Incense-stick container

Abstract

To facilitate removal of an incense stick from an opening of an incense-stick container.SOLUTION: An incense-stick container 1 is constituted by a cylindrical body in which multiple incense sticks ST are accommodated. At one end of the incense-stick container 1, there is provided an incense-stick removal section E having an opening OP through which an incense stick ST can be taken out. The incense-stick removal section E is provided, on an inner surface IS of one end of the incense-stick container 1, with an inclined surface SL which, when the incense-stick container 1 is arranged such that the opening OP faces downward, comes into contact with end portions of incense sticks ST2 other than an incense stick ST1 to be taken out, and guides the other incense sticks ST2 in a direction away from the opening OP.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an incense holder. [Background technology]

[0002] The incense holder is configured to store multiple incense sticks and to allow the incense sticks to be taken out as needed. For example, the incense holder is formed in a box-like or cylindrical shape that is long and narrow in the axial direction of the incense sticks, and an opening for taking out the incense sticks is provided at one end of the axial direction of the incense holder. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, there is a problem in that it is difficult to remove the incense from the opening. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it easier to remove the incense from the opening of the incense container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The incense container of the present invention is an incense container that stores multiple incense sticks, and is composed of a cylindrical body that stores the multiple incense sticks, and has an incense removal section at one end of the incense container with an opening through which the incense sticks can be removed, and the incense removal section has an inclined surface on the inner surface of one end of the incense container that abuts against the ends of incense sticks other than the incense stick to be removed when the incense container is placed with the opening facing downward, and guides the other incense sticks in a direction away from the opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] According to the incense holder of the present invention, incense can be easily taken out from the opening of the incense holder. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an incense holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]2 is a diagram showing the incense holder shown in FIG. 1 with the lid removed from the body. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a top view of the lid of the incense holder shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the axial direction. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of the incense dispenser. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the size of the substantially circular opening and the size of the substantially circular incense stick. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the size of a substantially square opening and the size of a substantially circular incense stick. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the size of a substantially circular opening and the size of a substantially square incense stick. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the incense holder has an inclined surface and the incense is not yet taken out from the incense holder when the incense holder is placed with the opening facing downwards. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which incense sticks other than the incense stick to be taken out are guided along the inclined surface from the state shown in FIG. 9, and the incense stick to be taken out is taken out from the opening. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a reference diagram showing an incense holder without an inclined surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] An incense holder according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the incense holder of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0008] In this specification, the expressions "perpendicular to A" and similar expressions do not refer only to a direction that is completely perpendicular to A, but also refer to a direction that is approximately perpendicular to A. In this specification, the expressions "parallel to B" and similar expressions do not refer only to a direction that is completely parallel to B, but also refer to a direction that is approximately parallel to B. In this specification, the expressions "C-shape" and similar expressions do not refer only to a perfect C-shape, but also refer to a shape that visually resembles a C-shape (approximately a C-shape).

[0009] 1 and 2, the incense holder 1 of the present invention is configured to be able to store a plurality of incense sticks ST (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the incense holder 1 of this embodiment is configured to be able to store a plurality of incense sticks ST of a predetermined shape lined up in the same direction.

[0010] 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the incense container 1 is configured as a cylindrical body that accommodates a plurality of incense sticks ST. The incense container 1 is provided at one end with an incense stick outlet E having an opening OP through which the incense sticks ST can be taken out.

[0011] The overall shape of the incense holder 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is a cylindrical body capable of accommodating a plurality of incense sticks ST. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the incense holder 1 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. However, the overall shape of the incense holder is not limited to a substantially cylindrical shape, and may be a substantially polygonal prism, such as an elliptical prism, a substantially rectangular prism, or the like. The incense holder 1 has an elongated shape along the extension direction of the incense sticks ST so that it can accommodate a plurality of incense sticks ST. In this specification, the direction parallel to the extension direction of the incense sticks ST accommodated in the incense holder 1 is referred to as the axial X direction of the incense holder 1.

