Container for conveyance

Abstract

To lower the height of a container for conveyance in a nesting condition so as to increase a loading amount by track conveyance, and reduce conveyance cost.SOLUTION: Containers 10 and 11 for conveyance have support legs 14 projecting outward from opposite side wall parts 13. The side wall parts 13 have pocket parts 15 enabling the support legs 14 to be fit thereto provided on its outer surface part. In a nesting condition in which the two container 10 and 11 for conveyance are stacked, the support leg 14 of the container 10 for conveyance at the upper stage is recessed into the pocket parts 15 of the container 11 for conveyance at the lower stage. Specifically, hole parts 15 are provided on the outside surface of the pocket parts 15, and a part of the support legs 14 of the container 10 for conveyance at the upper stage can be inserted into the hole parts 15 of the container 11 for conveyance at the lower stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport container, and more particularly, to a transport container that can be stacked with an increased height when storing contents and nested with a reduced height when not storing contents when stacking a plurality of transport containers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when stacking and using a plurality of transport containers 1, in a state where the contents are stored, a stacking state in which the overall height of the transport containers to be stacked (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "height of the transport container") is increased, or in a state where the contents are not stored, a transport container that can be nested with the height of the transport container reduced is known (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] For example, the outline of the transport container 1 shown in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional transport container, FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the stacking state of the transport container of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the nesting state of the transport container of FIG. 11. The transport container 1 shown in FIG. 11 has a rectangular shape in plan view with an upper opening, and a flange portion 2 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper opening of the transport container 1. Further, support legs 4 protruding from the outer surface of the transport container 1 are formed near both ends of the outer surfaces of the opposing side wall portions 3 of the transport container 1, and a pocket portion 5 is formed in the flange portion 2 so that the support legs 4 can be fitted therein.

[0004] When two transport containers 1 are stacked in the same orientation, the lower end of the support leg 4 of the upper transport container 1 (height H1) is placed on the flange portion 2 of the lower transport container 1 (height H1) (see Fig. 12), so that they can be stacked in a stacking state (the height of the transport container 1 becomes twice the height H1). On the other hand, in the state where the upper transport container 1 is overlapped with the lower transport container 1 rotated 180° in plan view (see Fig. 13), the support leg 4 of the upper transport container 1 is immersed in the pocket portion of the lower transport container 1, resulting in a nesting state. In this case, the height (H2) of the transport container 1 stacked in the nesting state is lower than that of the transport container 1 (twice the height H1) stacked in the stacking state.

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the case of the stacking state where the lower end of the support leg 4 of the upper transport container 1 is placed on the flange portion 2 of the lower transport container 1, the height of the transport container 1 increases, ensuring the storage volume of the transport container 1 and enabling the transportation of a large amount of contents at one time. Also, when the storage volume of the transport container 1 is large, measures can be taken such as winding a cushioning material around the stored items so that they do not hit the wall of the transport container 1, etc., reducing the damage to the stored items, and there is an economic benefit in preventing damage. On the other hand, when stacking a plurality of empty transport containers 1 without contents, a nesting state is adopted. When returning empty transport containers, if a large number of transport containers are placed on the truck bed or in an air cargo plane, etc., the transportation cost per transport container can be reduced, and at the same time, the environmental impact such as exhaust gas (carbon dioxide, etc.) can be reduced by reducing the number of transports of the transport containers. For example, if the height of the transport container in the nested state is, hypothetically, half of the height of a normal transport container in the nested state, it becomes possible to load twice as many transport containers on a truck bed or the like. Therefore, the number of trips can be reduced, and environmental impact can be minimized.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an excellent transport container capable of making the overall height as low as possible when the transport containers to be stacked are in a nested state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention (means 1), a flange portion is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper opening of a transport container having a rectangular shape in plan view with an upper opening, support legs protruding from the outer surface of the side wall portion are provided on the opposing side wall portions, a pocket portion opened upward and inward into which the support legs can be fitted is formed in the side wall portion, and in a stacking state where at least two transport containers are stacked, the lower end portions of the support legs are placed on the flange portion of the lower transport container, and in a nested state where the upper transport container is overlapped with the lower transport container rotated 180° in plan view, the support legs of the upper transport container are configured to be immersed in the pocket portion of the lower transport container. In this configuration, a hole portion is provided on the outer surface of the pocket portion, and in the nested state, a part of the support leg of the upper transport container can be inserted into the hole portion of the lower transport container.

[0009] According to means 2, in means 1, the flange portion is composed of an outer levee portion and a flat portion that is one step lower than the levee portion, and a concave groove is formed by the levee portion and a ridge protruding inward from the inner side of the flat portion. It is desirable that a protruding portion formed at the lower end of the outer surface of the support leg is provided so as to be engageable.

