Container and container design method

Abstract

To provide a container capable of preventing a spoon or the like from getting caught in front of a placement surface part of a leg when scooping a contained item with the spoon or the like along a bottom surface part.SOLUTION: A container 1 according to the present invention comprises a bottom portion 2, a side portion 3, and leg portions 4. The bottom portion 2 comprises a leg mounting surface portion 21 on which the leg portions 4 are placed when the containers 1 are stacked together, a first curved surface portion 22 formed from the leg mounting surface portion 21 toward a central portion 25 of the bottom portion 2 and curved so as to be convex with respect to a storage space V, and a second curved surface portion 23 formed from the first curved surface portion 22 toward the central portion 25 and curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space V. The leg portion 4 has a contact surface 43 coming in contact with the leg mounting surface portion 21. A length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 in a reference direction orthogonal to the side portion 3 in plan view is greater than a movable volume MA of the container 1 in the reference direction when the containers 1 are superimposed on each other, and equal to or less than the total value of the movable volume MA of the container and a length AL of the contact surface 43 in the reference direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container and a method for designing a container. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that the bottom surface of a container that holds an object to be contained is provided with a leg support surface portion on which the legs of the container are placed when the containers are stacked on top of each other, and a curved surface portion formed from the leg support surface portion toward the center (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-60626 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional containers such as that described in Patent Document 1 have a large curvature in the curved portion formed from the center of the bottom portion toward the surface where the legs are placed, so when scooping the contents along the bottom portion with a spoon or the like, there is a problem that the spoon or the like gets caught just before the surface where the legs are placed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container and a method for designing a container that can prevent a spoon or the like from getting caught just before the support surface of the leg when scooping contents along the bottom surface with the spoon or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The container of the present invention is a container for containing an object to be contained, and comprises a bottom surface portion, a side surface portion that, together with the bottom surface portion, forms a storage space capable of containing the object to be contained, and legs extending from the bottom surface portion in a direction opposite to the side surface portion, the bottom surface portion being provided with a leg placement surface portion on which the legs are placed when the containers are stacked together, a first curved surface portion that is formed from the leg placement surface portion toward a center portion of the bottom surface portion and curved so as to be convex with respect to the storage space, and a second curved surface portion that is formed from the first curved surface portion toward the center portion. and a second curved surface portion curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space, and the legs have a contact surface that abuts against the leg mounting surface portion when placed on the leg mounting surface portion, and in a planar view of the container when the bottom surface portion is viewed from the storage space side, the length of the leg mounting surface portion in a reference direction perpendicular to the side surface portion is greater than the amount of movement of the container in the reference direction when the containers are stacked on top of each other and is less than or equal to the sum of the amount of movement of the container and the length of the contact surface in the reference direction.

[0007] According to the present invention, in a plan view of the container, the length of the leg support surface portion in the reference direction perpendicular to the side portion is greater than the amount of movement of the container in the reference direction when the containers are stacked on top of each other, and is equal to or less than the sum of the amount of movement and the length of the abutment surface of the leg in the reference direction, so that the length of the leg support surface portion in the reference direction can be set short within a range in which the leg does not come off the leg support surface portion when the containers are stacked on top of each other. Therefore, the curvature of the curved portion of the bottom portion toward the leg support surface portion can be reduced, so that when the contents are scooped up along the bottom portion with a spoon or the like, the spoon or the like can be prevented from getting caught in front of the leg support surface portion.

[0008] The container design method of the present invention is a method for designing a container in which an object to be contained is contained, the container comprising a bottom surface portion, a side surface portion which, together with the bottom surface portion, forms a storage space capable of accommodating the object to be contained, and legs extending from the bottom surface portion in a direction opposite to the side surface portion, the bottom surface portion comprising a leg placement surface portion on which the legs are placed when the containers are stacked together, a first curved surface portion which is formed from the leg placement surface portion toward a center portion of the bottom surface portion and curved so as to be convex with respect to the storage space, and a second curved surface portion which is formed from the first curved surface portion toward the center portion and curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space. the legs have a contact surface that contacts the leg mounting surface when placed on the leg mounting surface, and a first dimension setting step for setting dimensions of the side portions and the legs and a second dimension setting step for setting dimensions of the bottom portion are carried out, and in the second dimension setting step, in a plan view of the container when the bottom portion is seen from the storage space side, the length of the leg mounting surface in a reference direction perpendicular to the side portions is set to be greater than the amount of movement of the containers in the reference direction when the containers are stacked on top of each other and less than the sum of the amount of movement of the containers and the length of the contact surface in the reference direction.