[0012] 1 and 2, the incense container 1 in this embodiment includes a body 2 that contains incense sticks ST and has one open end in the direction of axis X, and a lid 3 that can close one end of the body 2. The body 2 is a bolt-type cylindrical member that contains the incense sticks ST. On the other hand, the lid 3 is configured to close the open end of the body 2. In this embodiment, an incense stick outlet E is provided in the lid 3.

[0013] 1 and 2, the incense container 1 includes a body 2 and a lid 3. However, the configuration of the incense container 1 is not limited to the illustrated configuration as long as the incense outlet E has an inclined surface SL (see FIGS. 4 and 5), as described below. For example, the incense container 1 may have a configuration different from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the lid is provided at an end (the lower end in FIGS. 1 and 2) opposite the end where the incense outlet E is provided in the axial direction of the incense container 1, and the incense outlet is provided at a body opposite the lid (a body having a structure in which the side surface of the body 2 and the lid 3 are integrated in FIGS. 1 and 2). In the present embodiment, the lid 3 is configured to be closed by moving relative to the body 2 in the axial direction of the X direction, such as by press-fitting. However, the method of attaching the lid 3 to the body 2 is not particularly limited, and the lid 3 may be configured to be openable and closable by other known methods (for example, screwing or engagement). The lid portion 3 may be fixed to the body portion 2 by adhesive or the like, or the body portion 2 and the lid portion 3 may be integrally formed when the incense container 1 is manufactured.

[0014] The material constituting the incense holder 1 is not particularly limited as long as it can provide the inclined surface SL described below. The incense holder 1 may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PP (polypropylene), or may be made of paper, wood, or metal.

[0015] The shape of the incense sticks ST housed in the incense container 1 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the cross section of the incense stick ST perpendicular to the axis X is generally circular. However, the incense sticks ST may have a cross section other than generally circular, such as a generally oval, a generally equilateral triangle, a generally square, a generally rectangular, or a generally polygonal shape. In this specification, the term "approximately circular" includes not only circular but also shapes close to circular. For example, the cross section of the incense stick ST is designed to be circular, but a shape close to circular due to slight deformation of a portion of the incense stick during the manufacturing process, which is no longer a perfect circle, is also included in the term "approximately circular." The same applies to "approximately oval," "approximate square," "approximate rectangle," and "approximate polygon." The size of the incense sticks ST is not particularly limited. For example, if the cross section is generally circular, the diameter can be 1 to 10 mm, preferably 1 to 5 mm. If the cross section is generally square, the length of each side can be 1 to 8 mm, preferably 1 to 4 mm. Please note that the dimensions of the incense sticks ST and the incense stick container 1 may vary from the designed dimensions due to manufacturing errors, and the dimensions used in this specification are design values. When a numerical value is specified in a claim, it also includes a range of ±10%, preferably ±5%, of the dimension in question, taking into account manufacturing errors.

[0016] The incense take-out part E is a part where the incense ST is taken out from the incense container 1. The incense take-out part E has an opening OP through which the incense ST is taken out from the incense container 1. The opening OP is a through-hole through which the incense ST passes. When taking out the incense ST, the incense container 1 is tilted so that the incense take-out part E with the opening OP is downward, and the incense ST can be taken out.

[0017] The position of the opening OP is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening OP is preferably provided in a peripheral region near the outer periphery of the end face of the incense container 1 (the end face of the lid portion 3 in this embodiment) where the incense outlet E is provided. In this case, when the number of incense sticks ST remaining in the incense container 1 decreases, the incense sticks ST can be easily taken out. The opening OP may be provided in an intermediate region between the outer periphery and the center of the end face, which is closer to the center than the illustrated position, or may be provided in the central portion (the position through which the axis X passes) or near the central portion of the end face of the incense container 1. In this embodiment, only one opening OP is provided, but multiple openings OP may be provided. In this embodiment, the opening OP is in an open state, but the opening OP may be configured to be openable and closable by another member.

[0018] The size and shape of the opening OP are not particularly limited as long as the incense stick ST can be removed from the opening OP. In this embodiment, the opening OP is substantially circular. The opening may be, for example, substantially circular, substantially elliptical, substantially square, substantially rectangular, or substantially polygonal (such as a substantially equilateral triangle, a substantially regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, or a regular octagon), or a combination of these shapes. Note that substantially polygonal shapes also include those having a recessed portion toward the center of the opening, such as a star shape.