[0010] According to means 3, in means 1 or means 2, a plurality of hole portions are provided adjacent to each other in the pocket portion, a connecting portion is provided between the adjacent hole portions, and it is desirable that a plurality of leg portions inserted into the respective hole portions are provided adjacent to each other on the support leg.

[0011] According to means 4, in means 3, it is desirable that a connecting rib is provided between the legs adjacent to the support leg.

[0012] According to means 5, in any one of means 1 to 4, in the nested pocket portion, it is desirable that the clearance between the pocket portion on the container center side and the support leg is set to be larger than the clearance between the pocket portion on the outside of the container and the support leg.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the overall height when the stacking transport containers are in a nested state can be made as low as possible. As a result, the overall height of the nested transport containers becomes lower than the normal overall height in the nested state, and for example, when being transported in a truck bed or an aircraft cargo hold, etc., a large number of transport containers can be loaded. Thereby, the transportation cost per transport container can be reduced, and environmental impact such as exhaust gas (carbon dioxide, etc.) can be reduced by reducing the number of transports of the transport containers.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described. FIGS. 1 to 10 show transport containers 10 and 11 made of a synthetic resin according to this embodiment.

[0016] When defining the directions of the transport containers 10 and 11, the direction along the long side of the transport containers 10 and 11 is referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the direction along the short side of the transport containers 10 and 11 is referred to as the X-axis direction (the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction are perpendicular to each other). The vertical direction of the transport containers 10 and 11 is referred to as the Z-axis direction, and the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are perpendicular to each other.

[0017] In this embodiment, when stacking a plurality of transport containers 10 and 11 vertically, the two-stage stacking of the lower transport container 10 and the upper transport container 11 may be changed to three or more stages. The transport containers 10 and 11 to be stacked can be in a stacking state where they are stacked with their backs raised while storing the contents, and in a nesting state where they are stacked with their backs lowered when not storing the contents. When two transport containers 10 and 11 are stacked in a stacking state, as shown in FIG. 6, if the lower transport container 11 (height H3) and the upper transport container 10 (height H3) are used, the total height of the transport containers 10 and 11 stacked vertically is twice the height of a single transport container 10 or 11 (height H3).

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the transport containers 10 and 11 are rectangular in plan view, have an opening at the top (hereinafter referred to as upper opening portions 10A and 11A), have a bottom portion 9 that is rectangular in plan view, and have the same shape as each other. On the outer peripheral side of the upper opening portions 10A and 11A of the transport containers 10 and 11, a flange portion 12 facing outward is formed. Below the flange portion 12, side wall portions 13 facing each other are provided. Since both containers 10 and 11 are rectangular in plan view, the side wall portions 13 include a side wall portion 13A in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) and a side wall portion 13B in the short-side direction (X-axis direction). Further, the side wall portions 13 (side wall portion 13A and side wall portion 13B) are side walls having a length H3 (see FIG. 6) in the height direction (Z-axis direction). Note that the upper opening portions 10A and 11A of the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 may have a configuration other than the above rectangular shape, for example, a square shape. The flange portion 12 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper opening portions 10A and 11A has a predetermined thickness so as to support a predetermined load including the load of the transport containers 10 and 11 located in the upper stage.

[0019] Note that one end of the transport container 11 along the Y-axis direction (the left side along the Y-axis direction) is defined as one end portion 12Q, and the other end of the transport container 11 (the right side in the Y-axis direction) is defined as the other end portion 12P (the side opposite to the one end portion). Also, the front side of the transport container 11 along the X-axis direction (the right side along the X-axis direction) is defined as the front side 12R, and the back side in the X-axis direction (the left side in the X-axis direction) is defined as the back side 12S (the side opposite to the front side).

[0020] Near both sides of the outer surface of the side wall portions 13 of the transport containers 10 and 11, support legs 14 are formed to protrude from the outer surface of the side wall portions 13. Further, the side wall portions 13 of the transport containers 10 and 11 are provided with pocket portions 15 that open upward and inward and into which the support legs 14 of the transport containers 10 and 11 can be fitted. In this case, the support legs 14 of the upper transport container 11 are fitted into the pocket portions 15 of the lower transport container 10.

[0021] In the case of this embodiment, the support legs 14 include a support leg 14A that is wide in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction and a support leg 14B that is narrow in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. Further, the pocket portions 15 include a pocket portion 15A that is wide in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction and a pocket portion 15B that is narrow in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. With this configuration, the wide support leg 14A of the upper transport container 11 can be fitted into the wide pocket portion 15A of the lower transport container 10, and similarly, the narrow support leg 14B of the upper transport container 11 can be fitted into the narrow pocket portion 15B of the lower transport container 10.