[0009] According to the present invention, a container can be designed that provides the above-mentioned advantages.

[0010] In the container design method of the present invention, the second dimension setting step may include temporarily setting the dimensions of the bottom portion, manufacturing a plurality of the containers to have the temporarily set dimensions, pairing the manufactured plurality of the containers with each pair of containers, measuring the amount of movement of the container in the reference direction for each pair, setting the largest measured amount of movement as the maximum amount of movement of the container, and setting the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction to be greater than the maximum amount of movement and less than the sum of the maximum amount of movement and the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction.

[0011] According to the present invention, the amount of movement of multiple containers 1 that are actually manufactured is measured, and the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction is set using the largest amount of movement among them as the possible movement amount, so that the length of the leg mounting surface portion can be reliably set short within a range where the legs do not come off the leg mounting surface portion when the containers are stacked on top of each other.

[0012] In the container design method of the present invention, the first dimension setting step may set a minimum allowable dimension and a maximum allowable dimension of the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction, and the second dimension setting step may set the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction so that the minimum allowable dimension of the length of the leg mounting surface portion is greater than the maximum allowable amount of movement obtained by twice the distance between the outer edge of the abutment surface when the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction is the minimum allowable dimension and the outer edge of the leg mounting surface portion when the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction is the maximum allowable dimension, and the maximum allowable dimension of the length of the leg mounting surface portion is less than the sum of the maximum allowable amount and the maximum allowable dimension of the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction.

[0013] According to the present invention, the length of the leg supporting surface portion in the reference direction is set in relation to the minimum and maximum allowable dimensions of the length of the leg supporting surface portion and the minimum and maximum allowable dimensions of the length of the abutment surface of the leg in the reference direction.Therefore, the length of the leg supporting surface portion can be easily set short within a range in which the legs do not come off the leg supporting surface portion when the containers are stacked on top of each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] A longitudinal cross-section of stacked containers. [Diagram 5] A longitudinal cross-section of stacked containers. [Figure 6] A longitudinal cross-section of stacked containers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when directions are indicated, up is the direction of the Z-axis arrow and down is the opposite direction, left is the direction of the X-axis arrow and right is the opposite direction, and front is the direction of the Y-axis arrow and rear is the opposite direction. In the second and subsequent embodiments, the description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment and the configuration having similar functions will be omitted or simplified.

[0016] [First embodiment] [Overall configuration] In Fig. 1, container 1 has a storage space V capable of storing an object to be stored, and as shown in Fig. 2, containers 1 are configured to be stackable by inserting another container 1 into the storage space V. Note that container 1 of this embodiment is made of plastic by injection molding or blow molding, and stores gel-like foods such as pudding and jelly as objects to be stored in storage space V. Furthermore, when container 1 of this embodiment is shipped as a product in which objects to be stored are stored in storage space V, as shown in Fig. 1, a sealing sheet 5 such as a film that seals storage space V is attached to the upper end surface.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, container 1 has a bottom portion 2, a side portion 3 that forms a storage space V together with bottom portion 2, and legs 4 extending from bottom portion 2 in the opposite direction to side portion 3.

[0018] The bottom surface portion 2 is provided with, in order from its outer edge toward the center portion 25, a leg placement surface portion 21, a first curved surface portion 22, a second curved surface portion 23, and a third curved surface portion 24. In the case of this embodiment, the bottom surface portion 2 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view of the container 1 when the bottom surface portion 2 is seen from the storage space V side.

