Container set

Abstract

To provide a container set capable of easily performing stacking work.SOLUTION: In a container set, in both situations where, on a first container aggregate 80 comprising two first containers 10 being arranged side by side, a second container 40 is stacked in a first direction, and it is stacked in a second direction which is 180 degrees different with respect to the first direction, all of a plurality of leg parts 51 of side walls on a pair of long sides of the second container 40 come into contact with an upper part of the first container aggregate 80 from above. Thereby, since the second container 40 can be stably stacked in two directions different from each other by 180 degrees on the first container aggregate 80, the trouble of confirming the direction is eliminated, and stacking work becomes easy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a container set that includes two types of containers, first and second, and that allows containers of the same types to be stacked and nested. [Background technology]

[0002] As a container set of this kind, a container set in which a second container can be stacked on top of a first container assembly formed by arranging two first containers horizontally is known (see, for example, Prior Art Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4394365 (Figure 3) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional container sets described above have the problem that depending on the orientation of the second container stacked on the first container assembly, the second container may tilt like a seesaw on the first container assembly, making it necessary to check the orientation of the second container relative to the first container assembly when stacking, which makes stacking work time-consuming. Therefore, the present application provides a container set that does not have the above problem and allows for easy stacking work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, includes two types of containers, first and second, which are box-shaped with an open top, have multiple legs on their outer surfaces, and multiple vertical grooves on their inner surfaces; when containers of the same type are stacked in the same orientation, the multiple legs of the upper container are accommodated in the multiple vertical grooves of the lower container, resulting in a nesting state; when containers of the same type are stacked in an orientation that is 180 degrees different, the multiple legs of the upper container are abutted from above against the top of the lower container, resulting in a stacking state; and further, in a container set in which the planar shape of the second container is approximately the same rectangle as the planar shape of a first container assembly formed by arranging two of the first containers horizontally, all of the multiple legs on a pair of long side walls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly, both when the second container is stacked on top of the first container assembly in a first orientation and when the second container is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In one embodiment of the container set of the present disclosure, when a second container is stacked on a first container assembly in a first orientation and when the second container is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, all of the legs on a pair of long sidewalls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly. That is, according to the present invention, the second containers can be stably stacked on the first container assembly in two orientations that are 180 degrees different, eliminating the need to check the orientation and facilitating the stacking operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top side of the first container. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two first containers nested together. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two first containers in a stacked state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the first container. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the first container. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the first container. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the top side of the second container. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of two nested second containers. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of two second containers in a stacked state. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the second container. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the second container. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a state in which a third container is stacked on top of a second container. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the underside of a portion of the third container. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a state in which a third container is stacked on the first container assembly. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the top side of the first container assembly. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the lower surface side of the first container assembly. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a state in which a second container is stacked on top of a first container assembly. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional plan view of the state in which the second container is stacked on the first container assembly. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a state in which the first container assembly is stacked on the second container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A container set according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 19. The container set of this embodiment includes at least two first containers 10 (see Figure 1), one second container 40 (see Figure 7), and one third container 70 (see Figure 12). The first container 10 has a rectangular planar shape, and the second and third containers 40, 70 each have a rectangular planar shape with the short side of the rectangular planar shape of the first container 10 approximately twice as long.

[0009] The first container 10 shown in FIG. 1 is generally called an S / N container, and can be configured in either a nesting state (see FIG. 2) or a stacking state (see FIG. 3), as described below, depending on the stacking orientation. To this end, the first container 10 has a rectangular planar shape. Parts of a pair of long-side side walls 11 (hereinafter referred to as "long side walls 11") and a pair of short-side side walls 12 (hereinafter referred to as "short side walls 12") are bent vertically extending into rectangular grooves, forming a plurality of outwardly protruding legs 21-24, the inner portions of which form a plurality of vertical grooves 21M-24M. The plurality of legs 21-24 are arranged in the first container 10 to form a plane-symmetric and rotationally asymmetric structure with respect to an imaginary short-side center plane, which is the center plane between the pair of short side walls 12.

[0010] Specifically, each of the pair of short side walls 12 is formed with a leg portion 23 and a leg portion 24 that is narrower than the leg portion 23, and the leg portion 23 of each short side wall 12 is located at the end of one of the long side walls 11, and the leg portion 24 is located closer to the end of the other long side wall 11. One of the long side walls 11 is formed with a pair of legs 21, and the other long side wall 11 is formed with a pair of legs 22. The distance between the pair of legs 21 is narrower than the distance between the pair of legs 22, and the width of each leg 21 is smaller than the width of each leg 22. The width of each of the legs 21 to 24 gradually narrows downward.

[0011] An upper end flange 14 and an intermediate flange 15 extend laterally from the upper end and approximately the center position in the vertical direction of the first container 10, and are connected by a plurality of vertical ribs 16.