[0022] Specifically, the wide support leg 14A is approximately twice as wide as the narrow support leg 14B and is wider in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. In the case of a configuration including the wide and narrow support legs 14A and 14B and the wide and narrow pocket portions 15A and 15B as described above, when moving the upper transport container 10 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction or Y-axis direction) on the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 11, the wide support leg 14A of the upper transport container 10 will pass through without falling into the narrow pocket portion 15B of the lower transport container 11. In particular, by making the wide support leg 14A approximately twice as wide as the narrow support leg 14B, when sliding the transport container 10 located in the upper stage in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction or Y-axis direction) on the flange portion 12 of the transport container 11 located in the lower stage, the wide support leg 14A of the transport container 10 located in the upper stage is less likely to fall into the narrow pocket portion 15B of the transport container 11 located in the lower stage. On the other hand, when the longitudinal width of the support leg of the transport container 10 located in the upper stage is approximately the same as the longitudinal width of the pocket portion of the transport container 11 located in the lower stage, the support leg of the transport container 10 located in the upper stage is likely to fit into the pocket portion of the transport container 11 located in the lower stage during the operation, and the work efficiency tends to decrease. On the other hand, if the wide support leg 14A is, for example, three times as wide as the narrow support leg 14B, the mechanical strength (bending strength) may not be sufficient when a load is applied to the pocket portion 15 etc. of the lower transport container 10. For these reasons, it is preferable that the wide support leg 14A is horizontally wider by approximately twice (for example, in the range of about 1.5 times to about 2.5 times) the narrow support leg 14B in the X-axis direction or Y-axis direction.

[0023] Note that the pocket portions 15 and the support legs 14 in the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 may have the configuration of the wide pocket portion 15A and the narrow pocket portion 15. For example, the number of the pocket portions 15 and the support legs 14 may be other than the above numbers, and further, it may consist of only one of the wide pocket portion 15A or the narrow pocket portion 15B.

[0024] The peripheral rib 16 formed on the outer periphery of the side wall portion 13 of the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 has a predetermined thickness so as to support a predetermined load including the load of the transport containers 10 and 11 located in the upper stage. When the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 are in a nested state, the peripheral rib 16 of the upper transport container 10 abuts against the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 1, so that it can be supported from below.

[0025] In the case of this embodiment, the short-side side wall portions 13B on the other end portion 12P side in the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 include a wide support leg 14A and a wide pocket portion 15A, and a narrow support leg 14B and a narrow pocket portion 15B. That is, a wide support leg 14A and a wide pocket portion 15A are formed on the back side in the short-side direction (✕-axis direction), and a narrow support leg 14B and a narrow pocket portion 15B are formed on the front side in the short-side direction (✕-axis direction).

[0026] Similarly, the short-side side wall portions 13B on the one end portion 12Q side in the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 include a wide support leg 14A and a wide pocket portion 15A, and a narrow support leg 14B and a narrow pocket portion 15B. That is, a wide pocket portion 15A and a wide support leg 14A are formed on the back side in the short-side direction (✕-axis direction), and a narrow pocket portion 15B and a narrow support leg 14B are formed on the front side in the short-side direction (✕-axis direction).

[0027] In the case of the above configuration, the short-side side wall portions 13B on the other end portion 12P side of the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 are in a line-symmetrical relationship with the short-side side wall portions 13B on the one end portion 12Q side. Note that the short-side side wall portions 13B on the other end portion 12P side and the short-side side wall portions 13B on the one end portion 12Q side of the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 may have a relationship other than the above line symmetry.

[0028] Similarly, the long-side side wall portions 13A on the back side in the ✕-axis direction in the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 include two narrow support legs 14B and narrow pocket portions 15B. That is, narrow pocket portions 15B and narrow support legs 14B are formed on the other end portion 12P side in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction), and narrow pocket portions 15B and narrow support legs 14B are formed on the one end portion 12Q side in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction).

[0029] Similarly, on the long side side wall portion 13A on the front side in the X-axis direction in the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11, as shown in FIG. 1, two wide support legs 14A and a wide pocket portion 15A are provided. That is, a wide pocket portion 15A and a wide support leg 14A are formed on the other end portion 12P side in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), and a wide pocket portion 15A and a wide support leg 14A are formed on the front side in the short side direction (X-axis direction).