[0019] The leg placement surface 21 is a flat portion on which the leg 4 is placed when the containers 1 are stacked, and constitutes the outer edge of the bottom surface 2. In a plan view of the container 1, the length (width) PL of the leg placement surface 21 in a reference direction perpendicular to the side surface 3 is greater than the movable amount MA (see FIG. 4) of the container 1 in the reference direction when the containers 1 are stacked, and is equal to or less than the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length (width) AL of the abutment surface 43 of the leg 4 in the reference direction. Note that the direction perpendicular to the side surface 3 in a plan view of the container 1 differs depending on the position of the intersection where the direction intersects with the side surface 3, so the reference direction is arbitrarily determined according to the position of the intersection. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the cross sections of the bottom surface 2 and the side surface 3 are formed in a circular shape in a plan view of the container 1, so the reference direction is the radial direction of the container 1.

[0020] The first curved surface portion 22 is formed from the leg-supporting surface portion 21 toward the center portion 25 of the bottom surface portion 2, and is curved so as to be convex toward the storage space V.

[0021] The second curved surface portion 23 is formed from the first curved surface portion 22 toward the central portion 25, and is curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space V. Note that the radius of curvature R2 of the second curved surface portion 23 is larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the first curved surface portion 22, and the second curved surface portion 23 has a smaller curvature than the first curved surface portion 22.

[0022] The third curved surface portion 24 is a portion including the central portion 25 of the bottom surface portion 2, is a portion located more inward than the second curved surface portion 23, and is curved so as to be convex toward the storage space V. The surface of the central portion 25 facing the storage space V is formed into a spherical shape that protrudes slightly toward the storage space V side.

[0023] The side surface portion 3 has the same shape as the side surface of an upside-down circular truncated cone, and extends so as to expand in diameter upward from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 2. Although not shown in the figure, the outer peripheral surface 31 of the side surface portion 3 has a plurality of annular protrusions arranged in the vertical direction and extending in the circumferential direction.

[0024] The leg portion 4 is formed in an annular shape along the outer periphery of the bottom surface portion 2 and in a shape that tapers away from the bottom surface portion 2. The leg portion 4 has an outer periphery surface 41, an inner periphery surface 42, and an abutment surface 43 that abuts against the leg portion mounting surface portion 21 when placed on the leg portion mounting surface portion 21.

[0025] The outer peripheral surface 41 has a shape in which the outer peripheral surface 31 of the side portion 3 is extended downward, and the inclination angle with respect to the center line CL (center line CL of the container 1) passing through the center CR as the reference position of the bottom portion 2 is the same as the inclination angle of the outer peripheral surface 31 of the side portion 3 with respect to the center line CL.

[0026] The inner circumferential surface 42 extends from the bottom surface portion 2 in parallel to the center line CL, and the diameter dimension from the center line CL is constant regardless of the distance from the bottom surface portion 2.

[0027] The contact surface 43 is a tip surface of the leg 4, and contacts the leg-supporting surface portion 21 when the leg 4 is placed on the leg-supporting surface portion 21.

[0028] The above containers 1 are stored in a stacked state from the viewpoint of transportation efficiency and the like. Since manufacturing errors may occur in the size of the containers 1, the upper container 1 may move radially relative to the lower container 1 in the stacked state. For example, the upper container 1 shown in FIG. 4 can move leftward relative to the lower container 1 by the distance between the outer edge 21A of the leg-receiving surface 21 of the lower container 1 and the outer edge 43A of the abutment surface 43 of the upper container 1. That is, the upper container 1 can move radially relative to the lower container 1 with a movable amount MA that is twice the distance between the outer edge 21A of the leg-receiving surface 21 of the lower container 1 and the outer edge 43A of the abutment surface 43 of the upper container 1. Even in this case, in order to prevent the legs 4 from coming off the leg-receiving surface 21 and causing deformation or damage to the container 1, it is necessary to continue supporting the legs 4 by the leg-receiving surface 21 while keeping them in contact with the leg-receiving surface 21. In this regard, the longer the length PL of the leg placement surface portion 21 is, the more the leg 4 can be continuously supported by the leg placement surface portion 21 even if the container 1 moves in the radial direction.