[0012] A pair of stepped surfaces 30E are formed near both longitudinal ends of the upper portion of one of the long side walls 11 of the upper flange 14, with a stepped receiving portion 36 formed between the pair of stepped surfaces 30E. The entire upper flange 14, excluding the receiving portion 36, has a stepped upper surface portion 30D formed midway along the width, with the upper surface upper step portion 30A, which is the outer portion of the upper surface stepped portion 30D, positioned higher than the lower surface step portion 30B, which is the inner portion. The upper surface step portion 30A is a flat surface of uniform height. Meanwhile, the lower surface step portion 30B has multiple stepped recesses formed at multiple locations to form multiple leg contact portions 32A, 32B, 33, 34, and 35.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, when the first containers 10 are stacked facing the same direction, the legs 21-24 of the upper first container 10 are received in the vertical grooves 21M-24M of the lower first container 10, resulting in a nested state, and the middle flange 15 of the upper first container 10 overlaps the upper surface upper portion 30A of the upper end flange 14 of the lower first container 10.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 3, when first containers 10 are stacked in different orientations by 180 degrees, the legs 21-24 of the upper first container 10 are misaligned with the vertical grooves 21M-24M of the lower first container 10 and are in a stacked state in which they abut from above against the upper part of the lower first container 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 17, a second container 40 may be stacked on a first container assembly 80 formed by horizontally arranging containers 10, and the multiple legs 51-53 of the second container 40 also abut against the upper surface of the first container 10. The abutment areas with the multiple legs 21-24, 51-53 include the multiple leg abutment portions 32A, 32B, 33, 34, 35 described above.

[0015] 1, in a portion of upper surface lower step portion 30B sandwiched between a pair of vertical grooves 22M, portions adjacent to each vertical groove 22M are recessed in a stepped shape to form a pair of leg abutment portions 35. In a portion of upper surface lower step portion 30B sandwiched between vertical grooves 23M and 24M, an end portion on the vertical groove 24M side is recessed to form leg abutment portion 32B, and an end portion on the vertical groove 23M side is recessed to form leg abutment portion 34. In addition, a portion of upper surface lower step portion 30B opposite leg abutment portion 32B across vertical groove 24M is recessed to form leg abutment portion 32A, and a portion adjacent to leg abutment portion 32A is further recessed to form leg abutment portion 33. As shown in FIG. 4, leg contact portions 32A and 32B are located at the same height, leg contact portion 34 is located further below leg contact portions 32A and 32B, and leg contact portion 33 is located at an intermediate height between leg contact portions 32A and 32B and leg contact portion 34.

[0016] Planar rectangular protrusions 32T, 34T, 35T protrude from part of the edge of each leg contact portion 32A, 32B, 34, 35 on the inner surface side of the first container 10. Furthermore, a pair of protrusions 36T protrude from positions near both longitudinal ends of the receiving portion 36. The pair of protrusions 36T have a rectangular cross section and extend along the inner edge of the receiving portion 36. Furthermore, an upper surface lower step 30B is formed on the outer side of the leg contact portions 32A, 33 by carving out part of the upper surface upper step 30A, and an upper surface step 30D located outside the upper surface lower step 30B is flush with the inner surface of the vertical groove 24M.

[0017] The lower surfaces of the legs 21 to 24 are shaped as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface of the leg 21 is stepped higher on the side farther from the outer surface of the first container 10 than on the side closer to the outer surface, and is provided with an upper lower surface portion 21A and a lower lower surface portion 21B. A wall 21E having the upper lower surface portion 21A on its lower surface extends to the inner surface of the long side wall 11 to form the bottom of a vertical groove 21M. A portion of the leg 21 forms a rectangular groove with an open bottom that hangs down below the wall 21E, and its lower surface forms the lower lower surface portion 21B. The lower lower surface portion 21B is located above the underside of the entire first container 10, and a pair of protrusions 21K are formed below the lower lower surface portion 21B, extending directly downward from both widthwise ends of the leg 21.

[0018] The lower surface of leg 24 has the same shape as the lower surface of leg 21, and includes an upper lower surface step 24A and a lower lower surface step 24B, with a pair of protrusions 24K formed below lower lower surface step 24B.

[0019] The underside of leg 23 is similar to the undersides of legs 21 and 24 in that it has underside upper step portion 23A and underside lower step portion 23C, but differs in that one side of underside lower step portion 23C is cut away in a stepped shape from a midpoint in the width direction of leg 23 to form underside middle step portion 23B. Also, like legs 21 and 24, a pair of protrusions 23K is formed below underside lower step portion 23C.

[0020] 6, the lower surface of leg 22 is similar to the lower surfaces of legs 21 and 24 in that it has lower surface lower step 22B and lower surface upper step 22A, but differs in that the bottom wall of vertical groove 22M has a stepped structure, and the lower surface of the upper step and the lower surface of the lower step of the bottom wall become lower surface upper step 22A and lower surface lower step 22B. Also, unlike lower protrusions 21K and 24K of legs 21 and 24, lower protrusion 22K of lower surface lower step 22B has the same width as lower surface lower step 22B.