[0030] In addition, in the pocket portion 15 and the support leg 14, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, a part of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 is configured to be immersed in the pocket portion 15 of the lower transport container 11. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a hole portion 15C (two adjacent vertically long hole portions 15C) extending in the Z-axis direction is provided on the outer surface of the pocket portion 15, and a connecting portion (flat plate portion) 15D for connecting to each other is provided between the two adjacent hole portions 15C (vertically long hole portions). Further, outer frame portions 15E are provided on both sides of the two hole portions 15C (vertically long hole portions) along the Y-axis direction.

[0031] The reason for forming such a connecting portion (flat plate portion) 15D and the outer frame portion 15E is to prevent a decrease in mechanical strength because the two large vertically long hole portions 15C formed in the pocket portion 15 cause a decrease in mechanical strength. The number of hole portions 15C formed in the pocket portion 15 may be other than the above number, and the shape of the hole portion 15C may be other than vertically long. In addition, two (a plurality of) leg portions 14C inserted into the two vertically long hole portions (each hole portion) 15C are provided adjacent to the support leg 14. That is, two leg portions 14C are formed corresponding to the two vertically long hole portions 15C, and each leg portion 14C is inserted into each hole portion 15C. Therefore, a connecting rib 14D for connecting to each other is provided between the two (a plurality of) leg portions 14C. The reason for forming such a connecting rib 14D is to prevent a decrease in mechanical strength because the two separately formed leg portions 14C cause a decrease in mechanical strength. The number of leg portions 14C formed on the support leg 14 may be other than the above number, and the shape of the leg portion 14C may be other than the above.

[0032] Specifically, each hole portion 15C has a predetermined length between the upper end D1 and the lower end D2 in the Z-axis direction (see FIGS. 5 and 9(A)). With a part of the support leg 14 (a protruding portion 14P described later) immersed in the hole portion 15C, the protruding portion 14P is movable between the upper end D1 and the lower end D2 of the hole portion 15C in the Z-axis direction. Along with the movement of the protruding portion 14P in the Z-axis direction between the upper end D1 and the lower end D2 of the hole portion 15C in this way, the protruding portion 14P can also move in the Y-axis direction and can protrude outside the hole portion 15C depending on the design.

[0033] The support leg 14 connected to the pocket portion 15 specifically has a structure in which the bottom portion 15P of the pocket portion 15 is connected to the upward extending portion 14J of the support leg 14. Specifically, the upward extending portion 14J is connected to a flat lower base portion 14S, and further, a protruding portion 14P protruding downward is formed outside the lower base portion 14S. Also, a bottom rib 9A protruding downward from the bottom portion 9 is formed, and the bottom rib 9A is connected to the lower base portion 14S.

[0034] Further, a through hole 14Q penetrating vertically is formed in the lower base portion 14S (see FIG. 2) to reduce the weight of the support leg 14 (lower base portion 14S). In this case, since it is formed in a concave shape by the protruding portion 14P, the flat lower base portion 14S, and the bottom rib 9A, the mechanical strength (bending strength) of the support leg 14 can be ensured. Note that the support leg 14 connected to the pocket portion 15 may have a form other than the above configuration when adopting a configuration capable of ensuring the mechanical strength (bending strength) of the support leg 14 and the pocket portion 15. Note that the bending strength generally corresponds to the mechanical strength. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the flange portion 12 is composed of an earthen portion 17A provided on the outside and a flat portion 17B that is one step lower than the earthen portion 17A. A concave groove 17 is formed by a ridge 17C protruding inside the earthen portion 17A and the flat portion 17B, and the concave groove 17 is provided so that a protruding portion 14P formed at the outer lower end of the support leg 14 can be engaged.

[0035] Therefore, the foundation part 17A outside the flange part 12, and the concave groove 17 composed of the flat part 17B and the rib 17C can support the protruding part 14P of the support leg 14 from below. And the protruding part 14P of the support leg 14 can be engaged within the concave groove 17 while allowing freedom of movement in the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 can be supported on the flange part 12 of the lower transport container 11 in a situation where stacking is easy. In this case, the user can move (slide) the protruding part 14P of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 1 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the concave groove 17 on the flange part 2 of the lower transport container 1, or stack them.

