Article storage structure

Abstract

To provide an article storage structure as a pulp mold buffer material that achieves a reduction in a workload required for assembly work without forming a space between a packing box and the pulp mold buffer material stored in the packing box.SOLUTION: An article storage structure 10 comprising a storage space whose upper face is open comprises a left folding side 12 bent leftward; and a rectangular-shaped bottom body 20 comprising a right folding side 13 bent rightward, a left wall body 30 connected to the left folding side 12 of the bottom body 20 in a foldable manner, and a right wall body 40 connected to the right folding side 13 of the bottom body 20 in the foldable manner are formed as a one-piece pulp molding sheet by a dry-type pulp molding method, using a material whose main raw material is pulp. With respect to the rectangular-shaped bottom body 20, the left wall body 30 is folded so as to become a right angle onto an inner side at the left folding side 12, and the right wall body 40 is folded so as to become a right angle onto an inner side at the right folding side 13 to be made rectangular-parallelepiped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a pulp mold cushioning material formed from a material mainly made of pulp.

Background Art

[0002] A cushioning material has been used between a packing box and an article to protect the article housed in the packing box from external loads, impacts, vibrations during transportation, etc. Also, in consideration of the environment, cushioning materials formed from materials mainly made of pulp, cellulose, etc., which are easy to dispose of or recycle, have been proposed. Since materials mainly made of pulp, cellulose, etc. have less plasticity than resin materials, etc., there are restrictions on the demolding direction and shape of the mold used for pulp mold forming, and a demolding gradient part is provided in the mold.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a packaging cushioning material by pulp mold formed using a material mainly made of pulp.

[0004] Also, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a paper protective body assembled by folding, molding, bonding, etc. using sheet-like paper.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In a conventional pulp molded cushioning material such as Patent Document 1, due to the extraction gradient portion provided in the pulp molded cushioning material, a space is formed between the pulp molded cushioning material housed in the packing box and the packing box, and the packing box is not supported by the pulp molded cushioning material. Due to external impacts or loads applied when multiple packing boxes are stacked, the packing box has been deformed.

[0007] Also, in a conventional cushioning material made by assembling sheet-like paper such as Patent Document 2, assembly work with a large amount of work such as folding and adhesion has been performed.

[0008] This invention was made to solve the above problems, and as a pulp molded cushioning material that does not form a space between the pulp molded cushioning material housed in the packing box and the packing box and has a small amount of work required for assembly work, an object is to provide an article housing structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To achieve the above object, a first invention is an article housing structure having a housing space with an open upper surface, formed from a material mainly made of pulp, comprising a bottom body having a bottom protruding portion protruding upward, a right bending side on the right side, and a left bending side on the left side; a right wall body having a right protruding portion protruding upward and being foldably connected to the right bending side of the bottom body; and a left wall body having a left protruding portion protruding upward and being foldably connected to the left bending side of the bottom body. The bottom protruding portion includes a bottom support surface for supporting an article on the upper surface, a right contact surface on the right side surface, and a left contact surface on the left side surface. The right protruding portion includes a right support surface for supporting an article and a contact surface on the upper surface. The left protruding portion includes a left support surface for supporting an article and a contact surface on the upper surface. With the right wall body folded inward along the right bending side and the left wall body folded inward along the left bending side such that the right contact surface of the bottom protruding portion contacts the contact surface of the right protruding portion and the left contact surface of the bottom protruding portion contacts the contact surface of the left protruding portion, the bottom support surface constitutes the lower surface of the housing space, the right support surface constitutes the right side surface of the housing space, and the left support surface constitutes the left side surface of the housing space.

[0010] With such a configuration, since three sides of the accommodation space are formed by the article accommodation structure, the accommodation space is protected from loads and impacts applied from the outside on those three sides. Also, since the bent edges of the article accommodation structure contact the corners of the inner surface of the packing box, and the bottom body, the left wall body, and the right wall body of the article accommodation structure contact the inner surface of the packing box, the packing box does not form a space between itself and the article accommodation structure. Since the packing box is supported by the article accommodation structure without any gaps, it is possible to make the packing box less likely to be deformed by external loads, impacts, etc. Furthermore, since the article accommodation structure can be assembled just by bending the right bent edge and the left bent edge, the amount of work required for the assembly work can be reduced.

[0011] A second invention is an article accommodation structure in the configuration of the first invention, wherein the bottom body has a rectangular shape, and the right wall body and the left wall body are bent so as to be perpendicular to the bottom body.

