Cup container

Abstract

To provide a cup container that allows circulation integrally with a sub container formed of a different body by housing and holding the sub container in a leg part connecting with a bottom part of a container body containing main contents, and can have the sub container easily taken in and out of the container body.SOLUTION: A cup container comprises a container body 2 which contains main contents, a leg part 3 which connects with a bottom part of the container body 2, and can house a sub container 10 containing sub contents inside detachably, and a bottom plate 4 which connects with a lower end of the leg part 3. The leg part 3 has a peripheral wall 31 with an inner wall surface facing a back wall part of the sub container 10, and a pair of arms 32 which form an opening part 34 for taking the sub container 10 in and out mutually between free ends, and are supported in a cantilever manner on respective edges 31a of the peripheral wall 31, and the pair of arms 32 are formed of plate-like pieces which can elastically deform around the edge 31a of the peripheral wall 31 as a starting point, and wrap around a front wall part of the sub container 10 to hold the sub container 10, face to face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cup container capable of storing and holding a separate sub-container in a leg portion connected to a container body for storing main contents.

Background Art

[0002] In retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, there are sold products in which main foods such as coffee jelly and pudding are accompanied by contents to be added immediately before consumption, such as cream and syrup. In such products, the main food is housed in the container body, and the contents to be added are housed in a small bag or a small sub-container. However, there is a demand for integrating these for distribution and display, and containers such as those in Patent Document 1 have been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the container of Patent Document 1, a notch opening is provided in a part of a cylindrical leg cylinder that is suspended and held from the lower surface of the main body portion, and a small container containing cream or the like can be stored in the leg cylinder through the notch opening. In this container, a locking projection for preventing the small container from falling off is provided at the edge portion of the notch opening. However, when taking the small container in and out, it is inconvenient to get caught on the locking projection, and there is a problem in that the small container may be damaged. On the other hand, when the locking projection is not provided, it is necessary to narrow the notch opening to prevent the small container from falling off, but there is a problem in that the small container cannot be easily taken in and out.

[0005] Therefore, in the present invention, a sub-container formed separately is stored and held in a leg portion connected to the bottom of a container body for storing the main contents, and can be integrally distributed, and a cup container that can easily take the sub-container in and out of the container body is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The cup container of the present invention developed to achieve the above object is a container body for storing the main contents, a leg portion connected to the bottom of the container body and capable of detachably storing a sub-container for storing the secondary contents therein, a bottom plate connected to the lower end of the leg portion and capable of placing the container body on the ground surface via the leg portion, and is a cup container provided with when storing the sub-container, the leg portion has a peripheral wall whose inner wall surface faces the rear wall portion of the sub-container, and forms an opening for taking the sub-container in and out between the free ends, and a pair of arms each cantilever-supported at each edge of the peripheral wall, the pair of arms are made of plate-like pieces that can be elastically deformed starting from the edge of the peripheral wall when attaching and detaching the sub-container, and in the stored state of the sub-container, they wrap around the front wall portion of the sub-container to hold the sub-container in a hugging manner.

[0007] In the cup container of the present invention, it is preferable that the peripheral wall has a groove portion at at least one of the upper edge and the lower edge of the inner peripheral surface, and both ends are respectively open, and a flange portion formed on the sub-container can be inserted therein.

[0008] Also, in the cup container of the present invention, it is preferable that the peripheral wall has a through-opening capable of pressing the rear wall portion of the sub-container to remove the sub-container from the leg portion through the opening.

[0009] Further, in the cup container of the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom plate has a notch portion that can sandwich, with fingers, a knob portion provided on the sub-container when the sub-container is stored in the leg portion in an inverted posture.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the cup container of the present invention, by configuring the leg portion connected to the bottom of the container body and capable of storing the sub-container with a pair of arms that are cantilever-supported by the peripheral wall and each edge of the peripheral wall, in the stored state of the sub-container, the front wall portion of the sub-container is held in a clasped manner by the pair of arms, preventing the sub-container from falling out of the leg portion (storage space). When taking the sub-container in and out, the arms elastically deform in the radial direction, allowing the sub-container to be easily taken in and out.

[0011] Further, according to the present invention, since the flange portion formed on the sub-container can be inserted into the groove portion provided on at least one of the upper edge and the lower edge of the peripheral wall of the leg portion, the sub-container can be firmly stored and held within the leg portion (storage space), preventing the sub-container from rattling within the leg portion during distribution or the like, and preventing the contents within the sub-container from leaking unexpectedly.