[0036] In such a stacking state where the transport containers 10 and 11 are stacked, the lower end part (protruding part 14P) of the support leg 14A of the upper transport container 10 is placed on the flange part 12 of the lower transport container 11. On the other hand, in a nesting state where the upper transport container 10 is overlapped with the lower transport container 11 rotated 180° in a plan view, the lower end part (protruding part 14P, etc.) of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 is immersed in the pocket part 15 of the lower transport container 11. In this case, the overall height of the nesting state of the transport containers 10 and 11 to be stacked is reduced as follows compared to the height that is twice the height of the transport containers 10 and 11 (height H3) stacked in the stacking state. That is, when the transport containers 10 and 11 to be stacked (height twice that of H3) are stacked in the nesting state, the height of the transport containers 10 and 11 to be stacked is reduced by an amount H4 (see FIG. 10). In the case of the present embodiment, since the lower end part (protruding part 14P, etc.) of the support leg 14 is inserted into each hole part 15C of the pocket part 15, as described below, the overall height of the nesting state can be made lower by a predetermined height (see FIGS. 10(C) and 10(D)).

[0037] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the reason why the overall height of the nesting state of the present embodiment is lower than that of a normal nesting state (comparative example) will be described. The pocket part 20 and the outer plate material 21 in the comparative example are denoted by the same reference numerals as the same members except that no hole part is formed in the outer plate material 21, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Figures 9(A) and 9(B), Figures 10(A) and 10(C) show the nesting state of the present embodiment, in which the vertically long hole portion 15C is formed in the pocket portion 15. On the other hand, Figures 9(C) and 9(D), Figures 10(B) and 10(D) show the nesting state of the comparative example (the state where no hole portion is formed in the pocket portion).

[0038] Also, in Figures 9(A) and 9(C), the positional relationship between the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 means that the center (central position or vicinity thereof) of the upper transport container 10 and the center (central position or vicinity thereof) of the lower transport container 11 substantially coincide in the Y-axis direction. Hereinafter, this state is referred to as "centering". On the other hand, Figures 9(B) and 9(D) show the state where the position of the upper transport container 10 is shifted toward the end with respect to the lower transport container 11, and this state is referred to as "end shift". For example, in the end shift state along the Y-axis direction, in the Y-axis direction, the short-side side wall portion 13B of the upper transport container 10 is in contact with (or extremely close to) the short-side side wall portion 13B of the lower transport container 11. In the centering nesting state (such as Figures 9(A) and 9(C)) where the upper surface of the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 11 is in contact with the lower surface of the peripheral rib 16 of the upper transport container 10, a gap C3 (for example, several millimeters) is designed to be formed between the outer plate material 21 of the short-side side wall portion 13B of the upper transport container 10 and the outer plate material 21 of the short-side side wall portion 13B of the lower transport container 11.

[0039] This is to prevent the shrinkage defect during molding of the synthetic resin material or the overall shape from shrinking due to the aging change of the product (synthetic resin material), making it difficult to maintain the nesting state when the transport containers 10 and 11 are made of synthetic resin material. For maintaining such a nesting state, it is desirable to make the gap C3 a certain size. On the other hand, when the gap C3 is large, the storage volume of the transport container 10 decreases and the transport efficiency deteriorates. To change from the "center alignment" shown in Fig. 9(C) to the "offset" shown in Fig. 9(D), the upper transport container 10 slides in the Y-axis direction with respect to the lower transport container 11. At this time, the protruding portion 14P of the leg portion 14C of the upper transport container 10 comes into contact with the outer plate material 21 (collision point Q1) of the short-side side wall portion 13B of the lower transport container 11, and the movement of the upper transport container 10 with respect to the lower transport container 11 stops, making further movement in the Y-axis direction impossible.

[0040] When the movement in the Y-axis direction becomes impossible, the movement of the upper transport container 10 along the Z-axis direction with respect to the lower transport container 11 is also restricted by coming into contact at the collision point Q1 (i.e., it becomes impossible to move). Therefore, for positioning in the nested state, it is important to make it the nested state in the center alignment. (In this case, the total height of the nested state of the upper and lower transport containers 10 and 11 is the sum of the heights H3 and H4. See Fig. 10(D).)

[0041] On the other hand, when changing from the "centering" shown in Fig. 9(A) to the "offset" shown in Fig. 9(B) in the nesting state of this embodiment (when the vertically long hole portion 15C is formed in the pocket portion 15), the upper transport container 10 slides in the Y-axis direction with respect to the lower transport container 11. In this case, the protruding portion 14P of the leg portion 14C of the upper transport container 10 fits into the vertically long hole portion 15C of the short-side side wall portion 13B (there is no collision point Q1 shown in Fig. 9(D)), so that the upper transport container 10 can move further in the Y-axis direction. In the case of Fig. 9(B), the upper transport container 10 can move further in the Z-axis direction with respect to the lower transport container 11 (there is no contact state at the collision point Q1), so it can be seen that the nesting state of this embodiment is different from the normal nesting state. That is, the height of the transport containers 10 and 11 in the nesting state of this embodiment is the sum of the height H3 and the height H5 (Fig. 10(C)), and compared with the normal nesting state (the sum of the heights H3 and H4: Fig. 10(D)), the height is lower, so that the storage efficiency of storing the transport containers 10 and 11 in the nesting state is improved and the transportation efficiency is improved.