[0012] With such a configuration, in the bent state, since the article accommodation structure is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, no space is formed between the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packing box and the article accommodation structure accommodated in the packing box. Even if a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packing boxes each containing an article accommodation structure are stacked, the load is supported by the article accommodation structure, and deformation of the packing box is suppressed.

[0013] A third invention is an article accommodation structure in the configuration of the first invention, wherein the right wall body has a right end protrusion protruding upward higher than the right protrusion at one end side or both end sides in its longitudinal direction, and the left wall body has a left end protrusion protruding upward higher than the left protrusion at one end side or both end sides on the same side as the right end protrusion in its longitudinal direction. The right end protrusion has a right end support surface for supporting an article on its inner surface. The left end protrusion has a left end support surface for supporting an article on its inner surface. The end side surface of the accommodation space is constituted by the right end support surface and the left end support surface.

[0014] With such a configuration, a right-end protruding portion of the right wall body and a left-end protruding portion of the left wall body are provided on an end side surface of the accommodation space formed by the article accommodation structure. Therefore, the accommodation space is protected from external loads, impacts, etc. applied to the end side surface of the accommodation space. Further, since an end side surface of the article is supported by a right-end support surface provided on the right-end protruding portion and a left-end support surface provided on the left-end protruding portion, rocking of the article stored in the accommodation space formed by the article accommodation structure is suppressed.

[0015] A fourth invention is an article accommodation structure in the configuration of the third invention, wherein the right-end protruding portion of the right wall body has a facing surface on its upper surface, and the left-end protruding portion of the left wall body has a facing surface on its upper surface. In a state where the right wall body is bent inward along a right bending side and the left wall body is bent inward along a left bending side, the facing surface provided on the upper surface of the right-end protruding portion abuts against the facing surface provided on the upper surface of the left-end protruding portion.

[0016] With such a configuration, in a state where the article accommodation structure is bent, since the facing surface of the right-end protruding portion provided on the right wall body abuts against the facing surface of the left-end protruding portion provided on the left wall body, loads, impacts, etc. applied from the outside to the right wall body or the left wall body are supported by the right-end protruding portion and the left-end protruding portion, and the article stored in the accommodation space formed by the article accommodation structure is protected.

[0017] A fifth invention is an article accommodation structure in the configuration of the fourth invention, wherein the facing surface provided on the upper surface of the right-end protruding portion of the right wall body has an end protruding convex portion, and the facing surface provided on the upper surface of the left-end protruding portion of the left wall body has an end protruding concave portion. In a state where the right wall body is bent inward along a right bending side and the left wall body is bent inward along a left bending side, the end protruding convex portion is inserted into the end protruding concave portion.

[0018] With such a configuration, in a state where the article accommodation structure is bent, since the end protruding convex portion provided on the right-end protruding portion is inserted into the end protruding concave portion provided on the left-end protruding portion, lateral displacement of the right-end protruding portion with respect to the left-end protruding portion due to bending defects in a bent state of the article accommodation structure, external impacts, stresses in a direction of twisting the packing box, etc. is suppressed.

[0019] The sixth invention is an article storage structure in the configuration of the first invention, in which a plurality of bottom protruding portions are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the bottom body, and the right protruding portion and the left protruding portion are each configured such that the concave and convex portions alternate on the bending side in a plan view. In a state where the right wall body is bent inward at the right bending side and the left wall body is bent inward at the left bending side, each convex portion provided by the right protruding portion and the left protruding portion is arranged between the bottom protruding portions.

[0020] With such a configuration, in a state where the article storage structure is bent, since the bottom protruding portions are engaged with the right protruding portion and the left protruding portion, the right protruding portion and the left protruding portion are prevented from being laterally displaced with respect to the bottom protruding portions due to bending defects in the state where the article storage structure is bent, external impacts, or stresses in the direction of twisting the packing box.

[0021] The seventh invention is an article storage structure in the configuration of the sixth invention, in which the bottom protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape from the right bending side to the left bending side in the short side direction of the bottom body.

[0022] With such a configuration, since the rigidity of the bottom body is improved by the column forming portion in which the bottom protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape, deformation of the bottom body due to loads or impacts applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the bottom body or in the short side direction is suppressed, and the articles stored in the storage space formed by the article storage structure are protected.

[0023] The eighth invention is an article storage structure in the configuration of the sixth invention or the seventh invention, in which the contact surface of the right protruding portion and the contact surface of the left protruding portion are formed at a position higher than the upper surfaces of the right wall body and the left wall body in the concave portion formed by the right protruding portion or the left protruding portion.