[0029] On the other hand, if the length PL of the leg placement surface portion 21 is increased, the curvature of the curved surface portions 22, 23 on the central portion 25 side becomes larger than that of the leg placement surface portion 21, and the curve of the curved surface portions 22, 23 becomes tighter. If this happens, when scooping the contents with a spoon or the like along the bottom surface portion 2, the spoon or the like will get caught in front of the leg placement surface portion 21. To solve this, it is necessary to reduce the curvature of the curved surface portions 22, 23, and to do so, it is necessary to make the length PL of the leg placement surface portion 21 as short as possible within a range in which the leg 4 does not come off the leg placement surface portion 21 even if the stacked containers 1 move.

[0030] For the above reasons, the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 is greater than the movable amount MA of the container 1 when the containers 1 are stacked on top of each other, and is less than the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length AL of the abutment surface 43 of the leg 4. This allows the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 to be shortened within a range in which the leg 4 does not come off the leg placement surface 21 even if the stacked containers 1 move. Therefore, the curvature of the curved surface portions 22 and 23 can be reduced, so that when the contents are scooped with a spoon or the like along the bottom surface portion 2, the spoon or the like can be prevented from getting caught in front of the leg placement surface 21. In particular, reducing the curvature of the first curved surface portion 22 is very effective in preventing the spoon from getting caught.

[0031] [Design method] In designing the container 1, a first dimension setting step is performed to set the dimensions of the side portion 3 and the leg portion 4 (step ST11). In the first dimension setting step, the opening and bottom opening diameters of the container 1, i.e., the upper end opening diameter and the lower end opening diameter of the side portion 3, are set first, and then the dimensions of the other portions are set. Then, a second dimension setting step is performed to set the dimensions of the bottom portion 2 based on these dimensions. It is preferable that all the containers 1 are manufactured to have the set dimensions, but in reality, manufacturing errors occur due to factors such as the type of material used, such as resin, the type of machine used to mold the container 1, and molding conditions (molding temperature, injection pressure, cooling time, etc.). At the initial stage of the second dimension setting step, it is uncertain how much the manufacturing error will be, so the manufacturing error is predicted from the contents of the factors and past experience, and the dimensions of the bottom portion 2 are provisionally set based on this prediction (step ST12).

[0032] Next, a plurality of containers 1 are manufactured in an actual manufacturing device so as to have the set dimensions (step ST13). After that, the manufactured plurality of containers 1 are arranged into a plurality of pairs, and the containers 1 of each pair are stacked on top of each other, and the radial movement amount of the container 1 is measured for each pair in this state (step ST14). Here, the movement amount of the container 1 in each pair may differ from pair to pair, but this difference is caused by the manufacturing error of the container 1, and therefore can be used as a design tolerance. Therefore, the largest movement amount among the measured amounts is set as the maximum movable amount MA of the container 1, and this maximum movable amount MA is treated as a tolerance, and finally the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is set to be greater than the maximum movable amount MA and less than the sum of the maximum movable amount MA and the length AL of the abutting surface 43 (step ST15).

[0033] For example, when the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 is set slightly longer than the movable amount MA of the container 1, even if the upper container 1 moves radially by the movable amount MA, at least the outer edge 43A of the abutment surface 43 of the leg 4 of the upper container 1 is placed and supported on the leg placement surface 21 of the lower container 1, as shown in Fig. 5. On the other hand, when the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 is set to the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length AL of the abutment surface 43, as shown in Fig. 6, when the upper container 1 moves by the movable amount MA, the inner edge 43B of the abutment surface 43 of the upper container 1 roughly coincides with the inner edge 21B of the leg placement surface 21 of the lower container 1 in the vertical direction. Therefore, by setting the length PL of the leg supporting surface 21 to be greater than the movable amount MA of the container 1 and less than the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length AL of the abutment surface 43, the length PL of the leg supporting surface 21 can be shortened within a range in which the leg 4 does not come off the leg supporting surface 21.