[0012] Further, according to the present invention, by providing a through-opening in the peripheral wall of the leg portion, the sub-container stored within the leg portion can be easily taken out by pressing it with a finger through the through-opening.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an embodiment of a cup container according to the present invention, where (a) is an external perspective view of the front side and (b) is an external perspective view of the rear side. FIG. 2 is a view showing the legs of the cup container shown in FIG. 1(a). FIG. 3 is a view showing each surface of the cup container shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, (e) is a bottom view, and (f) is a cross-sectional view at the A-A position in (d) (the sub-container is not shown).

[0015] Reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 1 to 3 is the cup container, and reference numeral 10 is the sub-container stored inside the legs of the cup container 1. The cup container 1 includes a container body 2, legs 3 connected to the bottom of the container body 2, and a bottom plate 4 connected to the lower end of the legs 3, and a thin sheet 5 is adhered to the opening 23 of the container body 2.

[0016] The container body 2 has a bottomed inverted frustum shape with a bottom wall 21 and a peripheral wall 22, and the inside thereof serves as a filling space for the main content. The container body 2 can be manufactured from a synthetic resin material, but the material is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, an example of the container body 2 is shown in which the peripheral wall 22 is cylindrical and the bottom wall 21 has a flat shape. However, the shape of the container body 2 can be appropriately changed based on the type of content, the design of the container, the application, etc., and is not limited to the illustrated shape.

[0017] The leg portion 3 is a part that forms the storage space S of the sub-container 10, and has a pair of peripheral walls 31 that are suspended and held from the lower surface of the bottom wall 21 of the container body 2 via a convex portion 36, and a pair of arms 32 that are cantilever-supported at the front-side edges 31a of the peripheral walls 31 in a front view.

[0018] The pair of peripheral walls 31 are provided at a rear position in a front view such that the inner wall surface faces the rear wall portion of the sub-container 10 when the sub-container 10 is stored in the storage space S.

[0019] Further, a groove portion 35 is formed inside the convex portion 36. The groove portion 35 has both ends open, and by inserting a flange portion 11a provided at the upper edge portion of the sub-container 10 into the groove portion 35, the sub-container 10 can be firmly fixed in the storage space S. Therefore, the sub-container 10 does not rattle during distribution, etc., and it is possible to prevent the content stored in the sub-container 10 from leaking unexpectedly. Note that both ends of the groove portion 35 are preferably provided so as to be parallel to the extraction direction or to widen in the extraction direction in consideration of the mold release property of the mold and the ease of removing the sub-container 10.

[0020] The pair of arms 32 can be composed of plate-shaped pieces formed by providing slits 37 respectively between the upper edge of the arm 32 and the lower surface of the bottom wall 21 of the container body 2, and between the lower edge of the arm 32 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 4. The slits 37 enable the pair of arms 32 to be elastically deformed in the radial direction starting from the edge 31a of the peripheral wall 31. An opening 34 is formed between the free ends 32a of the pair of arms 32, and by the elastic deformation of the pair of arms 32, the sub-container 2 can be taken in and out of the storage space S through the opening 34.

[0021] Also, when the sub-container 10 is stored, the pair of arms 32 are curved so as to wrap around and hold the front wall portion of the sub-container 10 in an embracing manner, thereby preventing the stored sub-container 10 from falling off.

[0022] A through-opening 33 is provided between the rear edges 31b of the pair of peripheral walls 31, and the sub-container 10 stored in the storage space S can be pushed out by a finger through the through-opening 33. The through-opening 33 is preferably provided at a position facing the opening 34 in a plan view. By pressing from the through-opening 33, the pair of arms 32 can be elastically deformed through the sub-container 10, and the sub-container 10 can be easily taken out from the opening 34. Note that the through-opening 33 may be provided to extend from the side of the peripheral wall 31 to the tip of the arm 32 so that the sub-container 10 can be pinched and taken out with the index finger and thumb. Also, although the peripheral wall 31 is shown as an example of a pair, it can also be composed of a single plate-like body without providing the through-opening 33.

[0023] The size of the opening 34 is determined appropriately so that it is possible to prevent the stored sub-container 10 from falling off, and the pair of arms 32 can be elastically deformed by pressing the sub-container 10 from the outside or by the pressure from the inside by the sub-container 10, and the sub-container 10 can be easily taken in and out.

[0024] The bottom plate 4 is connected to the lower ends of the legs 3 and places the container body 2 on the ground surface via the legs 3. In the present embodiment, a circular bottom plate 4 is shown as an example, but the shape of the bottom plate 4 can be changed as appropriate.