[0021] The bottom wall 13 of the first container 10 is located slightly above the lower end surfaces of the long side wall 11 and the short side wall 12, and a lattice-shaped lower protrusion 13T is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall 13, so that the lower surface of the lower protrusion 13T is flush with the lower surfaces of the long side wall 11 and the short side wall 12.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 3, when the first containers 10 are stacked on top of one another, the legs 21-24 of the upper first container 10 abut against respective portions of the top surface of the lower first container 10 as follows: That is, for leg 22, the lower surface lower step 22B abuts against the upper surface of protrusion 36T. For leg 23, the lower surface lower step 23C abuts against leg abutment portion 33, the lower surface middle step 23B abuts against leg abutment portion 32A, and further, the lower surface upper step 23A abuts against the upper surface lower step 30B. For leg 24, the lower surface lower step 24B abuts against leg abutment portion 34, and the lower surface upper step 24A abuts against the upper surface upper step 30A. With regard to the legs 21 (see FIG. 1), the lower surface lower step 21B abuts against the leg abutment 35, and the lower surface upper step 21A abuts against the upper surface upper step 30A. The step surfaces between the lower surface upper step portions 21A, 23A, 24A and the lower surface lower step portions 21B, 23C, 24B of the legs 21, 23, 24 of the upper first container 10 face the upper surface step portion 30D of the lower first container 10, and the protrusions 21K-24K of the upper first container 10 face the inner surface of the lower first container 10. Furthermore, the lower ends of the legs 21 and protrusion 35T, the lower ends of the legs 23 and protrusion 32T, and the lower ends of the legs 24 and protrusion 34T are engaged with each other, thereby preventing the upper and lower first containers 10 from shifting sideways.

[0023] Next, the second container 40 will be described. As shown in Fig. 7, the second container 40 is also an S / N container similar to the first container 10, and has a pair of long side walls 41 and a pair of short side walls 42 each having a plurality of legs 51-53, the inner surfaces of which form a plurality of vertical grooves 51M-53M. Unlike the container 10, the second container 40 has a plane-symmetric and rotationally asymmetric structure with respect to an imaginary long-side center plane, which is the center plane between the pair of long side walls 41.

[0024] Specifically, a pair of legs 51 are formed on each of the pair of long side walls 41, and one leg 51 on each long side wall 41 is disposed at the end of one of the short side walls 42, while the other leg 51 is disposed closer to the end of the other short side wall 42. A pair of legs 53 are formed on one of the short side walls 42, and a pair of legs 52 are formed on the other short side wall 42. The distance between the pair of legs 53 is narrower than the distance between the pair of legs 52, and the width of the legs 53 is approximately the same as the width of the legs 52. The width of each of the legs 51 to 53 gradually narrows downward.

[0025] An upper flange 44 and an intermediate flange 45 extend laterally from the upper end and a position near the upper end of the second container 40, and are connected by a plurality of vertical ribs 46.

[0026] Upper-end flange 44 has an upper surface step portion 60D formed midway along its width, with an upper surface upper step portion 60A, which is the outer portion of upper surface step portion 60D, positioned higher than an upper surface lower step portion 60B, which is the inner portion. Upper surface step portion 60A is a flat surface of uniform height. Meanwhile, upper surface lower step portion 60B has multiple stepped recesses formed at multiple locations to form multiple leg contact portions 55-57.

[0027] As shown in Figure 8, when the second containers 40 are stacked facing the same direction, the legs 51 to 53 of the upper second container 40 are received in the vertical grooves 51M to 53M of the lower second container 40, resulting in a nested state, and the middle flange 45 of the upper second container 40 overlaps the upper surface upper portion 60A of the upper end flange 44 of the lower second container 40.

[0028] 9, when second containers 40 are stacked in 180-degree different orientations, the legs 51-53 of the upper second container 40 are shifted from the vertical grooves 51M-53M of the lower second container 40 and come into contact from above with the upper part of the lower second container 40, resulting in a stacked state. The contact areas with the legs 51-53 include the above-mentioned leg contact portions 55-57.

[0029] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, leg contact portions 55 are formed by recessing the upper surface lower step portion 60B of each long side wall 41 at positions adjacent to one short side wall 42 (the short side wall 42 having the vertical groove 52M) relative to each vertical groove 51M. Furthermore, a pair of leg contact portions 56 are formed by recessing both ends of the upper surface lower step portion 60B of one short side wall 42 between the pair of vertical grooves 52M. Furthermore, a pair of leg contact portions 57 are formed by recessing the upper surface lower step portion 60B of the other short side wall 42 at positions adjacent to each vertical groove 53M on the opposite side of the other vertical groove 53M, opposite to the other short side wall 42. Furthermore, the leg contact portions 55-57 are arranged at the same height. Furthermore, from part of the edge of each leg contact portion 55 on the inner surface side of the second container 40, a rectangular projection 55T in plan view projects.