[0034] After setting the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21, the curvatures of the first curved surface portion 22, the second curved surface portion 23, and the third curved surface portion 24 of the bottom surface portion 2 are set (step ST16). At this time, the curvatures of the curved surface portions 22-24 may be set one by one in any order, or the curvatures of any two of the curved surface portions 22-24 may be set first, and then the curvature of the remaining one may be set.

[0035] According to the above embodiment, in a plan view of the container 1, the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 in the reference direction perpendicular to the side surface 3 is greater than the movable amount MA of the container 1 in the reference direction when the containers 1 are stacked on top of each other, and is equal to or less than the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length AL of the abutment surface 43 in the reference direction, so that the length PL of the leg placement surface 21 in the reference direction can be set short within a range in which the legs 4 do not come off the leg placement surface 21 when the containers 1 are stacked on top of each other. Therefore, the curvature of the curved surface portions 22, 23 of the bottom surface 2 facing the leg placement surface 21 can be reduced, so that when the contents are scooped up along the bottom surface 2 with a spoon or the like, the spoon or the like can be prevented from getting caught in front of the leg placement surface 21.

[0036] [Second embodiment] In this embodiment, the container 1 is designed by a design method different from that of the first embodiment. The shape of the container 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0037] When designing the container 1 using the design method of this embodiment, a first dimension setting step is first performed to set the dimensions of the side portion 3 and the leg portion 4 (step ST21). At this time, the tolerance of the abutment surface 43 of the leg portion 4, i.e., the minimum allowable dimension and the maximum allowable dimension of the length AL of the abutment surface 43, are set. Then, based on these dimensions, a second dimension setting step is performed to set the dimensions of the bottom portion 2 (step ST22).

[0038] Here, in order to make the length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 larger than the movable amount MA of the container 1 when the containers 1 are stacked on top of each other and equal to or smaller than the sum of the movable amount MA of the container 1 and the length AL of the abutment surface 43 of the leg 4, it is necessary to take into consideration the manufacturing error of the container 1. That is, the length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 when the length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 is shortest due to the manufacturing error needs to be larger than the maximum movable amount MA of the container 1 due to the manufacturing error, and the length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 when the length PL of the leg mounting surface portion 21 is longest due to the manufacturing error needs to be equal to or smaller than the sum of the maximum movable amount MA and the length AL of the abutment surface 43 when it is longest due to the manufacturing error. Further, the maximum movable amount MA of the container 1 due to manufacturing error is twice the distance between the outer edge 43A of the contact surface 43 when the length AL of the contact surface 43 is the minimum allowable dimension and the outer edge 43A of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 when the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is the maximum allowable dimension. Therefore, in the second dimension setting step, the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is set so that the minimum allowable dimension of the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is greater than the maximum movable amount MA obtained by doubling the distance between the outer edge 43A of the contact surface 43 when the length AL of the contact surface 43 is the minimum allowable dimension and the outer edge 43A of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 when the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is the maximum allowable dimension, and the maximum allowable dimension of the length PL of the leg-receiving surface portion 21 is set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum movable amount MA and the maximum allowable dimension of the length AL of the contact surface 43 (step ST23). The maximum allowable dimension is the maximum dimension including an allowable error, and the minimum allowable dimension is the minimum dimension including an allowable error.

[0039] For example, when the minimum allowable dimension of the length PL of the leg-receiving surface 21 is set slightly larger than the maximum movable amount MA obtained as described above, as shown in Fig. 5, even if the upper container 1 moves in the radial direction by the maximum movable amount MA, at least the outer edge 43A of the abutment surface 43 of the leg 4 of the upper container 1 is placed and supported on the leg-receiving surface 21 of the lower container 1. On the other hand, when the maximum allowable dimension of the length PL of the leg-receiving surface 21 is set to the sum of the maximum movable amount MA and the maximum allowable dimension of the length AL of the abutment surface 43, as shown in Fig. 6, when the upper container 1 moves by the maximum movable amount MA, the inner edge 43B of the abutment surface 43 of the upper container 1 roughly coincides with the inner edge 21B of the leg-receiving surface 21 of the lower container 1 in the vertical direction. Therefore, by setting the minimum and maximum allowable dimensions of the length PL of the leg-supporting surface portion 21 as described above, the length PL of the leg-supporting surface portion 21 can be shortened within a range in which the leg 4 does not come off the leg-supporting surface portion 21.