[0025] The sub-container 10 is composed of a bottomed cylindrical main body portion 11 having an inner filling space for the content, and a thin sheet 12 attached to the upper end opening of the main body portion 11. Inside the main body portion 11, for example, a liquid or solid content that is dropped or sprinkled according to the preference of the consumer with respect to the main content stored in the container body 2 of the cup container 1 is stored.

[0026] The main body portion 11 has a flange portion 11a protruding outward at the upper end opening, and the flange portion 11a is inserted into the groove portion 35 of the convex portion 36 as described above. Further, the flange portion 11a has a knob portion 11b protruding outward at a part of the periphery, and the knob portion 11b can be pinched with the thumb and index finger and used when taking the sub-container 10 in and out of the storage space S of the leg 3. The thin sheet 12 is made of a material such as synthetic resin and is attached to the flange portion 11a by heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or the like. For the knob portion 11b, for example, the thin sheet 12 is made non-adhesive, so that the thin sheet 12 can be peeled off starting from the knob portion 11b.

[0027] The thin sheet 5 is made of a material such as synthetic resin and is attached to the flange portion 23a provided to protrude outward at the opening 23 at the upper end of the container body 2 by heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or the like. Note that it is possible to provide a knob portion 51 protruding from the outer edge portion on the thin sheet 5, and it can be easily removed by pinching and pulling up the knob portion 51 with the thumb and index finger.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a front external perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of the cup container according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view showing each surface of the cup container shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a rear view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a bottom view. Hereinafter, the description of the same parts as those in the previous embodiment will be omitted.

[0029] In the cup container 1 of the present embodiment, the sub-container 10 is stored and held in the storage space S of the leg portion 3 in an inverted posture with respect to the previous embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Therefore, the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 31 of the leg portion 3 has a convex portion 36 for forming a groove portion 35 inside, and the flange portion 11a of the sub-container 10 is inserted into the groove portion 35.

[0030] Further, the bottom plate 4 has a notch portion 41 at the edge on the opening portion 34 side of the leg portion 3. By providing the notch portion 41, in the state where the sub-container 10 is stored in the storage space S, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the knob portion 11b of the sub-container 10 protrudes from the notch portion 41. Therefore, the sub-container 10 can be easily taken out by pinching and pulling out the knob portion 11b with the thumb and index finger.

[0031] The cup containers shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 have a structure that enables pulling out by the knob portion 11b of the sub-container 10 and pushing out from the through-opening 33. However, if the sub-container 10 can be removed only by pulling out the knob portion 11b, the through-opening 33 may be omitted.

Industrial Applicability

[0032] The cup container of the present invention can be suitably used as a food container such as jelly or pudding sold in retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0033] 1 Cup container 10 Sub-container 11 Main body portion 11a Flange portion 11b Knob portion 12 Thin sheet 2 Container body 21 Bottom wall 22 Peripheral wall 23 Opening 23a Flange portion 3 Leg portion 31 peripheral wall 31a front edge 31b rear edge 32 arm 32a free end 33 through-opening 34 opening 35 groove 36 protrusion 37 slit 4 bottom plate 41 notch 5 thin sheet 51 grip portion S storage space

Claims

1. A container body for storing a main content, and legs connected to the bottom of the container body and capable of detachably storing a sub-container for storing a sub-content inside thereof, A bottom plate connected to the lower end of the legs and capable of placing the container body on the ground surface through the legs, A cup container comprising: When storing the sub-container, the legs have a peripheral wall whose inner wall surface faces the rear wall portion of the sub-container, A pair of arms that form an opening for inserting and removing the sub-container between the free ends and are each cantilever-supported at each edge of the peripheral wall, The pair of arms are made of plate-like pieces that can be elastically deformed starting from the edges of the peripheral wall when attaching and detaching the sub-container, and in the stored state of the sub-container, they wrap around the front wall portion of the sub-container to hold the sub-container in an embracing manner. A cup container characterized by this.

2. The cup container according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall has a groove portion at at least one of the upper edge and the lower edge of the inner peripheral surface, with both ends being open and capable of inserting a flange portion formed on the sub-container.

3. The cup container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the peripheral wall has a through-opening capable of pressing the rear wall portion of the sub-container to remove the sub-container from the legs through the opening.

4. The cup container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom plate has a notch portion capable of clamping a grip portion provided on the sub-container with fingers when the sub-container is stored in the legs in an inverted posture.

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