[0024] With such a configuration, when the article storage structure is in a folded state, the right protrusion provided on the right wall body and the left protrusion provided on the left wall body abut against and are supported by the bottom protrusion of the bottom body. Therefore, the storage space is protected from external loads and impacts applied to the right wall body and the left wall body. Also, when the article storage structure is in a folded state, the side surface of the bottom protrusion of the bottom body abuts against and is supported by the recess formed by the right protrusion of the right wall body and the recess formed by the left protrusion of the left wall body. Therefore, the stress caused by external loads and impacts is dispersed to the bottom body, the right wall body, and the left wall body. The buckling of the column forming portion provided on the bottom body due to the load applied to the right wall body and the left wall body from the outside is suppressed, the rigidity of the article storage structure is improved, and the articles stored in the storage space formed by the article storage structure are protected.

[0025] A ninth invention is an article storage structure in which, in the configuration of the first invention, the right protrusion is formed in a columnar shape in the longitudinal direction of the right wall body, the left protrusion is formed in a columnar shape in the longitudinal direction of the left wall body, and extends from one end to the other end.

[0026] With such a configuration, since the rigidity of the right wall body and the left wall body is improved by the column forming portion in which the right protrusion or the left protrusion is formed in a columnar shape, the deformation of the right wall body and the left wall body due to loads and impacts applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface or in the long side direction of the right wall body and the left wall body is suppressed, and the articles stored in the storage space formed by the article storage structure are protected.

Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to this invention, damage to the articles stored in the storage space and deformation of the packing box due to external loads and impacts are suppressed by the article storage structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

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Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, an article storage structure 10 having a storage space 11 with an open top according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular bottom body 20 having a left bending side 12 on the left side and a right bending side 13 on the right side, a left wall body 30 foldably connected to the left bending side 12 of the bottom body 20, and a right wall body 40 foldably connected to the right bending side 13 of the bottom body 20. They are formed as a single pulp molding sheet by a dry pulp molding method using a material mainly made of pulp.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8, the bottom body 20 is provided with a bottom protruding portion 21 protruding upward. The bottom protruding portion 21 includes a bottom support surface 22 for supporting an article on the upper surface, a left contact surface 23 on the left side surface, and a right contact surface 24 on the right side surface, and a plurality of them are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the bottom body 20. The bottom protruding portion 21 is formed in a column shape extending from the left bending side 12 to the right bending side 13 in the short side direction of the bottom body 20 and is configured as a column forming portion 25. The surface of the bottom body 20 that contacts the packing box 60 on the side opposite to the surface where the bottom protruding portion 21 protrudes is formed as a flat surface where the bottom protruding portion 21 becomes a recess.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS. 6 to 9, the left wall body 30 includes a left protruding portion 31 protruding upward and left end protruding portions 34 protruding higher upward than the left protruding portion 31 at both longitudinal ends of the left wall body 30. The left protruding portion 31 is formed such that the concave and convex portions alternate on the left bending side 12 in a plan view, and each convex portion of the left protruding portion 31 is arranged between a plurality of bottom protruding portions 21 arranged at a predetermined interval from the bottom body 20. On the upper surface of the left protruding portion 31, there is a left support surface 32 for supporting an article, and in a concave portion formed by the left protruding portion 31, there is a contact surface 33 formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the left wall body 30. A part of the left protruding portion 31 is formed in a column shape in the longitudinal direction of the left wall body 30 from one end to the other end and is configured as a column forming portion 37. The left end protruding portion 34 includes the contact surface 33, an opposing surface 36 on the upper surface, and a left end support surface 35 for supporting an article on the inner surface. The surface of the left wall body 30 that contacts the packing box 60 on the side opposite to the surface where the left protruding portion 31 and the left end protruding portion 34 protrude is formed as a flat surface where the left protruding portion 31 and the left end protruding portion 34 are concave portions.