[0040] After setting the dimensions of the leg-receiving surface portion 21, the curvatures of the first curved surface portion 22, the second curved surface portion 23, and the third curved surface portion 24 of the bottom surface portion 2 are set (step ST24). At this time, the curvatures of the curved surface portions 22-24 may be set one by one in any order, or the curvatures of any two of the curved surface portions 22-24 may be set first, and then the curvature of the remaining one may be set.

[0041] The embodiment described above also provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0042] [Variations] As described above, the best configuration, method, etc. for carrying out the present invention are disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention is mainly illustrated and described with respect to a specific embodiment, but a person skilled in the art can make various modifications to the above-described embodiment in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and purpose of the present invention. In addition, the description of the shape, material, etc. disclosed above, which is limited, is illustratively described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, so that the description of the names of the members from which some or all of the limitations of the shape, material, etc. are removed is included in the present invention.

[0043] For example, the container 1 may be formed by a resin molding other than injection molding or blow molding, and may be formed from a material such as a resin other than plastic, ceramic, or metal. If there are changes in factors related to the manufacturing error of container 1, such as changes in the specifications of the machine that molds container 1 or the molding conditions, the second dimension setting process may be carried out again to review the design and confirm its validity.

[0044] The bottom surface portion 2 does not have to be formed in a circular shape when viewed in a plane, but may be formed in an approximately polygonal shape such as an approximately triangular or approximately rectangular shape, or may be formed in an oval or elliptical shape. The bottom surface portion 2 may have a flat portion in place of the third curved surface portion 24, or on the inside of the outer edge portion of the third curved surface portion 24 but leaving the outer edge portion so as to include a central portion 25. The bottom surface 2 may have a smaller curvature for the first curved surface portion 22 than for the second curved surface portion 23, or the curvatures of the first curved surface portion 22 and the second curved surface portion 23 may be the same, or the surface of the central portion 25 facing the storage space V may be a flat surface.

[0045] The side portion 3 may have, for example, the same shape as the side shape of a non-inverted truncated cone, or may have a cylindrical shape, or may have the same shape as the side shape of an inverted or non-inverted truncated pyramid, or may have a rectangular cylindrical shape such as a square or pentagon.

[0046] The leg portions 4 may be in a shape that is arranged intermittently in a ring shape, and may be formed, for example, in the shape of a plurality of arcs that are arranged intermittently along the outer periphery of the bottom portion 2. The leg portion 4 does not have to be formed in a shape that becomes thinner as it moves away from the bottom portion 2; for example, the outer peripheral surface 41 may extend parallel to the center line CL from the bottom portion 2, like the inner peripheral surface 42, or the outer peripheral surface 41 may be shaped to move away from the center line CL as it moves away from the bottom portion 2, or the inner peripheral surface 42 may be shaped to move away from the center line CL as it moves away from the bottom portion 2. The outer peripheral surface 41 and the inner peripheral surface 42 may be formed parallel to each other, i.e., with the same inclination angle relative to the center line CL, or, for example, may be shaped so that they are parallel to each other and move away from the center line CL as they move away from the bottom portion 2, or may extend parallel to each other from the bottom portion 2 and parallel to the center line CL, or may be shaped so that they are parallel to each other and approach the center line CL as they move away from the bottom portion 2.

[0047] The reference direction may be any direction perpendicular to the side portion 3 when viewed in a plan view of the container 1. For example, if the cross section of the bottom portion 2 and the side portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape, the reference direction for the short side is the direction parallel to the long side, and the reference direction for the long side is the direction parallel to the short side.

