) is stored.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a method for storing eggs 1. Before assembling the bottom part of the carton 10, an egg 1 is inserted between the regulating plate part 42 formed by the first regulating plate 22 and the second regulating plate 20. At this stage, the bottom plate 12 is not completed, so the egg 1 can be easily inserted. In addition, since each individual storage chamber is partitioned by two regulating plates rotatably supported at their base end sides, the size can be flexibly changed according to the size of the eggs 1.

[0045] After all the eggs 1 (five eggs in the carton 10) have been accommodated in the state shown in FIG. 4, the bottom plates 12a and 12b are closed. 5 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the insertion piece 25 of the bottom plate 12b is inserted into the notch 26 of the bottom plate 12a. At this time, all of the eggs 1 are already contained in the container 40. When the insertion piece 25 is inserted into the notch 26, the bottom plate 12a and the bottom plate 12b overlap each other, and the bottom plate 12 is completed.

[0046] In the package 100, the contained object is a chicken egg 1, but the contained object that can be contained in the carton 10 is not limited to the above. The contained object is preferably substantially spherical or substantially oval-spherical. Since a substantially spherical or substantially oval-spherical contained object requires a plate with holes formed therein as in the prior art, or a recess corresponding to the shape of the object, in order to regulate the position of the object within the container 40, it has been difficult to make a single package with a simple structure that includes a mixture of objects of multiple sizes.

[0047] The carton 10 regulates the position of the contained items by a regulating plate portion 42 consisting of two regulating plates. These regulating plates are formed by cutting into the side walls 15 and the top plate 18 and bending them at their base ends, so that the restoring force generated at the bent parts can regulate the positions of eggs 1 even if eggs 1 of various sizes are mixed together. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Chicken egg 1s-14s ruling line 10 cartons 12 Bottom plate 13-16 Side wall 18 Tabletop 22 First Restriction Plate 20 Second Restriction Plate 24d 1st proximal edge 23c 2nd proximal edge 27a Break line 27b Break line 40 Storage unit 42 Regulating plate part 50 Narrow area 61-65 Individual Containment Room 100 packages

Claims

1. A carton configured to be able to accommodate a plurality of contained items side by side, In the assembled state, a cylindrical storage section including a bottom plate, four side walls arranged to surround an outer periphery of the bottom plate, and a top plate arranged on the side walls so as to face the bottom plate; a restricting plate portion including a first restricting plate extending from at least one of the side walls toward the storage portion, and a second restricting plate extending from the top plate toward the storage portion, the first regulating plate is formed by cutting one of the side walls, and is supported at a first base end side so as to be rotatable relative to one of the side walls with the first base end side being a fold line; The second restricting plate is formed by cutting the top plate, and is supported at a second base end side so as to be rotatable relative to the top plate with the second base end side being a fold line. The first and second regulating plates are folded toward the storage portion and overlap each other to form the regulating plate portion, The first regulating plate and the second regulating plate are both formed smaller than the object to be contained, A carton in which the position of the contained item is regulated by the regulating plate portion by placing the contained item between two adjacent regulating plate portions in the storage section, or between the regulating plate portion and another side wall perpendicular to the side wall.

2. 2. The carton of claim 1, wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the top panel and one of the side walls includes a tear-off break line.

3. 3. The carton according to claim 2, wherein the break line extends from at least one selected from the group consisting of the first base end edge and the second base end edge and is disposed so as to reach an outer periphery of the top plate or one of the side walls.

4. 3. The carton according to claim 2, wherein the break line is disposed from at least one end selected from the group consisting of the first base end edge and the second base end edge so as to reach the outer periphery of the top plate or one of the side walls, and further extends along the outer periphery after reaching the outer periphery.

5. The carton according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the top plate and one of the side walls between two adjacent regulating plate portions is cut along the break line, and one of the contained items is removed.

6. A package comprising the carton according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and an object contained in the carton.

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