[0042] In the case of the nesting state of this embodiment, it is desirable that the pocket portion 15 of the upper transport container 10 abuts against the short-side side wall portion 13B of the lower transport container 11 at the contact point Q2 (the state before abutment is also acceptable), and the upper surface of the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 11 abuts against the lower surface of the peripheral rib 16 of the upper transport container 10 (contact point Q3). In this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing damage to the protruding portion 14P that the lower end Q4 of the protruding portion 14P of the leg portion 14C of the upper transport container 10 does not contact the pocket portion 15 of the lower transport container 11 (a gap is formed between the lower end Q4 of the protruding portion 14P and the lower end D2 of the hole portion 15C). Also, when lifting the upper transport container 10 in the nesting state upward, The protruding portion 14P (lower end Q4) of the leg portion 14C of the upper transport container 10 is positioned inside the vertical long hole portion 15C (near the upper end D1) of the lower transport container 10 in the Y-axis direction , since the protruding portion 14P of the leg portion 14C of the upper transport container 10 does not hit the upper end D1 in the Z-axis direction of the vertically long hole portion 15C of the lower transport container 10, it can be lifted smoothly.

[0043] As described above, the overall height of the nesting-type transport containers 10 and 11 of the present embodiment (the sum of the height H3 and the height H5) is lower than the overall height of the normal nesting state (the sum of the height H3 and the height H4). Thus, a large number of the nesting-type transport containers 10 and 11 can be loaded on a truck bed, an aircraft cargo hold, etc. This can reduce the transportation cost per unit during a single transportation of the transport containers 10 and 11, and can also reduce the number of transportation times of the transport containers 10 and 11 to be transported, thereby reducing environmental impact caused by exhaust gas (such as carbon dioxide).

[0044] Regarding the specific shape of the transport containers 10 and 11, since the opposing side wall portions 13 (the long-side side wall portion 13A and the short-side side wall portion 13B) have an inclined surface that widens from the bottom surface 9 toward the upper openings 10A and 11A, they have a shape that makes it easy to store and take out the contents from the upper openings 10A and 11A. In this case, the inclined surface of the side wall portion 13 may have a curved portion having a curved surface shape (round shape) near the bottom surface 9, or may have other shapes.

[0045] As a specific shape, the pocket portions 15A form an opening 15R that faces upward and inward at an upper position corresponding to the upper openings 10A and 11A, and form an inclined surface 15S (see FIG. 6) that protrudes outward. Further, inclined surfaces 15U and 15T that become narrower are formed from an upper position corresponding to the upper openings 10A and 11A toward the bottom 15P of the pocket portion 15 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). In this case, as a specific shape, the support legs 14A and 14B protruding from the outer surface of the side wall portion 13 form inclined surfaces corresponding to the slopes of the inclined surface 15S and the inclined surface 15T so that the support legs 14 can be fitted into the openings 15P of the pocket portions 15A and 15B from above. As a specific shape of the pocket portions 15A and 15B, they have an inclined surface B1 (see FIGS. 10(C) and (D)) that has a slope similar to the slope of the inclined surface B2 and widens toward the upper openings 10A and 11A. As shown in Fig. 9, the length of the flange portion 12 of the upper transport container 10 in the Y-axis direction is approximately equal to the length between the inclined surfaces B1 and B2. In this case, the length of the flange portion 12 in the Y-axis direction is approximately the same as the length C4 of the lower end portion of the outer surface of the support leg 14 in the Y-axis direction. The position of the protruding portion 14P (outer end E3) is located between the inner end E1 (the position vertically dropped in the Z-axis direction by an imaginary line) and the outer end E2 (the position vertically dropped in the Z-axis direction by an imaginary line) of the concave groove 17 of the flange portion 12, so that the flange portion 12 and the protruding portion 14P of the support leg 14 can be engaged with each other.

[0046] Also, in the nested pocket portion 15, the clearance C1 (in the Y-axis direction) between the transport containers 10 and 11 on the center side, the pocket portion 15, and the support leg 14 is set to be larger than the clearance C2 (in the Y-axis direction) between the pocket portion 15 and the support leg 14 outside the transport containers 10 and 11. In this case, the pocket portion 15 and the support leg 14 on the center side of the transport containers 10 and 11 have an inclined surface 15U with an inclination angle B3, while the pocket portion 15 and the support leg 14 outside the containers 10 and 11 have an inclined surface 15T with an inclination angle B4, and the inclination angle B3 is gentler than the inclination angle B4.