[0030] At the horizontal center of the short side wall 42, the upper surface upper step portion 60A and the intermediate flange 45 are separated, and the upper surface lower step portion 60B is formed up to a position close to the outer edge of the upper end flange 44. A folded wall 44K hangs down obliquely downward from the outer edge of the upper surface lower step portion 60B to form a handhold portion 44H.

[0031] 10 and 11, the lower ends of the legs 51-53 are stepped, and the lower surface upper step portions 51A-53A farther from the outer surface of the second container 40 are positioned higher than the lower surface lower step portions 51B-53B closer to the outer surface of the second container 40. The lower surface upper step portions 51A-53A are positioned at the same height, and the lower surface lower step portions 51B-53B are positioned at the same height. As shown in FIG. 7, the vertical grooves 51M-53M have wall portions 59A, 59B that form the bottoms of the vertical grooves 51M-53M, located slightly above the lower surface upper step portions 51A-53A and slightly above the lower surface lower step portions 51B-53B, and a through-hole is formed in the wall portion 59B above the lower surface lower step portion 51B.

[0032] 10, the bottom wall 43 of the second container 40 is located slightly above the lower end surfaces of the long side wall 41 and the short side wall 42, and a lattice-shaped lower surface protrusion 43T is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall 43. The lower surfaces of the lower surface protrusion 43T, the lower surfaces of the long side wall 41 and the short side wall 42, and the lower surface lower step portions 51B to 53B are arranged flush with each other.

[0033] 9, when the second containers 40 are stacked on top of each other, the lower surface upper portions 51A-53A of the legs 51-53 of the upper second container 40 abut against the leg abutment portions 55-57 of the lower second container 40. Specifically, the lower surface upper portion 51A of the leg 51 abuts against the leg abutment portion 55, the lower surface upper portion 52A of the leg 52 abuts against the leg abutment portion 57, and the lower surface upper portion 53A of the leg 53 abuts against the leg abutment portion 56. Furthermore, the outer surfaces of the legs 51-53 of the upper second container 40 above the lower upper surface portions 51A-53A face the upper surface step portion 60D of the lower second container 40, and the lower ends of the legs 51 of the upper second container 40 engage with the protrusion 55T of the lower second container 40, thereby preventing the upper and lower second containers 40 from shifting sideways.

[0034] 12 shows a third container 70 stacked on top of the second container 40. As shown in the figure, the third container 70 is a so-called folding container that includes a rectangular, plate-shaped lower base 71 at its lower end and a rectangular, frame-shaped upper base 72 at its upper end. A pair of long side walls 73 have hinge portions 73H at their vertically intermediate positions and are hingedly connected to the upper base 72 and the lower base 71 at their upper and lower ends, and a pair of short side walls 74 have their upper ends hingedly connected to the upper base 72. The pair of short side walls 74 can be rotated inward about their upper ends to be stored in the upper base 72, and then the pair of long side walls 73 can be folded inward in half so that the lower base 71 and the upper base 72 abut against each other, thereby folding the third container 70 (not shown).

[0035] A pair of lids 75 are hingedly connected to the tops of a pair of long sides of the upper base 72. A pair of through-holes 75A are formed at both lateral ends of each lid 75, and when the pair of lids 75 is closed, multiple protrusions 72T provided on a pair of short sides of the upper base 72 protrude above the lids 75 through the through-holes 75A. A pair of hinge connections 75H between the pair of lids 75 and the upper base 72 protrude from a pair of outer edges of the top surface of the third container 70. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, a bottom protrusion 76 is formed on the bottom surface of the lower base 71, protruding downward from an inner portion of the outer edge. Protrusions 76T are provided at multiple locations on the four side surfaces of the bottom protrusion 76 (only the protrusion 76T on one side surface is shown in FIG. 13). The third container 70 has a shape that is plane-symmetrical with respect to both the central plane of the pair of long side walls 73 and the central plane of the pair of short side walls 74 .

[0036] Although not shown, when the third containers 70 are stacked on top of each other, the underside protrusion 76 of the upper third container 70 fits into the area surrounded by the pair of hinge protrusions 75H and two pairs of protrusions 72T of the lower third container 70, preventing lateral shifting between the upper and lower third containers 70.

[0037] The container set of this embodiment allows different types of containers to be stacked on top of each other as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 12, a third container 70 can also be stacked on top of a second container 40. When the third container 70 is stacked on top of the second container 40, the outer edge of the bottom surface of the third container 70 abuts against the upper surface upper step 60A (see FIG. 7) of the second container 40, or the bottom surface of the bottom protrusion 76 of the third container 70 abuts against the upper surface lower step 60B of the second container 40. The bottom protrusion 76 of the third container 70 then fits inside the upper surface step 60D of the second container 40, preventing the third container 70 from shifting sideways on the second container 40.