[0019] When only one incense stick ST is to be taken out from the opening OP, for example, if the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially circular and the shape of the opening OP is substantially circular, the diameter D1 of the opening OP (see Fig. 6) can be set to be 1.1 times or more and less than 2 times the diameter D2 of the incense stick ST (see Fig. 6), preferably 1.8 times or more and less than 2 times. In other words, when the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially circular, the diameter D1 of the opening OP is slightly smaller than the diameter D3 of the circle (the circle shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 6) with a diameter twice that of the diameter D2 of the incense stick ST (for example, D3×A1≤D1<D3×1 (A1 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A1 = 0.8 to 0.9)). In this case, a sufficient gap is formed between the opening edge of the opening OP and the incense stick ST to easily take out one incense stick ST, while there is no gap through which another incense stick ST can be taken out. Therefore, only one incense stick ST can be easily taken out. Note that the cross-sectional dimensions of the incense stick ST (for example, the diameter or the length of one side of the incense stick ST) described above and below can be values that take into account burrs generated during cutting of the incense stick ST and dimensional changes during drying. Also, the dimensions of the incense stick ST described above and below may be the average value of the dimensions of all the incense sticks ST accommodated in the packaging container 1.

[0020] Also, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, when the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially circular and the shape of the opening OP is substantially square or substantially rectangular, the opening OP can be a substantially square having a side length D4 shorter than the side length D5 (D5 = D2×2) of the square (shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 7) with a side length twice that of the diameter D2 of the incense stick ST (for example, D5×0.9≤D4<D5×1), or a substantially rectangular shape in which both the long side and the short side are shorter than the square with a side length D5 (D5 = D2×2) (for example, D5×A2≤the length of the long side<D5×1 (A2 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A2 = 0.8 to 0.9), D5×A3≤the length of the short side<D5×1 (A3 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A3 = 0.8 to 0.9), and the length of the long side>the length of the short side).

[0021] Also, when the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially circular and the shape of the opening is substantially elliptical (not shown), the major diameter and / or minor diameter of the substantially elliptical opening may be slightly shorter than the major diameter and / or minor diameter of the ellipse circumscribing two adjacent circular incense sticks ST so that two incense sticks ST cannot be taken out from the opening (for example, the major diameter and / or minor diameter of the opening is A4 times or more (A4 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A4 = 0.8 to 0.9) and less than 1 times the major diameter and / or minor diameter of the ellipse circumscribing two adjacent circular incense sticks ST). Further, when the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially circular and the shape of the opening is substantially polygonal (not shown), the opening may be a similar polygon made smaller such that each side of the substantially polygonal opening is slightly shorter than the length of each side of the polygon circumscribing two adjacent circular incense sticks ST (for example, the length of the side of the polygonal opening is A5 times or more (A5 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A3 = 0.8 to 0.9) and less than 1 times the length of the side of the polygon circumscribing two adjacent circular incense sticks ST).

[0022] Also, for example, when the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is substantially square and the shape of the opening OP is substantially circular, the diameter D1 of the opening OP can be set to be 1.1 times or more and less than 2 times, preferably 1.8 times or more and less than 2 times the length D6 of one side of the incense stick ST (see FIG. 8). Alternatively, the diameter D1 of the opening OP may be slightly smaller than the diameter D7 of the circle circumscribing two adjacent square incense sticks ST as shown in FIG. 8 (for example, D7×A6≦D1<D7×1 (A6 = 0.55 to 0.95, preferably A6 = 0.8 to 0.9)).