[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, similar to the left wall body 30, the right wall body 40 includes a right protruding portion 41 protruding upward and right end protruding portions 44 protruding higher upward than the right protruding portion 41 at both longitudinal ends of the right wall body 40. The right protruding portion 41 is formed such that the concave and convex portions alternate on the right bending side 13 in a plan view, and each convex portion of the right protruding portion 41 is arranged between a plurality of bottom protruding portions 21 arranged at a predetermined interval from the bottom body 20. On the upper surface of the right protruding portion 41, there is a right support surface 42 for supporting an article, and in a concave portion formed by the right protruding portion 41, there is a contact surface 43 formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the right wall body 40. A part of the right protruding portion 41 is formed in a column shape in the longitudinal direction of the right wall body 40 from one end to the other end and is configured as a column forming portion 47. The right end protruding portion 44 includes the contact surface 43, an opposing surface 46 on the upper surface, and a right end support surface 45 for supporting an article on the inner surface. The surface of the right wall body 40 that contacts the packing box 60 on the side opposite to the surface where the right protruding portion 41 and the right end protruding portion 44 protrude is formed as a flat surface where the right protruding portion 41 and the right end protruding portion 44 are concave portions.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, in the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the left contact surface 23 of the bottom protrusion 21 provided on the upper surface of the bottom body 20 contacts the contact surface 33 of the left protrusion 31 and the left end protrusion 34 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30, and the right contact surface 24 of the bottom protrusion 21 contacts the contact surface 43 of the right protrusion 41 and the right end protrusion 44 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40. The opposing surface 36 of the left end protrusion 34 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 contacts the opposing surface 46 of the right end protrusion 44 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40. With respect to the rectangular bottom body 20, the left wall body 30 is bent inward at a right angle along the left bending side 12, and the right wall body 40 is bent inward at a right angle along the right bending side 13 to form a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 10, in the bent article storage structure 10, the bottom support surface 22 provided on the upper surface of the bottom body 20 forms the lower surface of the storage space 11, the left support surface 32 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 forms the left side surface of the storage space 11, the right support surface 42 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40 forms the right side surface of the storage space 11, the left end support surface 35 provided on the left end protrusion 34 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30, and the right end support surface 45 provided on the right end protrusion 44 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40 form the end side surfaces of the storage space 11.

[0035] With such a configuration, referring to FIG. 10, the surfaces excluding the open upper surface of the storage space 11 are formed by the bottom support surface 22 of the bottom body 20, the left support surface 32 of the left wall body 30, the right support surface 42 of the right wall body 40, the left end support surface 35 of the left end protrusion 34 and the right end support surface 45 of the right end protrusion 44 provided at both side ends, which are provided in the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected from loads, impacts, etc. applied from the outside to the surfaces excluding the open upper surface of the storage space 11.

[0036] Also, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the folded state of the article storage structure 10, since the opposing surface 36 of the left end protruding portion 34 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 abuts against the opposing surface 46 of the right end protruding portion 44 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40, loads and impacts applied from the outside to the left wall body 30 and the right wall body 40 are also supported by the left end protruding portion 34 and the right end protruding portion 44, and the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected.

[0037] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 5, the bottom protruding portion 21 provided on the upper surface of the bottom body 20 is formed in a column shape extending from the left folding side 12 to the right folding side 13 in the short side direction of the bottom body 20 and is configured as a column forming portion 25. Therefore, the rigidity of the bottom body 20 is improved by the column forming portion 25, and deformation of the bottom body 20 due to loads and impacts applied in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the bottom body 20 or in the short side direction is suppressed, and the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected.

[0038] A part of the left protruding portion 31 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 is formed in a column shape extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the left wall body 30 and is configured as a column forming portion 37. Therefore, the rigidity of the left wall body 30 is improved by the column forming portion 37, and deformation of the left wall body 30 due to loads and impacts applied in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the left wall body 30 or in the long side direction is suppressed, and the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected.

[0039] Similar to the left wall body 30, a part of the right protruding portion 41 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40 is formed in a column shape extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the right wall body 40 and is configured as a column forming portion 47. Therefore, the rigidity of the right wall body 40 is improved by the column forming portion 47, and deformation of the right wall body 40 due to loads and impacts applied in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the right wall body 40 or in the long side direction is suppressed, and the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected.

[0040] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 6 to 9, a plurality of bottom protrusions 21 provided on the upper surface of the bottom body 20 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the bottom body 20. The left protrusions 31 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 are formed such that the concave and convex portions alternate on the left bending side 12 in a plan view, and each convex portion of the left protrusions 31 is arranged between the bottom protrusions 21. Similarly to the left protrusions 31, the right protrusions 41 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40 are formed such that the concave and convex portions alternate on the right bending side 13 in a plan view, and each convex portion of the right protrusions 41 is arranged between the bottom protrusions 21. The bottom protrusions 21 include a left contact surface 23 on the left side surface and a right contact surface 24 on the right side surface. The concave portion formed by the left protrusions 31 includes a contact surface 33 formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the left wall body 30. Similarly to the contact surface 33, the concave portion formed by the right protrusions 41 includes a contact surface 43 formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the right wall body 40. In the state where the article storage structure 10 is bent, the left contact surface 23 of the bottom protrusion 21 contacts the contact surface 33 of the left protrusion 31, and the right contact surface 24 of the bottom protrusion 21 contacts the contact surface 43 of the right protrusion 41.