[0038] As shown in Figure 14, the third container 70 can also be stacked on a first container assembly 80 (see Figure 15), which is made up of a pair of first containers 10 arranged side by side with their receiving portions 36 adjacent to each other. When the third container 70 is stacked on the first container assembly 80, the outer edge of the bottom surface of the third container 70 abuts against the upper surface step portion 30A of the first container assembly 80, or the bottom surface of the bottom protrusion 76 of the third container 70 abuts against the upper surface step portion 30B of the first container assembly 80. The bottom protrusion 76 of the third container 70 fits inside the upper surface step portion 30D of the first container assembly 80, preventing the third container 70 from shifting sideways on the first container assembly 80.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 17, the second containers 40 can be stacked on top of the first container assembly 80. Here, the first container assembly 80 has a shape that is plane-symmetrical and rotationally symmetrical with respect to both the central plane in the longitudinal direction and the central plane in the lateral direction in its planar shape, as shown in Fig. 15. Therefore, the contact state of the second containers 40 with the upper surface of the first container assembly 80 is the same whether the second containers 40 are stacked on the first container assembly 80 in the orientation shown in Fig. 17 (this will be referred to as the "first orientation") or in an orientation 180 degrees different from the orientation shown in Fig. 17 (this will be referred to as the "second orientation"). Regardless of whether the second container 40 is stacked relative to the first container assembly 80 in the first or second orientation, the upper lower surface portions 51A of the pair of legs 51 of the second container 40 closest to one short side wall 42 having the legs 53 abut against the pair of leg abutment portions 32A (see FIG. 15) of one of the first containers 10 in the first container assembly 80, and the upper lower surface portions 51A of the remaining pair of legs 51 abut against the pair of leg abutment portions 32B (see FIG. 15) of the other first container 10 in the first container assembly 80. Furthermore, the portions of the multiple legs 51 below the upper lower surface portions 51A fit inside the short side walls 12 of both first containers 10 in the first container assembly 80. This prevents the second container 40 from shifting in the short direction relative to the first container assembly 80. 18, the two lower surface projections 43T located in the longitudinal center of the second container 40 are sandwiched between the two pairs of projections 36T of the first container assembly 80. This restricts longitudinal displacement of the second container 40 relative to the first container assembly 80. The pair of legs 53 and the pair of legs 52 of the second container 40 are suspended above the longitudinal grooves 22M of the first container assembly 80.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 19, a first container assembly 80 can also be stacked on top of a second container 40. Here, as shown in Fig. 16, the bottom shape of the first container assembly 80 is plane-symmetrical and rotationally symmetrical with respect to both the longitudinal center plane and the lateral center plane, as with the planar shape. Therefore, the abutment state of the first container assembly 80 with respect to the top surface of the second container 40 is the same when the first container assembly 80 is stacked on the second container 40 in the orientation shown in Fig. 19 (this will be referred to as the "first orientation") as when the first container assembly 80 is stacked in an orientation 180 degrees different from the orientation shown in Fig. 19 (this will be referred to as the "second orientation"). Regardless of whether the first container assembly 80 is stacked relative to the second container 40 in the first or second orientation, the lower surface upper step portions 23A of the two pairs of four legs 23 located near the longitudinal center of the first container assembly 80 abut against the upper surface upper step portion 60A of the second container 40, and the lower surface upper step portions 22A of the two pairs of four legs 22 located at both longitudinal ends of the first container assembly 80 abut against the upper surface upper step portion 60A of the second container 40. In addition, the portions of the legs 22, 23 below the lower surface upper step portions 22A, 23A fit into the inner portion of the upper surface step portion 60D of the second container 40. This restricts longitudinal and lateral displacement of the first container assembly 80 relative to the second container 40. All of the legs 24 of the first container assembly 80 are suspended in the air above the vertical grooves 51M.

[0041] This completes the description of the structure and operation of the container set of this embodiment. Next, the effects of the container set of this embodiment will be described. As described above, in the container set of this embodiment, when the second containers 40 are stacked on the first container assembly 80 in a first orientation, and when the second containers 40 are stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, all of the multiple legs 51 on the side walls of the pair of long sides of the second containers 40 abut from above against the top of the first container assembly 80. In other words, since the second containers 40 can be stably stacked on the first container assembly 80 in two orientations that are 180 degrees different, there is no need to check the orientation, and the stacking operation is easier.

[0042] Furthermore, when the first container assembly 80 is stacked on top of the second container 40, they can be stacked stably in two orientations that are 180 degrees apart. That is, regardless of whether the first container assembly 80 or the second container 40 is on top, they can be stacked stably in both the first orientation and the second orientation that is 180 degrees apart from the first orientation, eliminating the need to check the orientation and facilitating the stacking operation.