[0023] Furthermore, if the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is approximately square and the shape of the opening is approximately square (not shown) or approximately rectangular, the length of one side of the opening and the other side perpendicular to that side may be 1.1 to less than 2 times the length of one side of the incense stick ST, preferably 1.8 to less than 2 times. In this case, too, there is a sufficient gap between the edge of the opening and the incense stick ST to allow easy removal of one stick of incense ST, but no gap to allow removal of another stick of incense ST. Therefore, only one stick of incense ST can be easily removed. Furthermore, if the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is approximately rectangular and the shape of the opening is approximately square (not shown), both the short and long sides of the approximately rectangular incense stick ST are shorter than one side of the opening, and one side of the opening is shorter than twice the short side of the incense stick ST (shorter than twice the long side of the incense stick ST). When the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is approximately rectangular and the shape of the opening is approximately rectangular (not shown), the short and long sides of the approximately rectangular incense stick ST are both shorter than the short and long sides of the opening, the long side of the opening is shorter than twice the short side of the incense stick ST (shorter than twice the long side of the incense stick ST), and the short side of the opening is also shorter than twice the short side of the incense stick ST (shorter than twice the long side of the incense stick ST).

[0024] Furthermore, if the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is approximately square and the shape of the opening is approximately elliptical (not shown), the major axis and / or minor axis of the approximately elliptical opening can be made slightly shorter than the major axis and / or minor axis of the ellipse circumscribing two adjacent square incense sticks ST so that two incense sticks ST cannot be taken out of the opening (for example, the major axis and / or minor axis of the opening can be made at least A7 times (A7=0.55 to 0.95, preferably A7=0.8 to 0.9) and less than 1 time the major axis and / or minor axis of the ellipse circumscribing two adjacent square incense sticks ST). Furthermore, if the cross-sectional shape of the incense stick ST is approximately square and the shape of the opening is approximately polygonal (not shown), the opening may be a similar polygon in which each side of the approximately polygonal opening is slightly shorter than the length of each side of the polygon circumscribing the two adjacent square incense sticks ST (for example, the side length of the polygonal opening is at least A8 times (A8=0.55 to 0.95, preferably A8=0.8 to 0.9), but less than 1 time the length of the side of the polygon circumscribing the two adjacent square incense sticks ST).

[0025] In this embodiment, the opening OP of the incense stick removal section E is configured to have a size and shape that allows only one incense stick ST to be removed, but the opening may also have a size and shape that allows two or more incense sticks ST to be removed.

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the incense take-out portion E has an inclined surface SL on an inner surface IS at one end of the incense container 1 that comes into contact with an end of an incense stick (incense stick ST2 in Figs. 9 and 10) other than the incense stick to be taken out (incense stick ST1 in Figs. 9 and 10) when the incense container 1 is placed with the opening OP facing downward (see Figs. 9 and 10). This incense stick guides the other incense sticks away from the opening OP. As will be described in detail later, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the incense sticks ST2 around the incense stick ST1 to be taken out are guided along the inclined surface SL and move away from the incense stick ST1 to be taken out. This removes resistance when the opening OP moves downward from the adjacent incense stick ST2 toward the incense stick ST1 to be taken out, allowing the incense stick ST1 to be taken out smoothly.

[0027] As described above, the shape and structure of the inclined surface SL are not particularly limited as long as it can abut against the end of the incense stick ST2 other than the incense stick ST1 to be removed and guide the other incense stick ST2 in a direction away from the opening OP. As shown in FIG. 4, the inclined surface SL is inclined so that its height from the inner surface IS of the incense container 1 (height in the vertical direction in FIG. 4) increases as it approaches the center of the opening OP. In this embodiment, the inclined surface SL has a shape similar to the side of a truncated cone. Note that the shape of the inclined surface can be appropriately changed depending on the shape of the opening, etc. For example, if the opening is rectangular, the inclined surface can have a shape similar to the side of a quadrangular pyramid.

[0028] 4, the incense take-out portion E has an outer inclined surface SL2 that is formed concavely on the outer surface of one end of the incense container 1 and that is configured so that the opening width in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction X of the incense container 1 gradually narrows toward the opening OP. In this embodiment, the outer inclined surface SL2 is formed in a mortar shape (an inverted truncated cone shape). In this case, when the incense ST that has been taken out is no longer needed, for example, when returning the incense ST to the incense container 1, the incense ST is guided by the outer inclined surface SL2, and the incense ST can be easily returned to the incense container 1.