[0047] Further, when lifting one end portion 12Q of the upper transport container 11 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with respect to the lower transport container 10 about the other end portion 12P of the flange portion 12 as the rotation center, the inclined surfaces 15S and 15U, 15T of the pocket portion 15A are set so that the corners 19A to 19D of the support leg 14A do not contact the inclined surface 15S or the inclined surfaces 15U, 15T of the pocket portion 15, and further, the corner positions of the corners 19A to 19D of the support leg 14A are set. In this case, the wide support leg 14A having a predetermined width in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is narrower than the wide pocket portion 15A having a predetermined width in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and further has the following characteristic structure. That is, the corners 19A to 19D of the support leg 14A of the upper transport container 11 are structured such that when the imaginary line indicating the inclination angle B3 and the imaginary line indicating the inclination angle B4 are extended toward the bottom portion 15P of the pocket portion 15 of the lower transport container 10 with respect to the inclined surface 15U having the inclination angle B3 and the inclined surface 15T having the inclination angle B4, they are located inside both imaginary lines. Therefore, even when rotating about the other end portion 12P of the flange portion 12 as the rotation center, no trouble (such as mutual contact and inability to be pulled out) occurs between the pocket portion 15A and the support leg 14A. In this way, by setting the clearance C1 between the pocket portion 15A on the container 10, 11 center side and the support leg 14A in the nested pocket portion 15A of the support leg 14A to be larger than the clearance C2 between the pocket portion 15 and the support leg outside the transport containers 10, 11, no trouble (such as mutual contact and inability to be pulled out) occurs between the pocket portion 15A and the support leg 14, and both transport containers 10, 11 can be separated from the nested state.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, as a modification in which a plurality of leg portions 14C of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 are inserted into a plurality of hole portions 15C of the pocket portion 15 of the lower transport container 11 in a nested state, a form other than the above configuration may be adopted. For example, by two-color molding of the transport containers 10 and 11, color separation may be performed at the center in the Y-axis direction to easily confirm the stacking and nesting directions. As an example, by two-color molding of the transport containers 10 and 11, left-right color separation may be performed at the center in the Y-axis direction, and the transport containers 10 and 11 may be stacked in the same color direction and the same shape direction of the whole, and a configuration may be adopted in which nesting is performed in the opposite direction. As another example, by two-color molding of the transport containers 10 and 11, left-right color separation may be performed at the center in the Y-axis direction, and the transport containers 10 and 11 may be stacked in different color directions and different shape directions of the whole, and a configuration may be adopted in which nesting is performed by rotating the upper transport container 10 by 180 degrees.

[0049] According to the first aspect (embodiment) embodying the present invention, a flange portion 12 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper opening portions 10A and 11A of the transport containers 10 and 11 having a rectangular shape in plan view with an upper portion being open, a support leg 14 protruding from the outer surface of the outer side wall portion 13 is provided on the outer surface portion of the opposing side wall portions 13, a pocket portion 15 opened upward and inward into which the support leg can be fitted is formed in the side wall portion 13, and in a stacked state in which at least two transport containers 10 and 11 are stacked, the lower end portion of the support leg 14A is placed on the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 11, and in a nested state in which the upper transport container 10 is overlapped with the lower transport container 11 by rotating 180° in plan view, the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 is configured to be immersed in the pocket portion 15 of the lower transport container 11. That is, a hole portion (a plurality of vertically long hole portions) 15C is provided on the outer side surface of the pocket portion 15, and in the nested state, a part (a plurality of leg portions 14C) of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 can be inserted into the hole portion 15C (a plurality of vertically long hole portions) of the lower transport container 11. In the case of the above configuration, by inserting a part (a plurality of leg portions 14C) of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 into the hole portion 15C (a plurality of vertically long hole portions) of the lower transport container 11, the overall height of the nested state of the stacked transport containers 10 and 11 is reduced.

[0050] In the second aspect, it can be realized in combination with the first aspect. That is, according to the second aspect, the flange portion 12 is composed of an embankment portion 17A provided on the outside and a flat portion 17B that is one step lower than the embankment portion 17A, and a concave groove 17 is formed by the embankment portion 17A and a ridge 17C protruding inside the flat portion 17B, and a protrusion 14P formed at the lower end of the outer surface of the support leg 14 is provided so as to be engageable. In the case of the above configuration, the concave groove 17 is formed by the embankment portion 17A, the flat portion 17B, and the ridge 17C, and the protrusion 14P of the support leg 14 can engage with the concave groove 17. Therefore, the protrusion 14P of the support leg 14 of the upper transport container 10 is supported by the concave groove 17 on the flange portion 12 of the lower transport container 11.