[0043] Furthermore, the first container 10 of this embodiment has a pair of legs 23, 24 and a pair of vertical grooves 23M, 24M on each of the pair of short-side side walls 12, and these pairs of legs 23, 24 and these pairs of vertical grooves 23M, 24M are arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane, so that a first container assembly 80 formed by horizontally arranging two first containers 10 has two pairs of legs 23, 24 and two pairs of vertical grooves 23M, 24M on each of the pair of long-side side walls, and these two pairs of legs 23, 24 and these two pairs of vertical grooves 23M, 24M are arranged rotationally symmetrically and with respect to the plane.The second container 40 has a pair of legs 51 and a pair of vertical grooves 51M on each of the pair of long-side side walls 41, and these two pairs of legs 51 and these pairs of vertical grooves 51M are arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane. This eliminates the difference between when the second container 40 is stacked on top of the first container assembly 80 in the first orientation and when it is stacked in the second orientation, making it easy to design a structure in which all of the multiple legs on the pair of long side walls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly in both orientations.

[0044] Furthermore, when the second container 40 is stacked on top of the first container assembly 80 in a first orientation and when it is stacked in a second orientation, each leg 51 on the pair of long side walls of the second container 40 changes position and abuts from above between leg abutment portion 32A on one side of the vertical groove 24M of the first container assembly 80 and leg abutment portion 32B on the other side, thereby easily arranging the legs 51 of the second container 40 and the vertical groove 24M of the first container assembly 80 so that they do not overlap in the vertical direction.

[0045] The first and second containers 10 and 40 have upper surface step portions 30D and 60D formed by recessing the inner edges of their upper surfaces. Furthermore, the lower upper surface step portions 30B and 60B of the first and second containers 40 are provided with leg abutments 32A, 32B, 33, 34, and 55-57. Therefore, the upper surface step portions 30D and 60D engage with the legs 21-24 and 51-53, preventing lateral shifting of the same types of containers 10 and 40. Furthermore, when a third container 70 is stacked on the second container 40 and the first container assembly 80, the lower surface protrusion 76 of the third container 70 fits into the inside of the upper surface step portions 30D and 60D, preventing lateral shifting of the stacked third containers 70. This effectively utilizes the upper surface step portions 30D and 60D.

[0046] Furthermore, the first container 10 of this embodiment is provided with a receiving portion 36 formed by recessing the upper portion of the sidewall 11 on one long side, so that when the second container 40 is stacked on the first container assembly 80, the lower portion of the second container 40 is received in the receiving portion 36. This eliminates the need to recess a portion of the underside of the second container 40 to avoid interference with the first container assembly 80. Furthermore, the protrusion 36T protruding from the bottom surface of the receiving portion and the engaged portion formed on the underside of the second container 40 face each other horizontally, preventing lateral shifting when the second container 40 is stacked on the first container assembly 80.

[0047] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, a receiving portion 36 is formed in the first container 10 so that the lower part of the second container 40 is received in the receiving portion 36 at the longitudinal center of the first container assembly 80. However, instead of providing the receiving portion 36, a receiving portion may be formed at the lower part of the second container 40 so that the upper part of the first container 10 at the longitudinal center of the first container assembly 80 is received in the receiving portion.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the lower ends of the legs 21 to 24 and 51 to 53 have a stepped shape, but they do not have to have a stepped shape.

[0049] The first container 10 in the above embodiment has a shape that is rotationally asymmetric and plane-symmetric with respect to the central plane of the pair of short side walls 12, but it does not have to be a plane-symmetric shape as long as it is rotationally asymmetric. Also, the second container 40 has a shape that is rotationally asymmetric and plane-symmetric with respect to the central plane of the pair of long side walls 41, but it does not have to be a plane-symmetric shape as long as it is rotationally asymmetric.

[0050] The first and second containers 10 and 40 are provided with the upper surface step portions 30D and 60D, but they may not be provided with the upper surface step portions 30D and 60D.

[0051] Although each of the side walls 11, 12, 41, 42 of the first and second containers 10, 40 has two legs / longitudinal grooves, they may have three or more. Furthermore, when there are three or more legs / longitudinal grooves, the third and subsequent legs / longitudinal grooves may be arranged in rotational symmetry between a pair of opposing side walls, and need not be arranged in plane symmetry.

[0052] <Additional Notes> The following describes the group of features extracted from the above embodiment, while indicating, as necessary, the effects, etc. Note that, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above embodiment are indicated in parentheses as appropriate below, but these group of features are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

[0053] [Feature 1] The containers include first and second types of containers (10, 40) each having a box shape with an open top, a plurality of legs (21-24, 51-53) on the outer surface, and a plurality of vertical grooves (21M-24M, 51M-53M) on the inner surface. When containers (10, 40) of the same type are stacked in the same orientation, the plurality of legs (21-24, 51-53) of the upper container (10, 40) are accommodated in the plurality of vertical grooves (21M-24M, 51M-53M) of the lower container (10, 40), resulting in a nested state. On the other hand, when containers (10, 40) of the same type are stacked in orientations that are 180 degrees different from each other, the plurality of legs (21-24, 51-53) of the upper container (10, 40) are accommodated in the plurality of vertical grooves (21M-24M, 51M-53M) of the lower container (10, 40). a container set in which the second container (10, 40) is in a stacked state in which the second container (10, 40) abuts against the upper part of the lower container (10, 40) from above, and further, the planar shape of the second container (10, 40) is substantially the same rectangular shape as the planar shape of a first container assembly (80) formed by arranging two first containers (10, 40) horizontally, and both when the second container (40) is stacked on top of the first container assembly (80) in a first orientation and when the second container (40) is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, all of the multiple legs (51) on the side walls of a pair of long sides of the second container (40) abut against the upper part of the first container assembly (80) from above.