[0029] In this embodiment, the inclined surface SL is formed integrally with one end of the incense holder 1 (in this embodiment, the end surface of the lid portion 3). However, the inclined surface SL may be formed by attaching a separate member to the inner surface of the end of the incense holder 1, for example, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0030] The method for forming the inclined surface SL is not particularly limited. For example, the inclined surface SL may be formed by forming an opening OP in one end (end surface) of the incense holder 1 by punching and then pressing the periphery of the opening OP in the direction of the axis X, or by pressing the end surface of the incense holder 1 to form a recess and then forming the opening OP at the bottom of the recess, or may be formed simultaneously with forming the opening OP. Furthermore, as described above, a separate member having the inclined surface SL may be attached to the inner surface IS of one end of the incense holder 1 by adhesive or the like.

[0031] Next, the effect of the inclined surface SL will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0032] First, the reference example shown in FIG. 11, which does not have an inclined surface, will be described. Consider the case of removing incense sticks from the opening OP2 of the incense stick removal portion E2 shown in FIG. 11. When the incense stick container 100, which does not have an inclined surface as shown in FIG. 11, is placed with the opening OP2 facing downwards to remove the incense sticks ST, the incense sticks ST move downward almost simultaneously and come into contact with the inner surface IS of the incense stick container 100. The incense sticks ST100 facing the opening OP2 may come out smoothly, but the presence of incense sticks ST200 in contact with the surrounding area creates resistance when the incense sticks ST100 try to come out of the opening OP2, making it difficult to remove the incense sticks ST100 without vigorously shaking the incense stick container 100. This becomes more pronounced the more incense sticks ST remain in the incense stick container 100.

[0033] On the other hand, the above-mentioned problem is solved when the incense holder 1 is provided with an inclined surface SL as shown in Figures 9 and 10. This point will be explained below.

[0034] First, to remove incense sticks ST from the incense stick container 1, the incense stick container 1 is placed with its opening OP facing downward, as shown in FIG. 9 . When the incense stick container 1 is placed with its opening OP facing downward, the incense sticks ST move downward. One of the incense sticks ST1 that has moved downward faces the opening OP, and the tips of the other incense sticks ST2 surrounding the incense stick ST1 that faces the opening OP face the inclined surface SL. When the tips of the other incense sticks ST2 come into contact with the incense stick SL, the other incense sticks ST2 are guided along the inclined surface SL in a direction away from the opening OP, as shown in FIG. 10 . As a result, the other incense sticks ST2 surrounding the incense stick ST1 to be removed move away from the incense stick ST1, and the force applied by the other incense sticks ST2 to the incense stick ST1 is released. Therefore, the force that resists the incense stick ST1 from leaving the opening OP is reduced, allowing the incense stick ST1 to be smoothly removed from the opening OP. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 incense holder 2. Torso 3 Lid D1 Opening diameter D2 Diameter of incense stick D3 Diameter of a circle twice the diameter of the incense stick D4 The length of the side of a square whose side is shorter than the length of the side of a square twice the diameter of the incense stick D5 The length of one side of a square whose side is twice the diameter of the incense stick D6 Length of one side of incense stick D7 Diameter of the circle circumscribing two adjacent square incense sticks E Incense stick outlet IS Inner surface of incense container OP Opening SL slope SL2 Outside slope ST, ST1, ST2 incense sticks X-axis

Claims

1. An incense container that accommodates a plurality of incense sticks, The incense stick container is configured as a cylindrical body that accommodates the plurality of incense sticks, An incense dispenser having an opening through which the incense can be dispensed is provided at one end of the incense dispenser; The incense stick removal section has an inclined surface on the inner surface of one end of the incense stick container that abuts against the ends of incense sticks other than the incense stick to be removed when the incense stick container is placed with the opening facing downward, and guides the other incense sticks in a direction away from the opening.

2. 2. The incense holder according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a shape selected from the group consisting of a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially square shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially polygonal shape.

3. The incense holder includes a body portion in which the incense is accommodated and one end of which is open in the axial direction of the incense holder, and a lid portion capable of closing one end of the body portion, The incense container according to claim 1 , wherein the incense outlet is provided in the lid.

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