[0041] With such a configuration, in the state where the article storage structure 10 is bent, the side surfaces of the bottom protrusions 21 provided on the upper surface of the bottom body 20 contact the concave portions of the left protrusions 31 provided on the upper surface of the left wall body 30 and the right protrusions 41 provided on the upper surface of the right wall body 40. Since the bottom protrusions 21 are engaged with the left protrusions 31 and the right protrusions 41, lateral displacement of the right and left protrusions with respect to the bottom protrusions due to bending defects, external impacts, or stresses in the direction of twisting the packing box 60 in the state where the article storage structure 10 is bent is suppressed. Further, since the left wall body 30 and the right wall body 40 are supported by the column forming portions 25 formed by the bottom protrusions 21, stresses caused by external loads and impacts applied to the left wall body 30 and the right wall body 40 are dispersed to the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, and the right wall body 40 via the column forming portions 25, buckling of the column forming portions 25 is suppressed, the rigidity of the article storage structure 10 is improved, and the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are protected.

[0042] Furthermore, referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, since a pair of article storage structures 10 are arranged with their open upper surfaces facing each other and the six surrounding surfaces of the storage space 11 are formed by the article storage structures 10, the articles stored in the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structures 10 are restrained from rocking and are protected from external loads, impacts, etc.

[0043] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 11, in the conventional pulp mold cushioning material 50 described in Patent Document 1, since the material mainly made of pulp has little plasticity, there are restrictions on the drawing direction and shape of the mold used for molding, and a draw slope portion 51 is provided. With such a configuration, a space is formed between the pulp mold cushioning material 50 housed in the packing box 60 and the packing box 60 due to the draw slope portion 51 provided in the pulp mold cushioning material 50, and the packing box 60 is not supported by the pulp mold cushioning material 50. Due to external impacts or loads when a plurality of packing boxes 60 are stacked, the packing box 60 has been deformed.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 12, the article storage structure 10, which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape when folded, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, has the left folding side 12 and the right folding side 13 in contact with the inner corner portions of the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packing box 60, and the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, and the right wall body 40 are respectively in contact with the inner surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped packing box 60. Therefore, no space is formed between the article storage structure 10 housed in the packing box 60 and the packing box 60, and the packing box 60 can be supported from external impacts and loads when a plurality of packing boxes 60 are stacked, and deformation of the packing box 60 can be suppressed.

[0045] Furthermore, with such a configuration, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is folded so that the left wall body 30 is perpendicular inward at the left folding side 12 and the right wall body 40 is perpendicular inward at the right folding side 13, and only by this folding, the storage space 11 is formed. Therefore, the amount of work required for the assembly work can be reduced.

[0046] The article storage structure 10 is formed from a material mainly made of pulp that is easy to dispose of and recycle in consideration of the environment, but the material is not limited to this. For example, plastic fibers, cellulose nanofibers, virgin pulp, bamboo pulp, bagasse, etc. may be used, or recycled pulp made from materials such as high-quality waste paper and newspaper waste paper may also be used. However, in particular, recycled pulp made from cardboard is preferred, and the material cost can be reduced including the recycling cost.

[0047] The article storage structure 10 is formed by the pulp molding method. For example, the wet pulp molding method or the dry pulp molding method may be used. The pulp molding method enables mass production and can keep the manufacturing cost low. However, in particular, the dry pulp molding method without press treatment is preferred because the process is simplified without press treatment. In addition, since the article storage structure 10 is not subjected to press treatment, it is formed with a low density, a thick thickness, and a soft texture, and damage due to impact or the like is suppressed, and preferable characteristics as a cushioning material are obtained. In the wet pulp molding method or the dry pulp molding method with press treatment, the molded product is formed with a high density, a thin thickness, and a hard texture by press treatment, and is easily damaged by impact or the like.

[0048] Regarding the thickness and draft angle of the article storage structure 10, in the case of the wet pulp molding method, the thickness is desirably in the range of, for example, 0.8 mm to 1.5 mm, and the draft angle is desirably in the range of, for example, 2° to 10°. These are conditions that enable easy manufacturing using the wet pulp molding method. If the draft angle is 2° or more, molding defects such as holes, surface peeling, and wrinkles are less likely to occur. If the draft angle is 10° or less, the constraints on the dimensions of the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 and the design of the protrusions provided on the article storage structure 10 are reduced.

[0049] In the case of the dry pulp molding method, the thickness and draft angle of the article storage structure 10 are as follows: for the thickness, for example, in the range of 0.8 mm to 3.0 mm with pressing treatment, and in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm without pressing treatment; for the draft angle, for example, in the range of 5° to 10° is desirable. These conditions enable easy manufacturing using the dry pulp molding method. If the draft angle is 5° or more, molding defects such as holes, surface peeling, and wrinkles are less likely to occur. If the draft angle is 10° or less, there are fewer restrictions on the dimensions of the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 and the design of the protrusions provided on the article storage structure 10.