[0054] In the container set of Feature 1, when the second container is stacked on the first container assembly in a first orientation and when the second container is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, all of the legs on the pair of long sidewalls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly. That is, according to the configuration of Feature 1, the second container can be stably stacked on the first container assembly in two orientations that are 180 degrees different, eliminating the need to check the orientation and facilitating the stacking operation.

[0055] [Feature 2] The first container (10) has a pair of the legs (23, 24) and a pair of the longitudinal grooves (23M, 24M) on a pair of short side walls (12), and the pair of legs (23, 24) and the pair of longitudinal grooves (23M, 24M) are non-rotationally symmetrical and arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a short side center plane, which is the center plane between the pair of short side walls (12). The second container (40) has a pair of the legs (51) and a pair of the longitudinal grooves (51M) on a pair of long side walls (41), and the pair of legs (51) and the pair of longitudinal grooves (51M) are non-rotationally symmetrical and arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a long side center plane, which is the center plane between the pair of long side walls.

[0056] In the configuration of Feature 2, the first container has a pair of legs and a pair of vertical grooves on each of a pair of short-side side walls, and these pairs of legs and pairs of vertical grooves are arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane, so that a first-container assembly formed by arranging two first containers horizontally has two pairs of legs and two pairs of vertical grooves on each of a pair of long-side side walls, and these two pairs of legs and two pairs of vertical grooves are arranged with rotational symmetry and plane symmetry. And the second container has a pair of legs and a pair of vertical grooves on each of a pair of long-side side walls, and these two pairs of legs and two pairs of vertical grooves are arranged with plane symmetry. This eliminates the difference between stacking the second container on top of the first container assembly in the first orientation and stacking it in the second orientation, making it easy to design a structure in which all of the multiple legs on the pair of long side walls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly in both orientations.

[0057] [Feature 3] A container set according to Feature 2, wherein when the second container (40) is stacked on top of the first container assembly (80) in the first orientation and when the second container (40) is stacked in the second orientation, the legs (51) of the pair of long side walls (41) of the second container (40) change positions and abut from above between one side position and the other side position across the vertical groove (24M) of the first container assembly (80).

[0058] As in the configuration of Feature 3, when the second container is stacked on top of the first container assembly in a first orientation and when it is stacked in a second orientation, the legs of the pair of long side walls of the second container change positions to one side position and the other side position on either side of the vertical groove of the first container assembly and abut from above, making it easy to arrange the legs of the second container and the vertical groove of the first container assembly so that they do not overlap in the vertical direction.

[0059] [Feature 4] The first container (10) has a rectangular planar shape and has the legs (21-24) and the vertical grooves (21M-24M) on each of the four side walls of the rectangle, and the legs (22, 23) on the three side walls (11, 12) of each first container (10) included in the first container assembly (80) abut against the upper part of the second container (40) from above both when the first container assembly (80) is stacked on top of the second container (40) in a first orientation and when the first container assembly (80) is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation.

[0060] According to the configuration of feature 4, regardless of whether the first container assembly or the second container is on top, they can be stacked stably in both the first orientation and the second orientation which is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, thereby eliminating the need to check the orientation and making stacking easier.

[0061] [Feature 5] The first container (10) has an upper surface stepped portion (30D) formed by recessing the inner edge of the upper surface in a stepped shape, and a lower portion (30B) of the upper surface is provided with leg abutments (32A, 33, 34, 35) against which the legs (21-24) of another first container (10) can abut. The second container (40) has an upper surface stepped portion (60D) formed by recessing the inner edge of the upper surface in a stepped shape, and a lower portion (60B) of the upper surface is provided with leg abutments (55-57) against which the legs (51-53) of another second container (40) can abut. The container set includes a container having a planar shape substantially identical to that of the second container (40) and an outer surface of a lower surface. A container set according to any one of features 1 to 4, including a third container (70) having a bottom protrusion (76) formed by protruding an inner portion from the edge and not having the legs, wherein when the third container (70) is stacked on the second container (40), the bottom protrusion (76) fits into the inside of the top step portion (30D) of the second container (40), and when the third container (70) is stacked on the first container assembly (80), the bottom protrusion (76) fits into the inside of the top step portion (30D) of the two first containers (10) that make up the first container assembly (80).