[0048] The items contained in container 1 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, non-gelling foods such as jam, marmalade, and fruit sauce; solid foods such as nuts, almonds, chocolate, gummies, fruit, fruit pulp, agar, and rice flour dumplings; granular foods such as peppercorns, sugar, and salt; beverages such as juice, tea, and water; cheese, margarine, and butter; or items other than food. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1...container, 2...bottom portion, 3...side portion, 4...leg portion, 21...leg support surface portion, 22...first curved surface portion, 23...second curved surface portion, 24...third curved surface portion, 25...central portion, 43...contact surface, AL...length of contact surface, MA...amount of movement, PL...length of leg support surface portion, V...storage space.

Claims

1. A container for storing an object to be stored, A bottom portion and A side surface portion that, together with the bottom surface portion, forms a storage space capable of storing the object to be stored; a leg portion extending from the bottom surface portion in a direction opposite to the side surface portion, The bottom surface portion is a leg support surface portion on which the leg is placed when the containers are stacked together; a first curved surface portion that is formed from the leg placement surface portion toward a center portion of the bottom surface portion and is curved so as to be convex with respect to the storage space; a second curved surface portion that is formed from the first curved surface portion toward the central portion and is curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space, the leg portion includes a contact surface that contacts the leg portion placement surface when the leg portion is placed on the leg portion placement surface, A container characterized in that, in a planar view of the container when the bottom portion is viewed from the storage space side, the length of the leg mounting surface portion in a reference direction perpendicular to the side portion is greater than the amount of movement of the container in the reference direction when the containers are stacked on top of each other, and is less than or equal to the sum of the amount of movement of the container and the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction.

2. A method for designing a container in which an object is to be contained, comprising the steps of: The container comprises: A bottom portion and A side surface portion that, together with the bottom surface portion, forms a storage space capable of storing the object to be stored; a leg portion extending from the bottom surface portion in a direction opposite to the side surface portion, The bottom surface portion is a leg support surface portion on which the leg is placed when the containers are stacked together; a first curved surface portion that is formed from the leg placement surface portion toward a center portion of the bottom surface portion and is curved so as to be convex with respect to the storage space; a second curved surface portion that is formed from the first curved surface portion toward the central portion and is curved so as to be concave with respect to the storage space, the leg portion includes a contact surface that contacts the leg portion placement surface when the leg portion is placed on the leg portion placement surface, a first dimension setting step for setting dimensions of the side surface portion and the leg portion; A second dimension setting step of setting the dimensions of the bottom surface portion is carried out; In the second dimension setting step, A container design method characterized in that, in a planar view of the container when the bottom portion is viewed from the storage space side, the length of the leg mounting surface portion in a reference direction perpendicular to the side portion is set to be greater than the amount of movement of the container in the reference direction when the containers are stacked on top of each other, and less than the sum of the amount of movement of the container and the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction.

3. In the second dimension setting step, A dimension of the bottom surface portion is provisionally set, A plurality of the containers are manufactured to have provisionally set dimensions, The manufactured plurality of containers are divided into a plurality of pairs, the containers of each pair are overlapped with each other, and the amount of movement of the containers in the reference direction is measured for each pair; A container design method as described in claim 2, characterized in that the largest measured movement amount is defined as the maximum movement amount of the container, and the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction is set to be greater than the maximum movement amount and less than the sum of the maximum movement amount and the length of the contact surface in the reference direction.

4. In the first dimension setting step, setting a minimum allowable dimension and a maximum allowable dimension of the length of the contact surface in the reference direction; In the second dimension setting step, The container design method of claim 2, characterized in that the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction is set so that the minimum allowable dimension of the length of the leg mounting surface portion is greater than the maximum amount of movement obtained by twice the distance between the outer edge of the abutment surface when the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction is the minimum allowable dimension and the outer edge of the leg mounting surface portion when the length of the leg mounting surface portion in the reference direction is the maximum allowable dimension, and the maximum allowable dimension of the length of the leg mounting surface portion is set to be less than the sum of the maximum amount of movement and the maximum allowable dimension of the length of the abutment surface in the reference direction.

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