[0050] The load-bearing performance of the article storage structure 10 preferably has a load-bearing performance with an upper limit in the range of, for example, 100 kg to 500 kg. Conventionally, in logistics, an operation of placing goods on a pallet and transporting them using a forklift or the like has been performed. For example, on a pallet with a dynamic load (maximum loading mass) of 1000 kg and a static load of 4000 kg, packing boxes 60 containing articles using a pair of article storage structures 10 are arranged in the range of 4 to 24 per layer, and even in a state where they are stacked up to the limit of the static load, the packing boxes 60 and the articles contained therein are protected by the article storage structures 10. Preferably, it is desirable to have a load-bearing performance with an upper limit in the range of 100 kg to 300 kg. Due to the restrictions on the size of the mold used in the pulp molding method, the size of the article storage structure 10 and the storage space 11 formed by the article storage structure 10 are also restricted. On the pallet, packing boxes 60 containing articles using a pair of article storage structures 10 are arranged in the range of 8 to 24 per layer, and even in a state where they are stacked up to the limit of the static load, the packing boxes 60 and the articles contained therein are protected by the article storage structures 10.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 13, the article storage structure 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same basic configuration as the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment, so the differences will be described. Referring to FIG. 13(1), in the article storage structure 10 according to the second embodiment, the left end protruding portion 34 provided on the left wall body 30 has an end protruding recess 38 on the opposing surface 36 provided on the upper surface, and the right end protruding portion 44 provided on the right wall body 40 has an end protruding convex portion 48 on the opposing surface 46 provided on the upper surface.

[0052] With such a configuration, referring to FIG. 13(2), in the state where the article storage structure 10 is bent, since the end protruding convex portion 48 is inserted into the end protruding recess 38, the bending failure at the left folding side 12 of the left wall body 30 with respect to the bottom body 20, the bending failure at the right folding side 13 of the right wall body 40 with respect to the bottom body 20, the impact applied from the outside to the left end protruding portion 34 or the right end protruding portion 44, and the stress in the twisting direction of the packing box 60, etc., the lateral displacement of the left end protruding portion 34 with respect to the right end protruding portion 44 is suppressed.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 14, the article storage structure 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same basic configuration as the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment, so the differences will be described. Referring to FIG. 1, in the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment, the left end protruding portions 34 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the left wall body 30, and the right end protruding portions 44 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the right wall body 40. However, referring to FIG. 14(1), in the article storage structure 10 according to the third embodiment, the left end protruding portion 34 is provided at one longitudinal end of the left wall body 30, and the right end protruding portion 44 is provided at one longitudinal end on the same side as the left end protruding portion 34 of the right wall body 40.

[0054] Referring to FIGS. 14 to 17, in the state where the article storage structure 10 is bent, the bottom support surface 22 provided on the bottom body 20, the left support surface 32 provided on the left wall body 30, the right support surface 42 provided on the right wall body 40, the left end support surface 35 of the left end protruding portion 34 provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the left wall body 30, and the right end support surface 45 of the right end protruding portion 44 provided at one end on the same side as the left end protruding portion 34 in the longitudinal direction of the right wall body 40, which are provided in the article storage structure 10 according to the third embodiment, form the four sides of the storage space 11.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 12, the article storage structure 10 according to the first embodiment is arranged at both ends of the storage space 11 when viewed from the surface of the left wall body 30 or the right wall body 40, and protects the articles to be stored. However, with such a configuration, referring to FIGS. 15 to 17, the article storage structure 10 according to the third embodiment is arranged at the four corners of the storage space 11 when viewed from the surface of the left wall body 30 or the right wall body 40 in the bent state, supports the load applied from the outside to the left wall body 30 or the right wall body 40, and can protect the articles to be stored. Therefore, the materials required for forming the article storage structure 10 are reduced, and the molds and equipment used for molding can also be miniaturized, reducing the cost.

[0056] In the article storage structure 10 according to the above first, second, and third embodiments, with respect to the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30 is bent at the left bending side 12 to be perpendicular inward, and the right wall body 40 is bent at the right bending side 13 to be perpendicular inward to form a rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, when the shape of the packing box is not a rectangular parallelepiped and the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, and the right wall body 40 are respectively in contact with each inner surface of the packing box as desired, the left wall body 30 and the right wall body 40 do not have to be bent to be perpendicular with respect to the bottom body 20. The article storage structure 10 can also be applied to a packing box with a trapezoidal or polygonal cross-sectional shape, increasing the degree of freedom in the design of the packing box.