[0051] In the third aspect, it can be realized in combination with the first or second aspect. That is, according to the third aspect, a plurality of hole portions (vertically long hole portions) 15C are adjacently provided in the pocket portion 15, and a connecting portion 15D is provided between the adjacently provided hole portions (vertically long hole portions) 15C, and a plurality of leg portions 14C inserted into each hole portion (vertically long hole portion) 15C are adjacently provided on the support leg 14. In the case of the above configuration, by inserting the plurality of adjacent leg portions 14C (the plurality of leg portions 14C) into the plurality of adjacent hole portions (vertically long hole portions) 15C in the pocket portion 15, the pocket portion 15 and the support leg 14 are in a state of being stably supported, and when the overall height of the nesting state of the stacked transport containers 10 and 11 becomes low, a stable state is achieved.

[0052] In the fourth aspect, it can be realized in combination with any one of the first to third aspects. That is, according to the fourth aspect, a connecting rib 14D is provided between the adjacent leg portions (the plurality of leg portions 14C) adjacent to the support leg 14. In the case of the above configuration, the mechanical strength of the support leg 14 is increased by the connecting rib 14D provided between the adjacent leg portions 14C (the plurality of leg portions 14C).

[0053] In the fifth aspect, it can be realized by combination with any one of the first to fourth aspects. That is, according to the fifth aspect, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, in the nested pocket portion 15, the clearance C1 between the pocket portion 15 on the center side of the transport containers 10 and 11 and the support legs 14 is set to be larger than the clearance C2 between the pocket portion 15 outside the transport containers 10 and 11 and the support legs 14. In the case of the above configuration, in the pocket portion 15 of the nested transport containers 10 and 11, by setting the clearance C1 between the pocket portion 15 on the center side of the transport containers 10 and 11 and the support legs 14 to be larger than the clearance C2 between the pocket portion 15 outside the transport containers 10 and 11 and the support legs 14, there is no hindrance (such as mutual contact and inability to pull out) between the pocket portion 15 and the support legs 14, and both transport containers 10 and 11 can be separated from the nested state.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0054] 10... upper transport container, 11... lower transport container, 10A... upper opening, 11A... lower opening 12... flange portion, 12P... other end portion, 12Q... one end portion 13... side wall portion, 14(14A, 14B)... support legs, 15(15A, 15B)... pocket portion, 14C... leg portion, 14D... connecting rib, 15C... hole portion, 15D... connecting portion 16... support rib, 17... concave groove, 17A... earth retaining portion, 17B... flat portion, 17C... rib C1... clearance between the pocket portion on the center side of the transport container and the support legs, C2... clearance between the pocket portion outside the transport container and the support legs

Claims

1. A flange portion is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper opening of a rectangular transport container in a plan view with an upper portion being open, support legs protruding from the outer surface of the side wall portion are provided on the opposing side wall portions, pocket portions that open upward and inward and into which the support legs can be fitted are formed in the side wall portions, in a stacking state where at least two transport containers are stacked, the lower end portions of the support legs are placed on the flange portion of the lower transport container, in a nesting state where the upper transport container is overlapped with the lower transport container rotated 180° in a plan view with respect to the lower transport container, the support legs of the upper transport container are configured to be immersed in the pocket portions of the lower transport container, a hole portion is provided on the outer surface of the pocket portion, a transport container, characterized in that in the nesting state, a part of the support leg of the upper transport container can be inserted into the hole portion of the lower transport container.

2. The flange portion is composed of an embankment portion provided on the outside and a flat portion that is one step lower than the embankment portion, and a concave groove is formed by the embankment portion and a convex ridge protruding inward between the embankment portion and the flat portion, and a protruding portion formed at the lower end portion of the outer surface of the support leg is provided so as to be engageable. The transport container according to Claim 1.

3. A plurality of hole portions are provided adjacent to each other in the pocket portion, and a connecting portion is provided between the adjacent hole portions. A plurality of leg portions inserted into the respective hole portions are provided adjacent to each other on the support leg. The transport container according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. A connecting rib is provided between the leg portions adjacent to the support leg. The transport container according to Claim 3.

5. In the pocket portion in the nesting state, the clearance between the pocket portion on the center side of the transport container and the support leg is set to be larger than the clearance between the pocket portion on the outer side of the transport container and the support leg. The transport container according to Claim 1 or 2.

Images