[0062] In the configuration of Feature 5, the first and second containers have upper surface step portions formed by recessing the inner edges of their upper surfaces in a stepped shape. Furthermore, the lower portions of the upper surfaces of the first and second containers are provided with leg abutment portions against which the legs of other first and second containers can abut, preventing lateral shifting of stacked containers by engagement between the upper surface step portions and the legs. Furthermore, when a third container is stacked on top of the second container and the first container assembly, the lower surface protrusions of the third container fit into the inside of the upper surface step portions, preventing lateral shifting of the stacked third container, thereby making effective use of the upper surface step portions.

[0063] [Feature 6] A container set according to any one of features 1 to 4, comprising a receiving portion (36) formed by recessing an upper portion of a side wall (11) on one long side of the first container (10) and receiving the lower portion of the second container (40), a protrusion (36T) protruding from the bottom surface of the receiving portion (36), and an engaged portion (43T) formed on the underside of the second container (40) and facing the protrusion (36T) horizontally.

[0064] In the configuration of Feature 6, a receiving portion is provided by recessing an upper portion of a sidewall on one long side of the first container, so that when the second container is stacked on the first container assembly, the lower portion of the second container is received in the receiving portion. This eliminates the need to recess a portion of the underside of the second container to avoid interference with the first container assembly. Furthermore, the protrusion protruding from the bottom surface of the receiving portion and the engagement portion formed on the underside of the second container face each other horizontally, preventing lateral shifting of the second container when stacked on the first container assembly.

[0065] Although the present specification and drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but also includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, and also includes parts of the specific examples taken out alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 First Container 11,12 side wall 21~24,51~53 Legs 21M~24M,51M~53M vertical groove 30D, 60D upper step 32A, 32B, 33, 34, 55~57 Leg contact part 36 Receptor 36T protrusion 40 Second Container 41,42 side wall 43T Bottom protrusion (engaged part) 70 Third Container 76 Bottom protrusion 80 1st container assembly

Claims

1. A container set comprising first and second types of containers each having an open-top box shape, a plurality of legs on an outer surface, and a plurality of vertical grooves on an inner surface, wherein when containers of the same type are stacked in the same orientation, the plurality of legs of the upper container are accommodated in the plurality of vertical grooves of the lower container, resulting in a nested state, while when containers of the same type are stacked in orientations that are 180 degrees different, the plurality of legs of the upper container are in a stacked state, abutting the upper part of the lower container from above, and further wherein the planar shape of the second container is substantially the same rectangular shape as the planar shape of a first container assembly formed by arranging two of the first containers horizontally, A container set in which, both when the second container is stacked on top of the first container assembly in a first orientation and when the second container is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, all of the multiple legs on a pair of long side walls of the second container abut from above against the top of the first container assembly.

2. the first container has a pair of the legs and a pair of the longitudinal grooves on a pair of short-side side walls, the pair of legs and the pair of longitudinal grooves being non-rotationally symmetric and arranged plane-symmetrically with respect to a short-side center plane that is a center plane between the pair of short-side side walls; The second container has a pair of legs and a pair of longitudinal grooves on each of a pair of long side walls, and the pair of legs and the pair of longitudinal grooves are non-rotationally symmetric and arranged plane-symmetrically with respect to a long side center plane, which is the center plane between the pair of long side walls.

3. A container set as described in claim 2, wherein when the second container is stacked on top of the first container assembly in the first orientation and when the second container is stacked in the second orientation, each leg of a pair of long side walls of the second container abuts from above, changing position between one side position and the other side position across the vertical groove of the first container assembly.

4. the first container has a rectangular shape in plan view, and has the legs and the longitudinal grooves on each of the four side walls of the rectangle; 2. The container set of claim 1, wherein when the first container assembly is stacked on top of the second container in a first orientation and when the first container assembly is stacked in a second orientation that is 180 degrees different from the first orientation, the legs of the side walls on three sides of each first container included in the first container assembly abut against the top of the second container from above.

5. The first container has an upper surface stepped portion formed by recessing an inner edge of the upper surface in a stepped shape, and a leg abutment portion is provided in a lower step portion of the upper surface to which a leg of another first container can abut, The second container has an upper surface stepped portion formed by recessing an inner edge of the upper surface in a stepped shape, and a leg abutment portion on a lower step of the upper surface to which a leg of another second container can abut, the container set includes a third container having substantially the same planar shape as the second container, a bottom protrusion formed by protruding an inner portion from an outer edge of the bottom surface, and no leg portion; When the third container is stacked on the second container, the lower surface protrusion fits into the inside of the upper surface step portion of the second container, and A container set described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the third container is stacked on top of the first container assembly, the lower surface protrusion fits into the inside of the upper surface step portions of the two first containers that constitute the first container assembly.

6. a receiving portion formed by recessing an upper portion of a side wall on one long side of the first container, the receiving portion receiving a lower portion of the second container; a protrusion protruding from a bottom surface of the receiving portion; an engaged portion formed on the bottom surface of the second container and facing the protrusion in the horizontal direction; 5. The container set according to claim 1, comprising:

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