[0057] In addition, in the article storage structure 10 according to the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, and the right wall body 40 are rectangular. However, when the shapes of the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, and the right wall body 40 respectively correspond to the desired shapes of the respective inner surfaces of the packing box, the bottom body 20, the left wall body 30, or the right wall body 40 does not have to be rectangular. The article storage structure 10 can also be applied to packing boxes with trapezoidal or polygonal surfaces, packing boxes with curved outer surfaces, frustum-shaped packing boxes, etc., increasing the degree of freedom in the design of the packing box.

[0058] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, the left bending side 12 and the right bending side 13 are formed in a single straight line. However, when corresponding to the desired shapes of the corners or vertices of the packing box, the left bending side 12 or the right bending side 13 may be formed in a rectangular strip shape in which a plurality of straight lines are arranged in parallel, a triangular shape in which two straight lines intersect, etc. The article storage structure 10 can also be applied to packing boxes with chamfered corners, packing boxes with curved corner (corner R) shapes, packing boxes with chamfered triangular vertices, etc., increasing the degree of freedom in the design of the packing box.

[0059] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, when the article storage structure 10 is in a folded state, the left contact surface 23 of the bottom protrusion 21 provided on the bottom body 20 abuts against the contact surface 33 provided in the recess formed by the left protrusion 31 of the left wall body 30, and the right contact surface 24 of the bottom protrusion 21 abuts against the contact surface 43 provided in the recess formed by the right protrusion 41 of the right wall body 40. However, the width dimension of the recess provided with the contact surface 33 of the left protrusion 31 is made smaller than the width dimension of the bottom protrusion 21 on the left contact surface 23 side. In a state where the article storage structure 10 is folded, the bottom protrusion 21 may be fitted into the recess, and the left wall body 30 may be fixed to the bottom body 20. Similar to the left wall body 30, the width dimension of the recess provided with the contact surface 43 of the right protrusion 41 is made smaller than the width dimension of the bottom protrusion 21 on the right contact surface 24 side. In a state where the article storage structure 10 is folded, the bottom protrusion 21 may be fitted into the recess, and the right wall body 40 may be fixed to the bottom body 20. When the article storage structure 10 is stored in the packing box 60 and when the article storage structure 10 is taken out of the packing box 60, the folded state of the article storage structure 10 is not naturally released, and the storage space 11 is not unintentionally released.

[0060] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the above-described first, second, and third embodiments, no design or text is displayed. However, a design or text may be displayed by methods such as printing, painting, transfer, or pasting. The designability can be improved by the design. Also, explanations or cautions in text can be described.

[0061] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the second embodiment described above, the left end protruding portion 34 provided on the left wall body 30 has an end protruding recess 38 on the opposing surface 36 provided on the upper surface, and the right end protruding portion 44 provided on the right wall body 40 has an end protruding convex portion 48 on the opposing surface 46 provided on the upper surface. However, an end protruding convex portion may be provided on the opposing surface 36 of the left end protruding portion 34, and an end protruding recess may be provided on the opposing surface 46 of the right end protruding portion 44. Also, at one end of the article storage structure 10, an end protruding recess 38 may be provided on the opposing surface 36 of the left end protruding portion 34, and an end protruding convex portion 48 may be provided on the opposing surface 46 of the right end protruding portion 44. At the other end of the article storage structure 10, an end protruding convex portion may be provided on the opposing surface 36 of the left end protruding portion 34, and an end protruding recess may be provided on the opposing surface 46 of the right end protruding portion 44. This increases the degree of freedom in the design of the article storage structure 10.

[0062] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the second embodiment described above, in the folded state, the end protruding convex portion 48 provided on the opposing surface 46 of the right end protruding portion 44 is inserted into the end protruding recess 38 provided on the opposing surface 36 of the left end protruding portion 34. However, the dimension of the end protruding recess 38 may be made smaller than the dimension of the end protruding convex portion 48, and in the folded state of the article storage structure 10, the end protruding convex portion 48 may be fitted into the end protruding recess 38, and the left wall body 30 may be fixed to the right wall body 40. When the article storage structure 10 is stored in the packing box 60 and when the article storage structure 10 is taken out from the packing box 60, the folded state of the article storage structure 10 will not be naturally released, and the storage space 11 will not be inadvertently released.

[0063] Furthermore, in the article storage structure 10 according to the above-described third embodiment, the end protruding recess and the end protruding convex are not provided. However, similar to the article storage structure 10 according to the second embodiment, the left end protruding portion 34 of the left wall body 30 may be provided with an end protruding recess 38 on the opposing surface 36 provided on the upper surface, and the right end protruding portion 44 of the right wall body 40 may be provided with an end protruding convex 48 on the opposing surface 46 provided on the upper surface. The leftward deviation of the left end protruding portion 34 with respect to the right end protruding portion 44 due to poor bending at the left bending side 12 of the left wall body 30 with respect to the bottom body 20, poor bending at the right bending side 13 of the right wall body 40 with respect to the bottom body 20, impact applied from the outside to the left end protruding portion 34 or the right end protruding portion 44, stress in the direction of twisting the packing box 60, etc. is suppressed.

Explanation of Signs

[0064] 10 Article storage structure 11 Storage space 12 Left bending side 13 Right bending side 20 Bottom body 21 Bottom protruding portion 22 Bottom support surface 23 Left abutting surface 24 Right abutting surface 25, 37, 47 Column forming portion 30 Left wall body 31 Left protruding portion 32 Left support surface 33, 43 Abutting surface 34 Left end protruding portion 35 Left end support surface 36, 46 Opposing surface 38 End protruding recess 40 Right wall body 41 Right protruding portion 42 Right support surface 44 Right end protruding portion 45 Right end support surface 48 End protruding convex

Claims

1. An article storage structure formed from a material mainly made of pulp and having a storage space with an open top surface, comprising: a bottom body having a bottom protrusion protruding upward, a right bending side on the right side, and a left bending side on the left side; a right wall body having a right protrusion protruding upward and being foldably connected to the right bending side of the bottom body; a left wall body having a left protrusion protruding upward and being foldably connected to the left bending side of the bottom body; the bottom protrusion includes a bottom support surface for supporting an article on the upper surface, a right abutting surface on the right side surface, and a left abutting surface on the left side surface; the right protrusion includes an abutting surface and a right support surface for supporting an article on the upper surface; the left protrusion includes an abutting surface and a left support surface for supporting an article on the upper surface; The right wall body is folded inward at the right bending side, and the left wall body is folded inward at the left bending side such that the right abutting surface of the bottom protrusion abuts against the abutting surface of the right protrusion, and the left abutting surface of the bottom protrusion abuts against the abutting surface of the left protrusion. In this state, the bottom support surface forms the lower surface of the storage space, the right support surface forms the right side surface of the storage space, and the left support surface forms the left side surface of the storage space. An article storage structure.

2. The article storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the bottom body is rectangular, and the right wall body and the left wall body are folded at right angles to the bottom body.

3. The right wall body has a right end protrusion protruding upward higher than the right protrusion at one or both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof; The left wall body has a left end protrusion protruding upward higher than the left protrusion at one or both ends on the same side as the right end protrusion in the longitudinal direction thereof; The right end protrusion includes a right end support surface for supporting an article on the inner surface; The left end protrusion includes a left end support surface for supporting an article on the inner surface; The right end support surface and the left end support surface form the end side surface of the storage space. The article storage structure according to claim 1.

4. The right end protrusion of the right wall body includes an opposing surface on the upper surface; The left end protrusion of the left wall body includes an opposing surface on the upper surface; When the right wall body is folded inward at the right bending side and the left wall body is folded inward at the left bending side, the opposing surface provided on the upper surface of the right end protrusion abuts against the opposing surface provided on the upper surface of the left end protrusion. The article storage structure according to claim 3.

5. The opposing surface provided on the upper surface of the right end protruding portion of the right wall body includes an end protruding convex portion. The opposing surface provided on the upper surface of the left end protruding portion of the left wall body includes an end protruding concave portion. In a state where the right wall body is bent inward along the right bending side and the left wall body is bent inward along the left bending side, the end protruding convex portion is inserted into the end protruding concave portion. The article storage structure according to claim 4.

6. A plurality of the bottom protruding portions are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the bottom body. The right protruding portion and the left protruding portion are configured such that the concave and convex portions alternate in a shape that repeats when viewed in plan on the bending side. In a state where the right wall body is bent inward along the right bending side and the left wall body is bent inward along the left bending side, each of the convex portions is arranged between the bottom protruding portions. The article storage structure according to claim 1.

7. The article storage structure according to claim 6, wherein the bottom protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape extending from the right bending side to the left bending side in the short side direction of the bottom body.

8. The article storage structure according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the contact surface of the right protruding portion and the contact surface of the left protruding portion are formed at a position higher than the upper surfaces of the right wall body and the left wall body among the concave portions.

9. The article storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the right protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the right wall body, and the left protruding portion is formed in a columnar shape extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the left wall body.

Images